VocabUNTP Performance Metrics Vocabularycode list · 87
A hierarchical vocabulary of standardised performance metrics for tagging fine-grained product and facility-level sustainability claims. Metric granularity is set to match the granularity of enterprise disclosure standards such as IFRS S1/S2, GRI, ESRS and the EU Battery Regulation, so that product and facility values can be rolled up into those disclosures. Counterpart to the UNTP Conformity Topic Classification — topics classify what is being assessed, metrics define what is measured.
Monetary values are out of scope, and an implementer looking for one should stop looking. A metric records a measured or calculated quantity about a product or a facility. It does not record a cost, a price, a fine or an amount of capital. Where a monetary figure is wanted, such as the embedded carbon cost of a product, it is derived from the metrics and a price obtained elsewhere: carbon intensity multiplied by mass multiplied by a price in a chosen market. The price is not a property of the product, it varies by market and by date, and whoever performs the calculation chooses it, so publishing the result would fix one observer's assumptions into the credential. The general rule: where a derivation needs an input the credential cannot carry and that differs between observers, this vocabulary carries the inputs and leaves the derivation downstream. Monetary disclosures about the undertaking itself, such as an internal carbon price, capital deployed or fines paid, are out of scope for a second reason, being a company's own affairs rather than the performance of a product or a facility.
Browse all 87 codes → (flat A–Z list)
01 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 10
Metrics for measuring, reporting, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all scopes, including absolute values, intensities, and reduction progress.
IFRS S2 paras 29–36; ESRS E1; GRI 305; GHG Protocol Corporate Standard.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01.01 | Scope 1 GHG Emissions | Absolute GHG emissions from sources owned or controlled by the reporting entity, in tonnes CO2 equivalent. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.02 | Scope 2 GHG Emissions | Indirect GHG emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling consumed by the reporting entity, in tonnes CO2 equivalent. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.03 | Scope 3 Upstream Emissions | Indirect GHG emissions occurring in the upstream value chain including purchased goods, transportation, and business travel, in tonnes CO2 equivalent. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.04 | Scope 3 Downstream Emissions | Indirect GHG emissions occurring in the downstream value chain including product use, end-of-life treatment, and distribution, in tonnes CO2 equivalent. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.05 | Total GHG Emissions | Sum of Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, in tonnes CO2 equivalent. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.06 | GHG Emissions Intensity | Greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output or physical activity, expressed as kg CO2e per unit of measure. | kg | Weighted average | Lower |
01.07 | Product Carbon Footprint | Total lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions attributable to a single product unit, from raw material extraction through end-of-life, in kg CO2 equivalent. | kg | Weighted average | Lower |
01.08 | Biogenic Emissions | CO2 emissions from the combustion or biodegradation of biomass, reported separately from fossil-fuel emissions, in tonnes CO2. | t | Sum | Lower |
01.09 | GHG Reduction Target Progress | Percentage of committed GHG reduction target achieved, measured against a declared baseline year. | P1 | Latest | Higher |
01.10 | Methane Emissions | Mass of methane emitted over the reporting period, in tonnes of CH4 rather than CO2 equivalent. A disaggregation of scope 1 emissions by gas, not an addition to the scope 1 total. | t | Sum | Lower |
02 Energy 5
Metrics for measuring energy consumption, renewable energy share, and energy efficiency across operations and supply chains.
IFRS S2 para 29; ESRS E1; GRI 302; EU Energy Efficiency Directive.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
02.01 | Total Energy Consumption | Total energy consumed from all sources including fuel, electricity, heating, cooling, and steam, in megawatt hours. | MW·h | Sum | Lower |
02.02 | Renewable Energy Percentage | Share of total energy consumption sourced from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
02.03 | Energy Intensity | Energy consumed per unit of economic output or physical activity, expressed as MWh per unit of measure. | MW·h | Weighted average | Lower |
02.04 | On-site Renewable Generation | Total renewable energy generated on-site from owned or controlled installations, in megawatt hours. | MW·h | Sum | Higher |
02.05 | Non-Renewable Energy Consumption | Energy consumed from non-renewable sources including fossil fuels and nuclear, in megawatt hours. | MW·h | Sum | Lower |
03 Water 6
Metrics for measuring water withdrawal, consumption, discharge, recycling, and usage intensity across operations.
ESRS E3; GRI 303; CEO Water Mandate; Alliance for Water Stewardship.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
03.01 | Total Water Withdrawal | Total volume of water drawn from surface, ground, sea, produced, or third-party sources, in cubic metres. | m³ | Sum | Lower |
03.02 | Water Consumption | Volume of water withdrawn that is not returned to the original source, representing net water removed from the environment, in cubic metres. | m³ | Sum | Lower |
03.03 | Water Recycling Rate | Percentage of total water use that is recycled or reused within operations. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
03.04 | Water Discharge | Total volume of effluent water discharged to surface water, groundwater, or third-party treatment, in cubic metres. | m³ | Sum | Lower |
03.05 | Water Intensity | Water consumed per unit of economic output or physical activity, expressed as litres per unit of measure. | l | Weighted average | Lower |
03.06 | Water Stress Area Withdrawal | Volume of water withdrawn from areas classified as high or extremely-high baseline water stress, in cubic metres. | m³ | Sum | Lower |
04 Waste and Circularity 11
Metrics for measuring waste generation, diversion, recycled content, recyclability, and circular economy performance.
ESRS E5; GRI 306; EU ESPR Art. 5–8; EU Waste Framework Directive.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04.01 | Total Waste Generated | Total weight of hazardous and non-hazardous waste generated by operations, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
04.02 | Hazardous Waste Generated | Total weight of waste classified as hazardous under applicable regulations, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
04.03 | Waste Diversion Rate | Percentage of total waste diverted from landfill and incineration through recycling, composting, or other recovery methods. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
04.04 | Recycled Content Percentage | Share of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled material in the total weight of a product or material input. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
04.05 | Recyclability Rate | Percentage of product weight that is technically recyclable at end of life under available infrastructure. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
04.06 | Material Recovery Rate | Percentage of end-of-life product mass actually recovered through recycling, remanufacturing, or refurbishment processes. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
04.07 | Waste to Landfill | Total weight of waste disposed via landfill, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
04.08 | Product Durability Index | Expected useful life of a product under normal conditions of use, expressed in years or cycles as applicable. | y | Average | Higher |
04.09 | Reuse and Remanufacturing Rate | Percentage of product units or components returned to service through reuse, refurbishment, or remanufacturing. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
04.10 | Regulated Commodity Content | Share of total mass accounted for by commodities that a cited regulation designates as in scope. The regulation is named by the reference criteria of the claim rather than by this metric, so the metric is unaffected when a regulation revises its list of commodities. | P1 | Weighted average | Context dependent |
04.11 | Renewable Material Content | Share of total material input mass that is renewable, meaning drawn from biological sources that replenish on a human timescale. Measured against the total mass of materials used in a product or consumed by a facility over a reporting period. | P1 | Weighted average | Context dependent |
05 Biodiversity and Land Use 6
Metrics for measuring deforestation-free sourcing, land-use change, biodiversity impact, and protection of sensitive areas.
ESRS E4; GRI 304; TNFD; EU Deforestation Regulation; Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
05.01 | Deforestation-Free Sourcing | Percentage of raw material inputs verified as sourced without associated deforestation or forest degradation after a declared cut-off date. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
05.02 | Land Use Change | Area of natural ecosystems converted to managed land for production or extraction activities, in hectares. | ha | Sum | Lower |
05.03 | Total Land Use | Total area of land occupied for production or extraction activities over the reporting period, in hectares, including land converted before the period began. | ha | Sum | Lower |
05.04 | Potentially Disappeared Fraction of Species | Potentially disappeared fraction of species, the share of species present in an area that is expected to be lost as a result of the activity assessed, expressed as a fraction between 0 and 1. | 1 | Weighted average | Lower |
05.05 | Protected Area Impact | Area of operations, sourcing, or infrastructure footprint located within or adjacent to legally protected or high-biodiversity-value areas, in hectares. | ha | Sum | Lower |
05.06 | Mean Species Abundance | Mean species abundance, the average abundance of originally occurring species relative to their abundance in an undisturbed reference state, expressed as a fraction between 0 and 1 where 1 is an intact ecosystem. | 1 | Weighted average | Higher |
06 Pollution 8
Metrics for measuring pollutants released to air, water and soil, hazardous substance releases, and chemical safety performance beyond greenhouse gas emissions, which are covered by the greenhouse gas emissions group.
ESRS E2; GRI 305 (non-GHG); EU Industrial Emissions Directive; Stockholm Convention; Montreal Protocol.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
06.01 | SOx Emissions | Total mass of sulphur oxides released to air from stationary and mobile sources, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
06.02 | NOx Emissions | Total mass of nitrogen oxides released to air from combustion and industrial processes, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
06.03 | VOC Emissions | Total mass of volatile organic compounds released to air from solvents, coatings, and industrial processes, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
06.04 | Particulate Matter Emissions | Total mass of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) released to air from operations, in tonnes. | t | Sum | Lower |
06.05 | Substances of Concern | Total mass of substances of concern or substances of very high concern (SVHC) present in products or released during production, in kilograms. | kg | Sum | Lower |
06.06 | Ozone-Depleting Substance Emissions | Total mass of ozone-depleting substances released, measured in kg CFC-11 equivalent. | kg | Sum | Lower |
06.07 | Nitrogen Discharged to Water | Total mass of nitrogen discharged to water over the reporting period, in tonnes. Reported as a load rather than a concentration, because a load aggregates across sites and is what drives downstream eutrophication. | t | Sum | Lower |
06.08 | Phosphorus Discharged to Water | Total mass of phosphorus discharged to water over the reporting period, in tonnes. Reported as a load rather than a concentration, because a load aggregates across sites and is what drives downstream eutrophication. | t | Sum | Lower |
07 Workforce 11
Metrics for measuring labour practices, workplace safety, diversity, equity, and human rights performance across operations and supply chains.
ESRS S1, S2; GRI 401–409; IFRS S1; ILO Core Conventions; UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
07.01 | Living Wage Coverage | Percentage of workers (including contractor and supply-chain workers in scope) receiving at least a verified living wage. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
07.02 | Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate | Number of lost-time injuries per one million hours worked, measuring workplace safety performance. | 1 | Average | Lower |
07.03 | Gender Pay Gap | Difference in average compensation between male and female employees as a percentage of male average compensation. | P1 | Weighted average | Lower |
07.04 | Women in Management | Percentage of management and leadership positions held by women. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
07.05 | Women in Workforce | Percentage of total workforce headcount who are women. Reported alongside women in management, which covers leadership positions only. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
07.06 | Training Hours per Employee | Average number of hours of training and professional development provided per employee per year. | h | Average | Higher |
07.07 | Collective Bargaining Coverage | Percentage of employees covered by collective bargaining agreements. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
07.08 | Employee Turnover Rate | Percentage of employees who leave the organisation voluntarily or involuntarily during the reporting period. | P1 | Average | Lower |
07.09 | Child Labor Incidents | Number of confirmed incidents of child labor identified in own operations and supply chain during the reporting period. | 1 | Count | Lower |
07.10 | Forced Labor Incidents | Number of confirmed incidents of forced, bonded, or compulsory labor identified in own operations and supply chain during the reporting period. | 1 | Count | Lower |
07.11 | Workforce Diversity Ratio | Representation of under-represented groups in the workforce as a percentage of total headcount, covering gender, ethnicity, disability, and other protected characteristics. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
08 Governance 4
Metrics for measuring anti-corruption practices, supply chain due diligence, ESG disclosure quality, and grievance mechanism effectiveness.
ESRS G1; GRI 205, 308, 414; IFRS S1; OECD Guidelines Chapter VII.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
08.01 | Anti-Corruption Training Coverage | Percentage of employees and governance body members who have received anti-corruption training during the reporting period. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
08.02 | Supplier Due Diligence Coverage | Percentage of significant suppliers assessed against environmental and social due diligence criteria during the reporting period. | P1 | Weighted average | Higher |
08.03 | ESG Disclosure Score | Composite score measuring the completeness, accuracy, and timeliness of environmental, social, and governance public disclosures. | P1 | Latest | Higher |
08.04 | Grievance Response Rate | Percentage of grievances received through formal mechanisms that were acknowledged and addressed within the defined response timeframe. | P1 | Average | Higher |
09 Product Safety and Quality 8
Metrics for measuring physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical, and fire safety properties of products and materials against applicable safety standards and performance requirements.
EU General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988; ICC International Building Code; ISO/IEC product safety standards; EU Construction Products Regulation.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09.01 | Mechanical Strength | Tensile, compressive, or flexural strength of a material or product under specified test conditions, in megapascals. | MPa | Minimum | Higher |
09.02 | Impact Resistance | Energy absorbed by a material or product before fracture under impact loading, in joules. | J | Minimum | Higher |
09.03 | Thermal Performance | Thermal resistance (R-value) or thermal conductivity of a material or assembly, indicating its ability to insulate against heat transfer. | 1 | Weighted average | Higher |
09.04 | Fire Resistance Rating | Duration a material or assembly maintains structural integrity, insulation, and limits heat transfer under standard fire exposure conditions, in minutes. | min | Minimum | Higher |
09.05 | Electrical Safety Rating | Composite test result or classification for electrical insulation, shock protection, and fault tolerance under applicable safety standards. | 1 | Minimum | Higher |
09.06 | Flammability Rating | Classification of a material's reaction to fire, covering ignitability, flame spread, heat release, and smoke generation under standard test conditions. | 1 | Minimum | Higher |
09.07 | Chemical Substance Concentration | Concentration of a specified regulated or restricted substance present in a product, in milligrams per kilogram. | mg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
09.08 | Noise Emission Level | Sound power or sound pressure level emitted by a product during normal operation, in decibels. | 1 | Maximum | Lower |
10 Food Safety and Quality 8
Metrics for measuring microbiological safety, chemical contaminant levels, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, food additive levels, nutritional content, and allergen presence in food products.
Codex Alimentarius (FAO/WHO); EU General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002; EU food safety regulations; ISO 22000.
| Code | Label | Definition | Unit | Aggregation | Better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10.01 | Microbiological Count | Colony-forming units of a specified microorganism per unit of food, measuring microbiological safety and hygiene performance. | 1 | Maximum | Lower |
10.02 | Chemical Contaminant Level | Concentration of a specified chemical contaminant (heavy metals, mycotoxins, dioxins, etc.) in food, in milligrams per kilogram. | mg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
10.03 | Pesticide Residue Level | Concentration of a specified pesticide residue in food, measured against the applicable maximum residue limit, in milligrams per kilogram. | mg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
10.04 | Veterinary Drug Residue Level | Concentration of a specified veterinary drug residue in animal-derived food, measured against the applicable maximum residue limit, in micrograms per kilogram. | µg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
10.05 | Food Additive Level | Concentration of a specified food additive in the final product, measured against the applicable maximum permitted level, in milligrams per kilogram. | mg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
10.06 | Nutritional Content | Amount of a specified nutrient (energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sugar, sodium, fibre, vitamins, minerals) per standard serving or per 100 grams of food. | g | Average | Context dependent |
10.07 | Allergen Presence | Declared presence or measured concentration of a specified allergen in a food product, supporting consumer safety and regulatory labelling requirements. | mg/kg | Maximum | Lower |
10.08 | Shelf Life Duration | Expected period during which a food product maintains safety and quality under stated storage conditions, in days. | d | Minimum | Higher |
Mappings & provenance
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