Executive Summary
Multiple initiatives aiming to accelerate climate action have one core challenge. Carbon accounting, digital product passports, and ESG reporting — all struggle with access to granular and up-to-date primary data, such as consistent climate-relevant data on product and material level within and across value chains. Current solutions rely on insufficient third-party data focusing on averages, cumulated values, and estimates.

What is required are interoperable and secure cross-industry standards for data exchange: the Data Commons. Building on examples and use cases from the field, this paper introduces the fundamental Values and Building Blocks of Data Commons and outlines its benefits: high data quality, fast implementation speed, and general scalability — especially in complex settings with many stakeholders. By integrating the concept of Data Commons in their digital and sustainability strategies, businesses can meet upcoming explicit, implicit, legal, and financial sustainability demands and turn the challenges into immediate value creation opportunities, such as procurement optimization, supply chain coordination, and enhanced financing conditions. Beyond the benefits to individual companies and decision-makers, a Data Commons approach has the potential to accelerate the decarbonization of our economy and maintain our climate within safe limits for humanity.