Breakthrough Worldly Study Pinpoints the Primary Data That Improves Scope 3 Emissions Accuracy by Over 70%

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 9, 2025--

Worldly, the leading supply chain intelligence platform for consumer goods, today announced the release of a groundbreaking new research study that identifies exactly which supply chain data is most critical in helping businesses improve the accuracy of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting. Specifically, the study proves that measuring a product’s weight is the single most important factor for improving emissions accuracy at scale, increasing reporting credibility by 54%. For years, companies seeking credible product impact insights have been stuck between two imperfect paths: broad-brush spend-based methodologies or painstaking life-cycle analyses. This research delivers the breakthrough product-level view the industry has been waiting for — a way to achieve accuracy at scale, while reducing the data burden for both brands and their suppliers.

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In most consumer goods companies, Scope 3 emissions are 40–50 times higher 1 than Scope 1 and 2 combined. Sustainability teams are expected to gather massive amounts of data across complex, shifting supply chains — making it challenging to determine which inputs truly shape impact improvements. As expectations for accurate emissions reporting rise in key markets, this lack of prioritization has fueled burnout, slowed climate progress, and increased operational and compliance risk.

Worldly’s new research changes that.

The Industry’s Core Challenge: Too Much Data, Lack of Clarity on How to Use It

Scope 3 emissions represent the vast majority of a brand’s carbon footprint. Yet collecting primary data across complex, shifting global supply chains is costly, time-intensive, and often impractical. The leading international climate reporting guidance encourages companies to focus on “significant” and “relevant” data, but it can be difficult for businesses to identify those key levers on their own.

As a result, many sustainability teams attempt to “collect everything,” leading to years of data-chasing and data-overwhelm for them and their supply chain partners, with little time left to reduce emissions.

Worldly’s new model provides the first science-backed answer to what data is most important for accurately measuring and reducing GHG emissions at scale.

A Data-Backed Breakthrough: What to Measure (and Why)

Worldly built a robust mathematical model using a realistic 87-product sample brand — “EveryWear” — to test the real impact of replacing industry-average assumptions with actual primary data. The results highlight dramatic differences in how much certain data types affect emissions accuracy.

Top research finding: Measuring product weight alone increases Scope 3 reporting accuracy by 54% — proof that this is where brands should focus to drive real impact.

Weight is critical to model correctly because all physical products have weights, which are the foundational building blocks of emissions inventories. Over- or under-estimate the weight of a product, and the emissions calculation will be too high or low, even if nothing else about the product changes.

Other insights include:

Not all primary data has equal impact on driving business strategy, and for the first time, these differences are quantified.

This gives sourcing, compliance, and sustainability teams permission — and proof — to focus their limited resources on the most meaningful data, not all possible data, to make businesses more resilient and protect against risk.

From Data Distress to Decisive Action

Worldly tested three realistic data-collection strategies to understand how different levels of effort affect emissions accuracy:

1. Deep but narrow: Product weight for all 87 products
2. Moderate depth: Product weight + material emission factors for the top 40 products
3. Shallow but wide: Product weight + material emission factors + net use for the top 30 products

Outcome: Strategy 3 increases emissions accuracy by 74%, the highest-performing approach. Notably, collecting four times more data for low-volume products does not improve accuracy further.

Clear takeaway: Brands should prioritize the right data for their top-selling products, not attempt to collect everything.

Why Unified Data Matters for the Industry

With evolving regulations, increased scrutiny, and rising investor expectations, companies need Scope 3 reporting that is both defensible and decision-ready. Worldly’s framework empowers brands to:

Worldly’s mission is to unite the industry’s fragmented data landscape and support companies on their decarbonization journey, with solutions built for action, not just reporting.

“Companies have long struggled to know which data is most valuable for climate action. This study proves that accurate emissions reporting doesn’t require collecting everything; it requires collecting the most critical data. Our model finally gives brands a practical, science-backed roadmap to move from general reporting to truly impactful climate action and business decisions,” said Scott Raskin, CEO, Worldly.

Strengthening Business Resilience Through Better Scope 3 Intelligence

Accurate Scope 3 GHG emissions data is no longer just a reporting requirement, it’s a strategic lever for risk reduction and resilience. Supply chains are increasingly affected by climate-related disruptions, regulatory shifts, and material volatility. Without visibility into where emissions — and therefore risks — are concentrated, companies are effectively blind to the vulnerabilities buried in their upstream partners and processes.

By focusing on the highest-value primary data, brands can identify which suppliers, materials, and facilities contribute most to their footprint, enabling earlier interventions, smarter sourcing decisions, and stronger climate-aligned partnerships. The result is a more resilient supply chain that protects business continuity while accelerating decarbonization.

1. Source:Carbon Disclosure Project

About Worldly

Worldly is the leading sustainability and supply chain intelligence platform for the consumer goods industry, empowering brands, retailers, and manufacturers to turn primary data into strategic action. Trusted by a network of over 40,000 companies across apparel, footwear, home furnishings, and sporting goods, Worldly provides deep visibility into environmental and social impact — from carbon and water to chemicals and labor — at the product, facility, and value-chain levels.

Built on the industry’s leading standards, including Cascale’s Higg Index tools, Worldly transforms raw data into actionable intelligence that helps businesses reduce risk, meet evolving regulations, and accelerate measurable impact.
www.worldly.io

Worldly’s mission is to unite the industry’s fragmented data landscape and support companies on their decarbonization journey, with solutions built for action, not just reporting.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months.

Chair Jerome Powell signaled at a news conference that the Fed would likely hold off on further rate cuts in the coming months while it evaluated the health of the economy. And in a set of quarterly economic projections, Fed officials signaled they expect to lower rates just once next year.

Wednesday's cut reduced the rate to about 3.6%, the lowest it has been in nearly three years. Lower rates from the Fed can bring down borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards over time, though market forces can also affect those rates.

Fed officials “will carefully evaluate the incoming data," Powell said, adding that the Fed is “well positioned to wait to see how the economy evolves.” The chair also said that the Fed’s key rate was close to a level that neither restricts nor stimulates the economy.

Three Fed officials dissented from the move, the most dissents in six years and a sign of deep divisions on a committee that traditionally works by consensus. Two officials voted to keep the Fed's rate unchanged, while Stephen Miran, whom Trump appointed in September, voted for a half point cut.

December’s meeting could usher in a more contentious period for the Fed. Officials are split between those who support reducing rates to bolster hiring and those who’d prefer to keep rates unchanged because inflation remains above the central bank’s 2% target. Unless inflation shows clear signs of coming fully under control, or unemployment worsens, those divisions will likely remain.

“What you see is some people feel we should stop here and we’re in the right place and should wait, and some people think we should cut more next year,” Powell said. He did rule out a rate hike next year.

Trump on Wednesday criticized the cut as too small, and said he would have preferred “at least double.” The president could name a new Fed chair as soon as later this month to replace Powell when his term ends in May. Trump’s new chair is likely to push for sharper rate cuts than many officials may support.

Stocks jumped in response to the Fed's move, in part because some Wall Street investors expected Powell to be more forceful in shutting down the possibility of future cuts. The broad S&P 500 stock index rose 0.7% and closed near an all-time high reached in October.

Powell was also optimistic about the economy's growth next year, and said that consumer spending remains resilient while companies are still investing in artificial intelligence infrastructure. He also suggested growing worker efficiency could boost growth as well.

A stark sign of the Fed’s divisions was the wide range of cuts that the 19 members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee penciled in for 2026. Seven projected no cuts next year, while eight forecast that the central bank would implement two or more reductions. Four supported just one. Only 12 out of 19 members vote on rate decisions.

The Fed met against the backdrop of elevated inflation that has frustrated many Americans, with prices higher for groceries, rents, and utilities. Consumer prices have jumped 25% in the five years since COVID.

“We hear loud and clear how people are experiencing really high costs," Powell said Wednesday. "A lot of that isn’t the current rate of inflation, a lot of that is imbedded high costs due to higher inflations in 2022-2023.”

In a delayed report last week, the government said the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge remained high in September, with both overall and core prices rising 2.8% from a year earlier. That is far below the spikes in inflation three years ago but still painful for many households after the big run-up since 2020.

The Fed typically keeps its key rate elevated to combat inflation, while it often reduces borrowing costs when unemployment worsens to spur more spending and hiring.

Adding to the Fed's challenges, job gains have slowed sharply this year and the unemployment rate has risen for three straight months to 4.4%. While that is still a low rate historically, it is the highest in four years. Layoffs are also muted, so far, as part of what many economists call a “low hire, low fire” job market.

Still, Powell said the committee reduced borrowing costs out of concern that the job market is even weaker than it appears. While government data shows that the economy has added just 40,000 jobs a month since April, Powell said that figure could be revised lower by as much as 60,000, which would mean employers have actually been shedding an average of 20,000 jobs a month since the spring.

“It’s a labor market that seems to have significant downside risks," Powell told reporters. "People care about that. That’s their jobs.”

At the same time, Powell noted that there are signs inflation is continuing to cool. Tariffs have made many goods more expensive, but that could peak early next year, he said, while the cost of services — hotel rooms, entertainment, and restaurant meals — has been flat.

“If you get away from tariffs, inflation is in the low 2s," Powell said, near the Fed's target.

The lack of economic data since the government shutdown ended Nov. 13 has contributed to the divisions at the Fed. But when Fed officials next meet in late January, they’ll have up to three months of backlogged reports to consider. If those figures show that the job market has worsened, the Fed could reduce rates again in January.

By contrast, if hiring has stabilized while inflation remains elevated, they may hold off on additional cuts for several months.

Powell will preside over only three more Fed meetings before he steps down. He was asked about his legacy.

“I really want to turn this job over to whoever replaces me with the economy in really good shape,” he said. "I want inflation to be under control, coming back down to 2%, and I want the labor market to be strong.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the Federal Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the Federal Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the Federal Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the Federal Reserve, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE _ Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a news conference after the Federal Open Market Committee meeting Oct. 29, 2025, at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)