Buyer's Platform Glossary

This article explains key words and terms used across the platform. It is designed to help users understand common labels, filters, statuses, dashboard fields, and reporting concepts that appear when managing supplier data, reviewing requests, analysing emissions, or tracking action plans.

Use this glossary as a reference when navigating the platform, interpreting dashboard results, exporting data, or explaining platform terminology to suppliers and colleagues. Some terms may appear in different areas of the platform, so the definitions below explain what each term generally means and how it is used in context.

Manage menu

My suppliers

Active suppliers:	Suppliers who have accepted at least one of your data requests.
Unconfirmed suppliers:	Suppliers who haven’t yet accepted any of your data requests.

Labels

Labels:	Labels are tags you create to organise your suppliers and facilities. Use them to group suppliers, assign actions, and manage requests more efficiently.
By supplier:	View and manage labels assigned to suppliers. You can select multiple suppliers and add or remove labels in bulk.
By facility:	View and manage labels assigned to facilities. You can select multiple facilities and update labels in bulk.

Questions

Questions:

View and manage your question set. You can search and filter questions by keyword, topic, report type, or label to quickly find what you need.

Data requests

Data request	A request you send to a supplier asking them to provide emissions data for a specific reporting year. Requests can be sent at organisation, facility, or product level, and are delivered via email.
Facility request	A request for a specific facility. The supplier selects one or more of their own facilities to respond.
All facility request	A request for all relevant facilities across a supplier. The supplier chooses which of their facilities apply.
Organisation request	A request for emissions data at the organisation level.

Request statuses

New	Draft requests that haven’t been sent yet.
Review and send	Draft requests with no major issues. You can review, edit, and send them.
Unable to send	Draft requests with issues that must be fixed before sending.
Sent	Requests that have been sent to suppliers.
Undeliverable	Requests that couldn’t be delivered. You can fix and resend or cancel.
In progress	Requests accepted by suppliers but not yet completed.
Accepted	Requests the supplier has agreed to complete but hasn’t submitted yet.
Pending licences	Suppliers who need a licence before completing their data.
Closed	Requests that are no longer active.
Completed	Requests where the supplier has submitted the data.
Rejected	Requests declined by the supplier.
Cancelled / ended requests	Requests you’ve stopped. You can restart them.
Cancelled	Stopped after being sent but before supplier response.
Deleted	Removed before being sent.
Ended	Stopped after the supplier accepted it.

Action Requests

Action Requests

Assign actions to supplier groups using labels to track engagement.

Emissions Reduction Requests

Emissions Reduction Requests

Set and manage emissions reduction targets for suppliers and track progress over time.

Analyze menu

Supplier Energy:

This section tells you how to interpret supplier energy data in the dashboard. It shows the reporting view, assessment level, renewable and non-renewable energy categories, and the difference between electricity and total energy use. It is useful for understanding energy trends and reading energy-related metrics correctly.

Date	Reporting year
Energy profiles	This view shows suppliers' reported energy data over time so buyers can understand total energy use and trends. It is available in Buyer mode under Analyze and focuses on energy-related performance rather than full emissions totals.
Assessment type	This identifies the kind of report the data comes from, such as facility or organisation assessments. It helps users understand the reporting level behind the figures they are viewing.
Renewable	This refers to energy from renewable sources reported in the platform's energy data. It helps users separate lower-carbon energy sources from non-renewable energy sources in supplier reporting.
Non-renewable	This refers to energy from sources that are not renewable, as reported by suppliers. It helps users distinguish conventional energy use from renewable energy in the dashboard.
Energy vs electricity	Electricity is one type of energy, but energy reporting can also include other sources such as fuels or heat. This distinction helps users avoid treating electricity data as the whole energy picture.

Supplier emissions:

This section tells you how to interpret supplier emissions data for a selected period and reporting year. It shows the main methodologies, including market-based and location-based views, and defines core concepts such as Scope 1, Scope 2, CO2e, and emissions by source. It is useful for understanding what is being measured, how emissions are presented, and which sources contribute most to a supplier's footprint.

Date range: This filter controls the time period shown in the dashboard. It helps users focus on the reporting window most relevant to their analysis.
Assessment year: This is the reporting year the assessment covers. In the platform, assessments are tied to a calendar year running from 1 January to 31 December.
Methodology: This shows which emissions calculation method is being used in the dashboard. It helps users interpret figures consistently, especially when comparing market-based and location-based views.
- Market-based: This method reflects emissions from electricity using contractual instruments such as supplier-specific factors where available. In the platform, market-based figures are used in several analytics views and are currently the main visible methodology in some reports.
  - Scope 1: These are direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the reporting organisation, such as fuel combustion or process emissions. They are part of the core emissions totals shown in assessments and dashboards.
  - Scope 2: These are indirect emissions from purchased energy, such as electricity. The platform can show Scope 2 values using different methodologies depending on the report.
- Location-based: This method reflects emissions from electricity based on the average emissions intensity of the local grid. It is referenced in the platform, though some views note it is still in development.
CO2e: This stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, a standard way to combine different greenhouse gases into one comparable number. It lets users compare total climate impact in a single unit.
Emissions by source: This breaks total emissions into the types of activities or sources that produced them. It helps users see which sources are contributing most to a supplier's footprint.
- Refrigerants and fugitives: These are emissions from refrigerant leaks and other gases that escape during operations rather than being intentionally burned. In the platform, they sit within fugitive emission sources.
- Transport and mobile sources: These are emissions linked to vehicles and other mobile fuel-using equipment. They are commonly part of direct operational emissions reporting.
- Chemical processes: These are emissions created by industrial or chemical processes rather than by energy use alone. They are included where relevant in process emission reporting.

Supplier performance:

This section tells you how to compare suppliers using both total emissions and emissions intensity. It shows the difference between absolute performance and performance relative to output, and it clarifies when the data is shown as a table or only as a chart. It is useful for identifying high emitters, comparing efficiency, and choosing between visual trends and exact supplier-level figures.

Absolute emissions performance: This shows the total amount of emissions a supplier reports. It helps users compare overall emissions levels without adjusting for production or output.
- Table view for specific numbers per supplier: The table view shows the exact values behind the chart for each supplier. It is useful when users need detailed figures instead of a visual comparison.
Emissions intensity performance: This compares emissions relative to an activity measure such as output or production, rather than showing totals alone. It helps users judge efficiency as well as scale.
- Only visible as chart: This note suggests the metric may be presented visually rather than as a detailed table in the current report. If so, users can use the chart to compare patterns but may not see row-level values for every supplier.

Emissions forecast:

This section tells you how future emissions are projected using baseline data and action plan inputs. It is useful for understanding expected future trends and the likely effect of planned actions on emissions performance.

Date range	This controls the time window shown in the forecast view. It helps users focus on the years they want to analyse.
Start year	The forecast start year is tied to the facility's baseline year and the years supported by the forecast view. The platform allows forecast years from baseline year plus 5 up to current year plus 25, so the starting point depends on the available baseline and report configuration.
How this table works	The forecast table shows projected emissions over future years based on the facility's baseline data and action plan inputs. It helps users understand expected changes over time rather than only historical performance.
Setting targets	Reduction targets are managed through buyer emissions reduction requests and supplier reduction planning features, not just from the forecast chart itself. The forecast view helps users model progress, but targets depend on configured plans, baseline data, and related platform features.

Reported data:

This section tells you what raw reported records are available and how to interpret the fields in each row. It shows who submitted the data, what assessment and facility it came from, which category it belongs to, and whether the value is numeric or text-based. It is useful for detailed review, filtering, validation, and understanding the exact meaning of each reported record.

Date range	This filter limits the reported data shown to a selected time period. It helps users narrow the dataset to the dates they want to review.
Assessment type	This field indicates the type of assessment the row came from, such as facility or organisation. It helps explain the scope and level of the reported data.
Year	This is the reporting year associated with the assessment or record. It helps users compare data across different reporting periods.
Supplier	This is the supplier organisation the data belongs to. It identifies who submitted or is associated with the reported information.
Source Organization	This identifies the organisation from which the shared or underlying data originates. It is especially useful when data-sharing filters are enabled across partner organisations.
Supplier ID	This is the platform identifier linked to the supplier record, provided by the customer. It helps users distinguish suppliers that may have similar names and supports data management and matching.
Facility	This is the specific site name associated with the data row when the assessment is facility-based. It helps users understand where the activity or emissions were reported.
Facility ID	This is the unique platform identifier for the facility record, provided by the customer. It supports accurate matching, filtering, and data management across facilities.
Data category	This groups the reported item into a broader topic such as energy, waste, water, or questions-related data. It helps users organise and filter the dataset more easily.
Name of Data	This is the name of the specific metric, question, or data point shown in the row. It tells users exactly what the value refers to.
Numeric Value	This is the number reported for the selected data point. It is used when the item has a measurable quantity rather than a text response.
Text Value	This is the written response stored for a question or qualitative field. It is used when the answer is descriptive instead of numeric.
Unit Abbr	This is the abbreviated unit for the numeric value, such as kWh, t, or m3. It tells users how the number should be interpreted.
Allocated	This indicates whether the reported data has been allocated to a specific buyer or context rather than shown only as an overall total. It helps explain how shared data is distributed in reporting views.

Supplier actions data:

This section tells you how supplier reduction actions are organised, tracked, and measured over time. It shows which supplier and facility an action belongs to, the action's timing and status, and the forecasted environmental changes linked to it, including emissions, water, and waste impacts. It is useful for understanding what actions are planned or completed and how they are expected to support decarbonisation and other sustainability outcomes.

Source Organization	This identifies the organisation from which the action data originates. It is useful when a report includes shared data from more than one organisation.
Supplier	This is the supplier organisation linked to the action data. It tells users whose action plan or action record they are viewing.
Facility	This is the facility the action belongs to within the supplier's action plan. It shows where the reduction activity is expected to take place.
Reporting Year	This is the year the action data is associated with for reporting or forecasting purposes. It helps users compare actions across time.
Annual change to production output	This shows the expected year-on-year change in production used in reduction planning and forecasts. It helps the platform model emissions changes more realistically as output rises or falls.
Name	This is the title of the action. It identifies the specific reduction initiative being tracked.
Focus area	This classifies the action by the area it targets, such as energy, waste, or transport. It helps users group similar actions and analyse patterns.
Planned start	This is the date or year the action is intended to begin. It shows when implementation is expected to start.
End	This is the planned or actual end point for the action. It helps users understand the expected implementation period.
Completed	This shows whether the action has been completed. It helps distinguish finished actions from actions that are still being implemented.
Effective year	This is the year the action is expected to start affecting emissions or other tracked outcomes. It may differ from the planned start date if benefits begin later.
Expiry year	This is the last year the action's effect is expected to apply in forecasts. It helps determine how long the reduction impact is counted.
Status	This shows the current lifecycle stage of the action, such as planned, in progress, or completed. It helps users track implementation progress at a glance.
Allocated annual CO2e scope 1 emissions	This shows the amount of Scope 1 emissions allocated to the action or reporting context for a year. It helps quantify the direct emissions linked to the relevant facility or plan.
Allocated annual CO2e scope 2 emissions	This shows the amount of Scope 2 emissions allocated to the action or reporting context for a year. It helps quantify indirect emissions from purchased energy in the plan.
Annual forecast percentage change to CO2e scope 1&2 emissions	This shows the expected year-on-year percentage change in combined Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. It helps users see the forecasted direction and scale of decarbonisation.
Allocated annual change to CO2e scope 1 emissions	This shows the expected annual change in direct emissions linked to the action, measured in tCO2e. Negative values typically indicate a reduction.
Allocated annual change to CO2e scope 2 emissions	This shows the expected annual change in purchased-energy emissions linked to the action, measured in tCO2e. It helps users estimate how strongly the action affects Scope 2 performance.
Allocated annual change to water withdrawal	This shows the expected yearly change in water withdrawal linked to the action, measured in cubic metres. It helps users track wider environmental impact beyond emissions alone.
Allocated annual change to hazardous waste sent to disposal	This shows the expected yearly change in hazardous waste sent to disposal, measured in tonnes. It helps users understand how an action may reduce disposal impacts.
Allocated annual change to non-hazardous waste sent to disposal	This shows the expected yearly change in non-hazardous waste sent to disposal, measured in tonnes. It helps quantify waste-related improvement linked to the action.

Supplier engagement:

This section tells you how suppliers are engaging with the platform and responding to buyer requests throughout the reporting process. It shows the main filters, request statuses, account activity, action plan progress, facility-level engagement, and decarbonisation groupings. It is useful for tracking participation, identifying blockers such as rejected or undeliverable requests, and seeing which suppliers are making stronger progress on climate action.

https://support.secaro.io/hc/en-gb/articles/45079448032017-How-to-use-the-supplier-engagement-dashboard-Buyers

All countries	This filter includes suppliers or facilities from every country in the dashboard view. Users can narrow it when they want to focus on a specific geography.
All labels	This filter includes all supplier or facility labels in the current view. Labels help buyers group suppliers for tracking and management.
Search	This lets users quickly find suppliers or records by text. It is useful for narrowing large dashboard views.
Suppliers	This refers to the supplier organisations included in the dashboard. Depending on the metric, the view may show totals, engagement status, or performance for those suppliers.
Reporting Year	This filter selects the year of data being analysed. It helps users review engagement and performance for a specific reporting cycle.
Export	This allows users to download the data shown in the dashboard for further analysis or sharing. It is useful when users need an offline copy of the current view.
Request	A request is a formal ask from a buyer to a supplier for sustainability data for a specific year and scope. In engagement reporting, request-related metrics help show how suppliers are progressing through the request lifecycle.
Total suppliers	This is the total number of supplier organisations included in the current filtered view. It gives users the top-line size of the supplier population being analysed.
Completed	This shows how many suppliers or requests have been completed in the current context. It helps users track progress toward data collection or action completion.
Active accounts	This counts suppliers with an active supplier account on the platform. It helps buyers understand how many suppliers are actively able to engage in the system.
Accepted	This shows how many requests have been accepted by suppliers. It indicates suppliers who have agreed to provide the requested data.
Rejected	This shows how many requests were rejected by suppliers. It helps buyers identify where data collection was declined and may need follow-up.
Undeliverable	This refers to requests that could not be delivered successfully to the supplier. These usually need updated contact details before they can be resent.
In Progress	This shows requests or actions that have started but are not yet completed. It helps users see work that is actively moving through the process.
SBTi	This refers to Science Based Targets initiative alignment or status as shown in the dashboard. It helps buyers understand which suppliers have science-based climate targets in place.
Action plans	These are facility-specific plans that group selected reduction actions and forecast their impact. In engagement reporting, they show whether suppliers are planning and tracking reduction work.
Completed	In this context, this shows how many action plans or related items are marked as completed. It helps users gauge how much of the work has been finished.
In Progress	In this context, this shows action plans or related items that are underway but not complete. It gives a quick view of active implementation work.
Facility Data	This refers to dashboard metrics shown at the facility level rather than the organisation level. It helps buyers understand engagement and reporting coverage across sites.
Total facilities	This is the total number of facilities included in the current filtered dashboard view. It gives users the size of the facility population being analysed.
Completed	In the facility section, this shows how many facilities have completed the relevant reporting or engagement step. It helps users measure completion at site level.
Facilities with Active Supplier Account	This section counts facilities linked to suppliers that currently have an active platform account. It helps buyers understand which sites are supported by active user access.
Accepted	In the facility section, this shows how many facility-related requests have been accepted. It indicates where suppliers have agreed to provide facility data.
Rejected	In the facility section, this shows how many facility-related requests were rejected. It helps users spot gaps in facility-level data collection.
Undeliverable	In the facility section, this shows requests that could not be delivered successfully, either because the e-mail is no longer active or the recipient blocked Secaro e-mails. These normally need contact or data corrections before they can proceed.
In progress	In the facility section, this shows facility-related work that has started but is not yet complete. It helps users track ongoing reporting activity at site level.
Action plans & reductions	This area summarises whether suppliers have action plans in place and the progress of their reduction work. It helps buyers assess not just reporting, but also action toward decarbonisation.
Completed	Here this shows how many reduction-related items are completed. It gives a quick measure of delivered action, not just planned action.
In Progress	Here this shows how many reduction-related items are underway. It helps users identify suppliers actively working on implementation.
Decarbonization percentage: Lower than 2%	This groups suppliers or facilities whose forecast or measured emissions reduction is below 2%. It helps buyers identify low decarbonisation progress.
Decarbonization percentage: between 2-5%	This groups suppliers or facilities whose reduction performance sits between 2% and 5%. It helps users identify moderate decarbonisation progress.
Decarbonization percentage: greater than 5%	This groups suppliers or facilities whose reduction performance is above 5%. It helps buyers quickly spot stronger decarbonisation progress.