Sustainability Language

Life Cycle Assessment & Product Footprinting

Proxy data

Proxy data is substitute data used when direct or representative data is unavailable.

Established · Version 0.1

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Definition

Proxy data is substitute data used when direct or representative data is unavailable.

Overview

What it means in practice

Proxy data should be read as a life-cycle and product-footprinting term. Its meaning depends on the study goal, scope, data source, method and interpretation context.

In practice, users should state the boundary, baseline, data source and method. That keeps proxy data useful as a reference without overstating the result.

Why it matters

Proxy data matters because footprinting language determines what is counted, compared and communicated. Clear definitions make assumptions visible and reduce the risk of misleading comparisons.

Common misconception

A common error is to treat Proxy data as a neutral technical label. The stronger approach is to explain the modelling choice and how it changes the result.

Review questions

What boundary, baseline or comparison is being used? What evidence supports the term? What assumption or limitation would change how a reader interprets it?

Review

Public comments appear only after editor acceptance. Draft comments stay in the review queue.

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How people contribute

Reviewers choose the definition or an overview paragraph, leave a comment or replacement, and attach evidence or a source link.

How comments are used

Editors compare reviewer cards side by side. AI may help find agreement, conflicts, unsupported claims and possible source issues.

What gets published

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Review board

Comment on a specific line. Each reviewer stays separate until an editor accepts a merged draft.

1Separate reviewer cards

Each person comments on the definition or overview in their own draft card, with role, evidence and suggested wording kept together.

2AI comparison

AI can compare comments against the current text, flag conflicting claims, surface missing evidence and identify where reviewers agree.

3Editor synthesis

An editor merges compatible suggestions into a draft change, checks sources, records disagreements and decides what can be published.

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Definition
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