- Centralizing CSR data across several sites means making data comparable: same definitions, same units, same periods.
- The method has five steps: a scope and a protocol, one contributor per site, a single repository with evidence, checks before consolidation, then reuse of the data.
- A campaign runs once a year on the previous year's data.
- A spreadsheet is enough with few sites and few contributors. Beyond that, follow-ups, checks and traceability call for a tool.
Why does multi-site consolidation break down?
Each of your sites has its own sources, units and definitions. Your contributors change from one year to the next. Your files circulate by email, versions multiply, and nobody really knows which value is the reference.
The result shows when you consolidate: totals that do not add up, unexplained gaps between sites, and weeks spent chasing answers. Your needs do not go away: the CSRD for groups in scope (more than 1,000 employees and more than €450M net turnover, see CSRD thresholds), the VS report (formerly VSME), the carbon footprint, and customer questionnaires such as EcoVadis or CDP all ask for indicators across the whole scope.
The good news: the difficulty comes mostly from method, not from your tool. Here are the five steps.
Step 1: set the scope and a common protocol
Before collecting, decide what you measure and on which entities.
- The scope: which sites, which subsidiaries, which period. Also note what is excluded and why.
- The indicators: start from real requests (reports, customer questionnaires) rather than an ideal list. Our guide to the 100 ESG indicators helps you choose.
- One sheet per indicator: definition, unit, expected source, calculation method, person in charge.
The indicator sheet is the piece that matters most. Without it, two sites answer the same question with two different definitions.
Step 2: name one contributor per site
Give each site a named contributor, with a backup. They should know what to provide, by which date, and whom to ask.
Your contributors change from one year to the next. Keep the list up to date and write the instructions in the indicator sheet, not in one person's head.
Step 3: one repository, with evidence attached
Collect in one place, with the same questionnaire for every site. For each value, attach the evidence: invoice, statement, export.
This traceability serves you twice: for internal control, then for external verification when there is one (as with the CSRD, where quantitative data is verified by an independent third party).
Step 4: check before you consolidate
Never consolidate raw data. Run consistency checks first:
- a value far from the previous year or from the other sites;
- a unit that changes (kWh and MWh, for example);
- an empty field or a zero without explanation;
- missing evidence.
Inconsistent values must surface before consolidation, not after. A specialist who reviews the gaps avoids the error that ends up in a published report.
Start from the list of useful data before collecting.
The 100 ESG indicators to track, grouped by theme, to scope your reporting.
Step 5: reuse the data everywhere
Once checked and consolidated, the data feeds several projects: CSRD datapoints, the VS report, the carbon footprint, EcoVadis, CDP, customer questionnaires. You collect once, and the data is used everywhere.
It also makes results comparable from one year to the next. Loading previous years' data from the first campaign lets you compare right away.
What does an annual campaign look like?
A campaign runs once a year, on the previous year's data, after the close. For example from January to March for a report published in spring.
| Phase | What happens | Indicative duration |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Questionnaires, entities, contributors, data sources | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Collection | Entry by site, follow-ups | 1 to 2 months |
| Checks and consolidation | Consistency checks, corrections, export | 2 to 4 weeks |
Allow about three months in total for a first campaign. These durations are indicative, for a company of 300 to 1,000 employees.
Spreadsheet or dedicated tool: how do you decide?
A spreadsheet works if you have a small number of sites and contributors, with stable indicators. It reaches its limits when:
- you chase more than a few contributors by email;
- you consolidate more than about ten files;
- you must prove where each value comes from;
- you reuse the data for several frameworks.
In that case, look for a tool that gives you questionnaires per site, follow-ups from the platform, consistency checks, multi-entity consolidation and an export. For the full selection grid, see the 10 questions to ask before choosing ESG reporting software.
What do supported companies show?
No published case study is solely about a multi-site collection campaign. Four cases still show what a centralized approach changes.
- Superga Beauty: a diagnosis of initiatives across the different entities, to spread good practices, then policies consolidated around two pillars (social and environmental). Compliance time was cut in half. Read the case.
- Würth France: a common platform that centralizes the documents, indicators and contributions of all departments. Read the case.
- Aico: from scattered documents and data to five written policies, 24 validated documents and more than 80 indicators collected, in 32 hours spent on the platform. Read the case.
- Groupe Brangeon: one documentary base answers several assessments, with about 50% of preparation time saved. Read the case.
How does Ditto approach multi-site collection?
At Ditto, collection runs as a campaign. We design it with you, set up your entities and contributors in the collection module, then your data is checked and consolidated. Depending on your team, you run the campaign yourself or a Ditto specialist runs it, follows up with your contributors and checks the values.
The consolidated data then feeds your other projects: CSRD, VS, carbon footprint, EcoVadis, CDP.
Talk about collecting data across your sites.
Book a 15-minute call with a Ditto expert to scope your next collection campaign.
Centralizing CSR data across sites: key takeaways
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What makes multi-site data hard to consolidate? | Each site has its own definitions, units and sources. Data is not comparable until you fix a common protocol. |
| Where do you start? | With the scope and one sheet per indicator: definition, unit, source, calculation method, person in charge. |
| Who contributes? | One named contributor per site, with a backup. |
| What do you check before consolidating? | Gaps with the previous year or other sites, unit changes, empty fields, missing evidence. |
| How long does a campaign take? | About three months for a first campaign, for a company of 300 to 1,000 employees. |
| Spreadsheet or tool? | A spreadsheet for few sites and contributors. A tool once follow-ups, checks and traceability weigh too much. |
