Where do I submit my company data so a score is calculated?
All data must be submitted via the Circulytics survey, which is supported by online survey platform provider, Qualtrics. Data received by email and in other formats cannot be processed.
How do I access the reporting platform?
All companies interested in calculating their Circulytics score will be able to request an account by registering their details on our website. Once these details are submitted, an email will be sent from circulytics@emf.org. In this email, you will receive a secure link specific to your company. This email will also contain a username and password to grant access to the platform. Please note, it is the responsibility of responding companies to circulate the link and coordinate internally to ensure a single appropriate response is provided by your company.
Can I save and review progress in the platform?
Yes, the platform will save progress as you move through the survey. You should ensure you review all responses prior to submission, by re-navigating through each section via the contents page. The platform will alert you if you have not provided responses to mandatory questions. Once you have submitted your response, you will be able to review and download a summary of your response for your records.
My regions/business units are at different stages in terms of circular economy. Can I respond by business unit or by region?
Yes. The online platform allows you to choose to respond by sub-unit. You can select up to 9 sub-units and define them according to the way your business is set up (e.g., by business unit, region, or both). These sub-units should be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, with all sub units representing the whole company in question. Doing so ensures that the final scorecard for the company as a whole is a true representation of the aggregated sub-units. You will also receive individual score cards per sub unit.
Where can I see the full list of questions?
In the document title 'Question Indicator List' available to download above. Please note that the exact questions in your survey depend on your company type, and there is a ‘Display Logic’ table within the aforementioned document that indicates which questions will be displayed in the survey platform.
Where is data from the survey stored? How do you keep my information secure and confidential?
Except where required as a matter of law or by a regulator, as a business signatory, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (and its professional advisers and subcontractors) will be the only organisation with access to the data you provide. Data is protected while in transit and at rest by current industry standard encryption across all platforms. We limit access and employ strict access controls such as strong passwords and secondary authentication mechanisms. Qualtrics, the company providing the questionnaire platform and where the data is initially stored (Terms of Service, Privacy Statement, Security Statement), will not have access to reporting data submitted via the online questionnaire.
When should I do the Circulytics survey? Is there a deadline each year?
The deadline for completing the Circulytics survey for the current version 2.0 is 31st August 2021. The Foundation will not be able to analyse or generate a Circulytics score for any survey submitted after this date. Any organisations which are still in the process of completing the survey by 1st September 2021 will be informed that the current version of Circulytics is out of date, and that a new link / login details will be sent to them when the new version of Circulytics is released (in October 2021). A reminder will be sent in August 2021 to all organisations who are still in the process of completing the survey stating that they have until 31st August 2021 to complete the survey.
How long does it take to respond?
The survey is designed to be as easy to submit as possible, but the exact time requirement depends on the complexity of your business and on how readily available data is. In test phase, 50% of companies used less than 8 working hours to respond, while large, complex companies used 80-90 hours to do so.
How long does it take to get results after I submit?
EMF aims to respond within a month. However, depending on the number of submissions it may take longer, in which case we will let you know. After submitting your data, we will review it and for large companies, add analyst commentary. This manual, but important, part of the process may increase time to results.
How frequently can I undertake the survey?
Once per year. You can update your responses with additional data as a second submission within a calendar year. Reach out to us at circulytics@emf.org to regain access and update your existing submission.
What if I can't answer all of the questions?
The only mandatory fields are under basic information questions that are required to display the right indicators, and to weigh responses appropriately. Recognising that it may be difficult to find data to answer all questions, and that in some cases you may want to skip over certain indicators for various reasons, there are no mandatory fields in indicator responses. However, leaving indicator responses blank will result in a zero score for that indicator, bringing the overall score down.
Who can I contact for support with the survey?
Please send any questions about the completion of the survey, data which has been submitted about your company, or any technical questions you have to circulytics@emf.org. We will respond to you as soon as we can.