What is a Bill of Material (BOM)?
A Bill of Materials (BOM) provides detailed information about the materials used in your products.
In the products chapter, you will upload a Bill of Material (BOM) for each product purchased or sold by your company. We will use this information to calculate your product's material impact.
Why do we need this information?
Uploading detailed material data helps us accurately assess the environmental and carbon impact of the materials of each product.
After you upload the Bill of Materials for all products, we extract the unique materials and suppliers and match them with impact references from the ecoinvent database, Environmental Product Declarations and custom impact references. We then apply these impact values to all products that use the corresponding materials and suppliers.
How is this data related to other chapters?
Information about a product's materials is linked to the facilities and transport chapters. Knowing the materials used and their suppliers helps us identify which facilities produce these materials. It also allows us to trace the transport routes in your value chain.
How to upload a BOM
Uploading in 4 simple steps
Go onto the products chapter of the platform
Download the template.
Fill in the template or export a file from your systems, including the requested columns shown in the template. Use the ‘Product ID’ column on level 0 to identify a new product.
Upload your file by clicking the ‘Upload’’ button, then click the 'Click to browse’ button or drag your file right into the blue box. Once uploaded, check the ‘Status’ column for incomplete information, then click the ‘Upload’ button.
Key things to check when uploading a BOM
Product ID Matching: Check that the product IDs in your BOM file perfectly align with those in your purchase and sales orders. Watch out for inconsistencies like extra spaces or symbols (e.g., ™ or ®) that may exist in one document but not the other.
File Formatting: Ensure the file is formatted correctly, avoiding extra spaces or special characters. When uploading, make sure that columns like “quantity” and “unit” are either accurately filled out or intentionally left blank, as required.
Missing Data: Check for any missing information, such as quantities for fabric or packaging. Even small gaps like this can trigger errors during the upload.
Incomplete Products: Verify that all products listed in your Purchase/Sales orders have corresponding BOM data. If any products still need BOMs, add them before uploading.
Example template BOM
An example template can be found here.
Example BOM
Explanation of columns on page for each product’s BOM
Material: Name of material identified from uploaded BOM.
Quantity: Number of units ordered.
Total quantity: Total number of units ordered.
Unit: Measurement type, e.g. grams, m2.
Total mass (kg): Total weight of material, expressed in kilograms.
Supplier name: Name of supplier.
Supplier address: Address of supplier.
Status: Status of the material information provided for each product.
Explanation of levels
Level | Explanation |
Level 0 | Enter the product ID in the ‘Product ID’ column and the product name in the ‘Name’ column. |
Level 1 | Enter the first part of the product in the 'Name' column. Leave the Product ID column empty. |
Level 2 | Enter the material for this ‘part/component’ in the 'Name' column. Leave the product ID column empty. |
Level 3 | Enter the sub-material or sub-component within the material listed in Level 2 in the 'Name' column. Leave the product ID column empty. |
FAQ
In the BOM, what are levels and how do we use them?
Levels create a hierarchy in the BOM template.
For example, a table has three main parts: ‘Top’, ‘Legs’ and ‘Frame’. The ‘Top; is made from wood; the ‘Legs’ are made from wood and screws, and the ‘Frame’ is also made from wood and screws. Additionally, the screw part is made from steel.
Please see the above example exhibiting a BOM structure to illustrate how levels create structure.
0 - Table 3
1 - Top
2 - Wood
1 - Legs
2 - Wood
2 - Screws
3 - Steel
1 - Frame
2 - Wood
2 - Screws
Which units can I use to define the quantity of a material?
We recommend using the mass unit when available. However, for materials not expressed in grams, you can use the following units: m, m², m³, or litre (l). Other accepted variations include kilograms (kg) and cubic decimetres (dm³).
Which unit should I fill out on a part level, and why is it important?
On a part level, you should fill out the unit as either "item" or "piece." This information is used to multiply the materials within the Bill of Materials (BOM), ensuring that the quantities are accurately reflected for each component.
How do I provide supplier information for my materials?
We need to know where the materials of your product were manufactured. If you know the supplier of a particular material, please enter that information in the corresponding row. Additionally, if you know the supplier of a specific part, that supplier is automatically assigned to all the materials that constitute that part.
I uploaded the wrong BOM for a product - how can I fix it?
There are two options: either delete the BOM or overwrite the BOM.
To delete the BOM, navigate to the product where you uploaded the incorrect BOM and click the "Delete BOM" button at the top left of the screen (the trash icon). Then, upload the BOM with the correct data.
To overwrite the BOM, upload a BOM file with the correct data and use the same Product ID at level 0 (in column B). This will replace the existing BOM data with the updated correct information.
If my product contains the same part multiple times, should I copy and paste the BOM for each instance, or should I indicate the quantity on a part level?
Instead of copying the BOM multiple times, you should fill out the BOM for the part once and indicate on a part level how many times that part is used within the product. This approach simplifies the BOM management and reduces the risk of errors.
Do the Product IDs in the purchase orders/sales orders and Bill of Materials need to be the same?
Yes, for our platform to match the products correctly, the product IDs in the purchase or sales order and the bill of materials need to be the same. The Product ID used at level 0 in the Bill of Materials must be the same as the Product ID in the purchase or sales order.
What is a proxy and how do I use this functionality?
A proxy is when you use the same Bill of Materials (BOM) for similar products. For example, a T-shirt in different colours or sizes would be a proxy.
To use the proxy functionality, click the ‘Add Proxy’ button. Then, select the products for which you would like to use a proxy BOM, specify the product whose BOM you want to use as the proxy, and provide any necessary information about the weight to ensure accurate LCA calculations. Once you’ve filled in the details, click ‘Add Proxy’ to complete the process.