WCI Responsibility Framework

Current version: WCI Responsibility Framework v1.1 · sector question set v2.7 (22 question sets, 1,540 questions). The weighting profile used is named on each passport. Every assessment is pinned to the version in force on the day it was approved; superseded versions remain available in the version archive.

1. Seven pillars
2. Questions and points scale
3. Evidence levels
4. Weighting
5. Assessment process
6. Objections and complaints
7. Validity and review
8. Independence and conflicts of interest
9. Status values
10. Thresholds
11. Use of the WCRI score
12. WCRI ID
13. Versions and archive

1 · Seven pillars

Each pillar is oriented on one core subject of ISO 26000 (Guidance on social responsibility). ISO 26000 is a guidance standard and is not intended for certification.

2 · Questions and points scale

The framework is the same for every sector; the questions differ. Each topic area has its own question set with ten questions per pillar (70 questions per set) that reflect where responsibility sits in that kind of organisation. The sector question set v2.7 comprises 22 question sets with 1,540 questions in 20 topic areas, from energy and utilities through plastics and packaging to municipalities and communities. All 22 question sets are final.

• Pillar score = points ÷ (2 × applicable questions) × 100.
• A pillar can only be scored if at least six of its ten questions are applicable. If a pillar cannot be scored, no overall score is formed and the assessment remains “incomplete” (current rule; the Advisory Board confirms it).
• WCRI score = weighted mean of the seven pillar scores (see section 4). It is computed with decimals and published as a whole number, rounded half up. Thresholds apply to the published whole number.
• Every “Yes” and “Partial” requires evidence at the level “documented” or higher (see section 3). Self-declared statements stay in the denominator and score zero until evidenced.
• Questions on one subject with two steps, such as “measure and reduce”: Yes = both steps in place, Partial = one step.

3 · Evidence levels

Every “Yes” is checked against the cited source. The same evidence is not counted twice. Each Responsibility Passport shows the share of evidence per level.

4 · Weighting

Pillar scores are weighted. There are two weighting profiles; each sums to 100 %. Weightings are published and never negotiated case by case. The profile used is named on each Responsibility Passport and pinned to the assessment.

The profile “organisation” applies to companies, NGOs and other organisations. The profile “municipality” applies to all municipalities and was approved with framework v1.1. Changes to a profile take effect only in a later framework version, never retroactively.

Municipal sub-profiles K1–K4

The sub-profiles carry no weights of their own. They only decide which questions of the municipal question set apply. Questions that do not apply drop out of the pillar’s denominator.

5 · Assessment process

Ten steps in four phases: application, quick interview, gap identification, data collection, evidence review and scoring, four-eyes approval, 14-day comment period, score and listing, annual review, re-assessment after 24 months. Details: WCRI Assessment Process.

6 · Objections and complaints

• Comment period: After approval, the organisation receives result and report and has 14 days to comment. The score is published only after this period.
• Appeal against a result: In writing within 30 days of notification to [email protected]. First instance: the WCI, handled by a person who did not assess. Second instance: the Advisory Board, without members who have a conflict of interest. Decisions are given in writing with reasons.
• Complaints by third parties: Anyone can file a complaint about a listing or a Responsibility Passport. Complaints are logged and reviewed and can lead to re-assessment, a corrected or suspended listing, or withdrawal.
• Misuse: If the listing or the score is presented as a certification or seal, the organisation is first asked to correct it; if repeated, the listing is withdrawn.

Deadlines are set by the Advisory Board.

7 · Validity and review

WCRI scores are valid for 24 months from approval, with an annual review in between; score changes are approved by a second WCI reviewer. A re-assessment is required after 24 months or after material changes. Entries based on false information are withdrawn. All changes are logged; historical scores are kept with the methodology version used. Details: Annual WCRI Review.

8 · Independence and conflicts of interest

• Open access: every organisation and municipality can apply directly, on equal terms. The access channel (direct, Let’s Do It Germany e.V., sales partners) is recorded and has no influence on assessment, weighting or result.
• The assessment fee depends on income or revenue, never on the score.
• Assessor and approver are two different people. Nobody who has worked for, advised or received sponsorship from the organisation in the past two years assesses or approves it.
• Advice and assessment are separate: the WCI does not advise an organisation it assesses in the same cycle.
• Relationships between the assessed organisation and WCI, BCBT, Let’s Do It Germany e.V. or World Cleanup Day (for example sponsoring, in-kind support, membership, mandates) are disclosed in the Responsibility Passport.
• The WCI director is president of Let’s Do It Germany e.V. and is not involved in the assessment of Let’s Do It Germany e.V.
• Governance: the WCI operates the index (methodology, assessment, publication). The WCRI Advisory Board sets the methodology and the scoring model and decides on appeals at second instance; it does not assess individual cases. Members: Prof. Dr. Anabel Ternès von Hattburg (WCI, internal member) · Marc Leberecht-Schneider · Daniela Felder.

9 · Status values

The same status values are used on the WCRI Register and in the Responsibility Passport. “Pilot” is shown as a separate label, not as a status.

Every status change is recorded with date and reason.

10 · Thresholds

The WCI Responsibility Framework uses one threshold: 60, applied to the published whole-number score (an exact score from 59.5 upwards). Every score is published, including scores below 60.

• Phase 1: Partner programmes that require a WCRI listing, such as the World Cleanup Day partner programme 2027, refer to this threshold.
• Phase 2: The Responsibility Seal requires a score of at least 60 and, in addition, confirmation of the result by an independent third party. The seal is not issued in phase 1.

The threshold is set by the WCRI Advisory Board; changes apply only in a later framework version, never retroactively.

11 · Use of the WCRI score

In phase 1 the WCRI is not a certification scheme. Participants may refer to their WCRI listing and link to their Responsibility Passport. They may not present the WCRI score, the listing or the Responsibility Passport as a certification, a seal or a sustainability label.

12 · WCRI ID

Every listing carries a WCRI ID of the form WCRI x.y.z.ss. The first three segments place the entry, the last segment is the published score:

Example (not an assessed organisation): WCRI 1.11.15.82 = LDI edition · Germany · retail, consumer goods & packaging · score 82. The access channel, for example the World Cleanup Day partner programme, is recorded in the register entry but is not part of the ID, because it has no influence on the result. The framework version used is named on each Responsibility Passport.

13 · Versions and archive

Changes to pillars, questions, points scale or weighting create a new version. Superseded versions remain available here so that every Responsibility Passport can be traced to the version it was assessed under.

This page is the public reference for the WCRI methodology. Operator: World Cleanup Institute for Entrepreneurship and Impact (WCI) at BCBT Berlin College of Business and Technology GmbH.