water demands in chemical data and on the evaluation of the approaches used to derive proxy data. Proxy-based datasets are compared with independent data sources to assess deviations and errors in quantifying climate change impacts of the same chemicals. Finally, this study makes recommendations for database managers on how they should collect data for key inventory flows, (2) users to check the data carefully before using it and to do a thorough uncertainty analysis, (3) the chemical industry to provide appropriate data to support for their sector to become sustainable, (4) and policy makers on how they should ensure the availability of a sound data basis for their decisions.