How do you measure your clients' sustainability?

1 What is sustainability measurement?

Sustainability measurement is the process of quantifying and evaluating the environmental, social, and economic aspects of a business or a project. It helps you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your clients' sustainability practices, and to provide recommendations for improvement. Sustainability measurement can also help you to demonstrate the value and benefits of your clients' sustainability efforts to their stakeholders, such as customers, investors, regulators, and employees.

2 What are the main frameworks and standards for sustainability measurement?

There are various frameworks and standards for sustainability measurement, each with its own purpose, scope, and criteria. For example, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides comprehensive guidelines and indicators for reporting on sustainability performance. The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) focuses on material issues and metrics relevant for certain industries and investors. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) offers standards and certifications for environmental management, social responsibility, and life cycle assessment. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) collects and publishes data on greenhouse gas emissions, climate risks, and opportunities from different companies and cities. Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global agenda to achieve social, economic, and environmental progress by 2030.

3 How do you choose the right indicators for your clients?

When selecting indicators to measure your clients' sustainability, several factors must be taken into account. These include the objectives and scope of your project or assessment, the availability and quality of data, the relevance and materiality of the indicators, and the comparability and consistency of the indicators. To choose appropriate indicators, it is necessary to conduct a stakeholder analysis, a materiality assessment, and a data gap analysis. Additionally, you should consider the trade-offs and limitations of different indicators as well as how to balance quantitative and qualitative measures.

4 How do you collect and analyze the data for your clients?

Once you have selected the indicators for your clients, you need to collect and analyze the data to generate meaningful and accurate results. There are various sources and methods you can use to collect the data, such as surveys and interviews, documents and reports, observations and measurements, or databases and tools. To analyze the data, you should use techniques such as descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, benchmarking and rating, or scenario analysis and forecasting. Surveys and interviews can help provide information and feedback on sustainability performance and practices. Documents and reports can be reviewed for data extraction. Observations and measurements can be made of environmental aspects. Databases and tools can provide data and calculations for sustainability indicators. Descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, range, or standard deviation can be used to summarize the data. Inferential statistics like correlation, regression, hypothesis testing, or analysis of variance can help explain relationships between the data. Benchmarking and rating can compare performance against peers or industry standards. Scenario analysis and forecasting can project potential outcomes of different decisions for sustainability.

5 How do you communicate and report the results to your clients?

The final step of measuring your clients' sustainability is to communicate and report the results to your clients and their stakeholders. It is essential to use clear and effective ways to convey the findings and recommendations, such as charts and graphs, tables and matrices, narratives and stories, or formats and platforms. When you communicate the results, you should consider the purpose and audience of your communication, the tone and style of your communication, the key messages and recommendations of your communication, as well as the feedback and follow-up of your communication. Furthermore, visual aids such as pie charts, bar charts, line graphs, dashboards, structured formats like tables, matrices, or scorecards, words, stories, case studies, reports, presentations, infographics, websites, or social media can be used to illustrate data and trends or deliver results.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?