Supporting environmental, social, and governance issues has quickly transformed from a nicety to a nonnegotiable aspect of any company. For example, 49% of global consumers paid a premium for products branded as sustainable in just the last 12 months. And 92% of Gen Z consumers said they would switch to a brand that supports ESG issues from one that does not.
Sustainability Performance Management and ESG reporting are now necessary tools for organizations tracking their sustainability efforts. Data41 supports companies by helping them track, measure, manage, and predict their progress towards their Sustainability goals with the use of IBM Planning Analytics and Envizi. If you want your company to be a leader in Sustainability, investing in Sustainability Performance Management tools is a crucial starting point.
What is ESG?
The three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) have evolved into three new letters that embody our modern, more holistic pillars of sustainability: ESG. “ESG” stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. The overarching goal of ESG and ESG tracking is to collect all the non-financial risks and opportunities inherent in companies’ daily activities. It’s used as a framework for measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of a company’s operations.
What is Sustainability Performance Management?
Sustainability Performance Management refers to the measurement and disclosure of organizational performance data, along with the accountability to internal and external stakeholders working towards the goal of sustainable development. It is the process of managing an organization’s Sustainability programs in a consistent and transparent manner to track progress, verify results, and optimize investment decisions. Its benefits include:
- Achieving a unified system of record and eliminating numerous systems and spreadsheets.
- Improving project transparency for all stakeholders across the organization.
- Enhancing accountability by validating actual results against business case assumptions.
- Making smarter investment decisions based on real-world performance.
The subject of Sustainability is quite broad and the metrics by which organizations manage and report against differ by sector, country, and strategy. However, most companies have made future commitments regarding their Sustainability metrics and want to demonstrate improvement over time. In this sense, there is a great need for a Sustainability performance management capability.
Why is Sustainability Performance Management Important?
86% of companies currently have a Sustainability strategy, but only 35% of those companies have acted on that strategy. With a Sustainability Performance Management procedure in place, alongside the proper tools to support it, companies are more likely to kickstart their Sustainability efforts and progress toward their goals. Coupling sustainability initiatives with the right tools helps hold organizations accountable for their goals and impacts.
Sustainability Performance Management is important because it:
- Helps with goal setting and achievement.
- Establishes transparency.
- Promotes better decision-making.
- Boosts reputation and publicity.
- Demonstrates leadership.
- Breaks down silos. Creates a single source of unified data to synchronize planning and operationalize Sustainability goals.
- Cuts down reporting time and provides the ability to generate future scenario analysis.
- Balances corporate financial objectives with Sustainability objectives.
Our Services
Data41 can significantly enhance your organization’s planning and analytics capabilities, eliminating many of the challenges you face when dealing with your environmental and Sustainability data. 44% of CEOs say that a lack of insights from Sustainability data is an obstacle. Not only can we assist with the data collection and reporting, but we can also help develop forward looking models that can be leveraged to analyze multiple scenarios that balance your company’s Sustainability objectives with financial objectives.
While traditional Sustainability Performance Management and reporting tools only cover historical data reporting and analysis, Extended Planning & Analysis (xP&A) with IBM Planning Analytics is more forward-looking. xP&A looks into the future based on the environmental impact companies want to have with the initiatives they implement (revenue, profitability, budget management, etc.). First, a strategic data aggregation framework is required, then you have to report on the data, then you have to operationalize the data. Unlike other Sustainability Performance Management solutions, IBM Planning Analytics operationalizes your data.
Conclusion
Sustainability reporting is gaining momentum and is rapidly becoming a requirement of doing business. More specifically, business value has quickly become synonymous with core company values, which include ESG. By being transparent and producing your own ESG reporting and analysis, you can present a more comprehensive and compelling Sustainability and value story. The best place to start is with goals, a plan of action to achieve them, and a Sustainability performance management tool to hold your organization accountable.
Data41 is here to help you leverage these forward-looking solutions to build a more sustainable business! If you have any questions or business inquiries you can contact us here or schedule a free discovery consultation.
