Research Sustainability Sustainability Monitoring

Sustainability Monitoring

What is Sustainability Monitoring?

Sustainability Monitoring is an analysis of an organization or industry’s direct impact across the sustainability dimensions (social, environmental, economic). Sustainability Monitoring can be applied to manage sustainable development in core operations, communicate direct impact to internal and external stakeholders, and report non-financial performance based on empirical data.

From innovation to greenhouse gas emissions, Sustainability Monitoring measures performance in social, environmental, and economic contributions resulting from “in-house activities”, or otherwise known as direct impacts. Using a model aligned with the G20, WHO, and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action (BMWK), Sustainability Monitoring provides evidence-based analysis for organizations while enabling performance comparison against relevant benchmarks, such as sectoral and national averages.

How does Sustainability Monitoring work?

Sustainability Monitoring uses an extensive range of indicators to provide a wide understanding of an organization or industry’s direct impacts. These indicators include:

Social

Health & safety
Fair wages
Gender pay gap
Workforce diversity
Employee training
Risk of corruption
Risk of child labor
Risk of modern slavery

Environmental

Greenhouse gas emissions
Air pollution
Water usage
Energy usage
Land usage
Waste reduction
Materials
Biodiversity

Economic

GDP contribution
Employment
Labor productivity
R&D intensity
R&D value contribution

What does WifOR’s Sustainability Monitoring offer organizations and industries?

Sustainability Monitoring offers various benefits for organizations and industries. These benefits include:

Quantifying the impact resulting from own operations across three sustainability dimensions: social, environmental, and economic
Using evidence-based findings to enhance decision-making regarding sustainability performance
Applying scientific sustainability research to communicate contribution to political targets and develop stakeholder specific messages
Contextualizing sustainability performance by comparing with relevant benchmarks
Devising sustainable development strategies based on valid data

Political Context

The United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on its 2030 Agenda. The SDGs were adopted by all UN Member Nations in 2015 and are a call for global cooperation to promote peace, prosperity, and planetary well-being.

WifOR’s sustainability research supports organizations and industries in orienting themselves to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability Monitoring positively contributes to the following SDGs: