How do you measure and report on your sustainability outcomes and achievements?

1 Define your sustainability goals and indicators

The first step to measuring and reporting on your sustainability outcomes and achievements is to define what sustainability means for your project, and what indicators you will use to monitor it. Sustainability goals and indicators should be aligned with your client's expectations, your company's values, and the relevant standards and regulations in your industry and location. For example, you may want to set goals and indicators for reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, water use, or environmental impacts. You may also want to consider social and economic aspects of sustainability, such as health and safety, community engagement, local employment, or innovation.

2 Choose your measurement and reporting tools and frameworks

Once you have defined your sustainability goals and indicators, you need to choose the tools and frameworks that will help you measure and report on them. Depending on your needs and preferences, there are various options available. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to quantify the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its life cycle, while carbon footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by a product or service. Additionally, green building certification schemes such as LEED, BREEAM, Green Star, or EDGE provide standards and ratings for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. Lastly, sustainability reporting standards and guidelines such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), or the Construction Sector Supplement (CSS) provide principles and indicators for disclosing sustainability performance and impacts.

3 Collect and analyze your data

To measure and report on your sustainability outcomes and achievements, you need to collect and analyze data on your sustainability indicators. This may involve using site surveys and audits to assess the physical conditions, metering and monitoring systems to measure energy, water, waste, and emissions generated, documentation and records to track inputs and outputs, as well as stakeholder feedback to gather opinions on performance and impacts. You should also use tools such as benchmarking, trend analysis, gap analysis, and impact assessment to analyze the data. Benchmarking allows comparison with similar projects or industry standards, while trend analysis identifies patterns. Gap analysis can reveal differences between actual and desired performance, while impact assessment evaluates the positive and negative effects.

4 Communicate your results and achievements

The last step in measuring and reporting your sustainability outcomes and achievements is to communicate them to relevant stakeholders, such as clients, employees, contractors, suppliers, regulators, or community members. You should use clear, concise, and credible methods to communicate your results and achievements. Reports can provide comprehensive information on your sustainability performance and impacts. Dashboards can offer visual and interactive summaries of your sustainability performance. Stories can provide memorable examples of your sustainability performance using narratives or case studies. And feedback can give stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions, provide comments, or share suggestions. Ultimately, by measuring and reporting on your sustainability outcomes and achievements, you can show commitment to sustainability, improve efficiency and profitability, enhance reputation and competitiveness, and contribute to a better future.

5 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?