Indicators of Sustainability Success

One of the great challenges facing sustainability, especially business sustainability, is the ability to measure success. This challenge is intensified by those wishing to justify resources and define benefits of implementing sustainability concepts. In general, business sustainability is especially hard for many companies to define.

According to leaders in the space, sustainability is defined as continuous process, a constant transition, or a mindset change that becomes an engrained part of ones daily activities. This continuous forward motion can present a challenge when businesses need to define and measure progress.

So how do you measure sustainable development?

In book “Measuring Sustainability – Learning by Doing” , the authors discuss the concept of sustainable development indicators as means of evaluating success.

Sustainability indicators integrate environmental, social, and economic factors into a cause and effect relationship. With the inclusion of economic and social factors, the evaluation becomes a human impact and value-driven process.

Guy and Kibert suggest the following criteria for identifying business sustainability indicators:

•    Validity – do they measure something relevant?
•    Available and Timely – is the data available on a regular basis?
•    Responsive – do they respond quickly and measurable to change?
•    Representative – do they cover the important dimensions of the evaluation?
•    Flexible – will they be available in the future?
•    Proactive – do they act as a warning or a measure of current state?

As a sustainability consultant, I am constantly looking for indicators of success in my personal life, business, and the success of my clients.   Our small business resources help clients identify key indicators that define the successes in a business sustainability plan.