A July 2011 survey conducted by McKinsey and Co., a global management consulting firm, found that more and more companies—both large and small—are integrating sustainability principles into their daily business operations. Further, they are not doing so due to concerns about what the study calls “reputation management” (that is, how much positive PR might be generated by becoming more sustainable). Instead, they are becoming more sustainable because, quite simply, it is paying off for them. The researchers concluded that, “Saving energy, developing green products, and retaining and motivating employees all help companies capture value through growth and a return on capital and investment.”*

Some of the more interesting findings of the study included the following:

In addition, nearly 60% of the executives surveyed indicated that sustainability issues are now integrated into their company’s overall future strategic planning. This indicates that not only is sustainability an issue today, but that many executives believe it will be part of their company’s long-term planning for years to come.

While the study went into considerable detail about how companies around the world are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon and finding that it is helping to improve their operations and profits in many ways, it did not indicate specifically how these organizations are actually measuring their sustainable performance. Why is this important? As the old adage says, “You cannot manage what you cannot measure.” Saying an organization is placing greater emphasis on sustainability and actually having the numbers to prove it are two different things.

So how can companies get this proof? More and more organizations are turning to what are called sustainability dashboard systems, or dashboards. These systems are not necessarily new, but they have found a new purpose in the past decade.