Excelerating Sustainability

Should I build a spreadsheet or buy an App?

The challenge for sustainability has always been bridging the gap between intent and facts. We are now in a world where “data-driven” is no longer a differentiator but a standard. As we learn more about what it means to be sustainable and assign standardized metrics, protocols, and best-practices, many companies are asking themselves: “How do we measure and track our sustainability metrics, projects, and progress?” Now comes the choice.

There’s an app for that…

Spend two minutes on Google and you are bound to find a specialized piece of software that promises to revolutionize and streamline your sustainability efforts. The offerings range from chemical databases to life-cycle assessments, and each comes with a healthy price tag that is buried beneath the promise of enhanced reporting capabilities.

In-House Excel Expertise

While every company has unique staffing considerations and strategic objectives, I would argue that many companies are jumping into the software pool prematurely. Chances are that somewhere in your organization lies a spreadsheet enthusiast that can design and develop basic tools to help you track and analyze the numbers you need as you begin your journey into sustainability. (If that's not the case then scroll to the bottom for who to call...)

Excel-based tools can be used for product analysis, chemical inventories, energy inventories and greenhouse gas calculations, project management, materiality studies, risk management models, and so much more.

I would even go as far as saying that the process of planning, building, and using an in-house Excel solution yields much more than cost-avoidance benefits compared to buying a pre-built software subscription:

• Your team gets to define the inputs, processes, and outputs of the tool. This gives you the opportunity to learn and understand more about the numbers you are tracking and how they relate to your sustainability goals.

• Building an Excel-based tool requires both analytical thinking and collaboration. No spreadsheet is an island, and your suite of tools will require contributions from your accounting department, facilities, safety, engineering, etc.

• Buying an off-the-shelf solution means you have no flexibility or say in how the tool works. Building your own tool gives you the opportunity for revisions, updates, and growth that aligns with your sustainability efforts.

Recognizing that an Excel tool is not the solution for every company, I think it is still the best starting point. Maybe you outgrow your spreadsheets, or maybe you invest in training and or talent to take them to the next level. Either way, spreadsheets are a wonderful, and cost-effective, way to wade into world of sustainability metrics tracking and reporting.

If you need help with your sustainability strategy, reporting, or metrics, I would highly recommend checking out Foresight Management. They have a team of industry experts that can assist with:

• Building Performance
• ISO 14001
• ESG Reporting
• Energy Efficiency
• Sustainability Reporting
• Life-Cycle Assessments, and much more.

(Full Disclosure: I help develop tools for them, so I can vouch for the awesomeness of their spreadsheets! 😎)