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Model 17 of 74 · Strategy & Governance

ESG / Sustainability Maturity Assessment

Assess how deeply your organisation embeds environmental, social, and governance practices into strategy, operations, and reporting.

Pillars & areas

Commit

Make the pledge

  1. 01ESG Strategy & Commitment
  2. 02Environmental Impact & Climate Action

Act

Drive real change

  1. 03Social Responsibility & Workforce
  2. 04Governance & Transparency

Account

Measure & report

  1. 05Measurement & Reporting
  2. 06Supply Chain & Stakeholder Engagement

Levels

  1. 1AwarenessAcknowledged not systematic
  2. 2CommittedFormalised & resourced
  3. 3IntegratedWoven into strategy

01 ESG Strategy & Commitment

Does the organisation have a clear, resourced sustainability strategy with leadership accountability?

0/4 answered

ESC-1How does your organisation define its ESG priorities?

Think about whether ESG priorities are formally documented or just talked about in general terms.

ESC-2Who is accountable for ESG outcomes at the leadership level?

Consider whether there is a named individual or body with real authority over sustainability, or whether it sits with no one in particular.

ESC-3How does ESG factor into the organisation's long-term business strategy?

Think about whether sustainability is treated as a side initiative or as something that shapes strategic choices like market entry, product design, or investment.

ESC-4How does your organisation allocate budget and resources to ESG initiatives?

Consider whether sustainability work has dedicated funding or competes for scraps from other budgets.

02 Environmental Impact & Climate Action

How well does the organisation measure, manage, and reduce its environmental footprint?

0/4 answered

EI-1How does your organisation measure its greenhouse gas emissions?

Think about whether you know your carbon footprint at all, and whether it covers direct operations, energy use, and your value chain.

EI-2What steps has your organisation taken to reduce energy consumption and transition to renewable sources?

Consider whether energy reduction is a stated goal with tracked progress, or just something people talk about informally.

EI-3How does your organisation manage waste and work toward circular practices?

Think about whether waste is just collected and disposed of, or whether there is a deliberate effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

EI-4How does your organisation assess and manage its impact on water, land, and biodiversity?

Consider whether the organisation understands its impact on natural ecosystems beyond just carbon, or whether these topics are not yet on the radar.

03 Social Responsibility & Workforce

How does the organisation treat its people and contribute to the wellbeing of the communities it operates in?

0/4 answered

SR-1How does your organisation ensure fair labour practices across its own workforce?

Think about whether there are documented standards for pay equity, working conditions, and employee rights — not just compliance with the legal minimum.

SR-2How does your organisation support employee health, safety, and wellbeing?

Consider whether health and wellbeing go beyond compliance-driven safety programmes to include mental health, workload management, and psychological safety.

SR-3How does your organisation engage with and invest in the communities where it operates?

Think about whether community engagement is genuine and sustained, or limited to occasional donations or one-off events.

SR-4How does your organisation promote diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its ESG commitments?

Consider whether DEI is a standalone HR initiative or whether it is embedded within the broader sustainability strategy and publicly reported.

04 Governance & Transparency

Are governance structures, ethics, and accountability mechanisms strong enough to support credible ESG commitments?

0/4 answered

GT-1How does the board oversee ESG risks and opportunities?

Think about whether ESG topics reach the boardroom as standing agenda items or only surface during crises.

GT-2How does your organisation ensure ethical conduct across its operations?

Consider whether there are clear, enforced standards for anti-corruption, conflicts of interest, and ethical decision-making.

GT-3How transparent is your organisation about its ESG performance?

Think about whether stakeholders can easily find honest, detailed information about the organisation's ESG performance — both successes and failures.

GT-4How does your organisation guard against greenwashing in its claims and communications?

Consider whether sustainability claims are backed by verifiable data and whether someone is responsible for checking them before they are published.

05 Measurement & Reporting

Does the organisation collect, verify, and use ESG data to drive decisions and accountability?

0/4 answered

MR-1How mature is your organisation's ESG data collection and management?

Think about whether ESG data is collected in a structured, repeatable way, or pulled together manually from scattered sources each reporting cycle.

MR-2Which reporting standards or frameworks does your organisation use for ESG disclosure?

Consider whether you report against established frameworks or produce a free-form narrative that is hard for stakeholders to compare.

MR-3How does your organisation set and track ESG targets?

Think about whether ESG goals are specific and measurable with deadlines, or aspirational statements without clear accountability.

MR-4Does your organisation seek independent assurance of its ESG data and disclosures?

Consider whether an external party verifies your ESG numbers, or whether the organisation marks its own homework.

06 Supply Chain & Stakeholder Engagement

Does the organisation extend its ESG expectations beyond its own walls and engage meaningfully with external stakeholders?

0/4 answered

SC-1How does your organisation assess the ESG performance of its suppliers?

Think about whether you know the environmental and social practices of your key suppliers, or whether procurement decisions are based purely on cost and capability.

SC-2How does your organisation manage human rights risks in its supply chain?

Consider whether you have visibility of labour conditions beyond your tier-one suppliers, or whether your due diligence stops at the first link.

SC-3How does your organisation engage investors, owners or funders on ESG topics?

Think about whether ESG is part of the conversation with those who finance or own the organisation — investors, shareholders, lenders, owners or grant funders — or something they have to ask about separately.

SC-4How does your organisation engage customers and end-users on sustainability?

Consider whether customers can easily understand the sustainability credentials of your products or services, or whether this information is hidden or unavailable.

Self-assessment report

ESG / Sustainability

Answer the questions above and your report builds here: an overall score, a score and target for each area, and the three changes that matter most.

About this model

About the ESG / Sustainability maturity model

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) maturity is not about producing a glossy sustainability report once a year. It is about how deeply an organisation embeds responsibility for its environmental footprint, its treatment of people, and the integrity of its governance into the decisions it makes every day. The organisations that get this right do not bolt ESG onto their strategy — they build strategy around it.

This model treats ESG as a continuum from awareness to integration. Many organisations begin with good intentions but struggle to move beyond reactive compliance or surface-level commitments. The assessment is designed to reveal where genuine progress has been made and where effort is still performative, fragmented, or under-resourced. It deliberately covers the full ESG spectrum — environment, social, and governance — because strength in one pillar does not compensate for neglect of another.

The goal is not perfection. It is honest self-assessment that helps organisations see where they stand today, prioritise the areas that matter most to their stakeholders, and build a credible path toward sustainability that is embedded in how the business actually operates.

24 questions across 6 key areas, assessing how well your organisation defines, resources, measures, and integrates ESG practices into strategy, operations, and stakeholder relationships. Takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Scoring is based on 3 maturity levels per question. Your overall score reflects the average maturity across all areas, highlighting where ESG commitment is strong and where it remains aspirational rather than operational.

Who this assessment is for

  • Board members and non-executive directors with ESG oversight responsibilities
  • Chief sustainability officers and ESG programme leads
  • CFOs and investor relations teams navigating ESG disclosure requirements
  • Operations and procurement leaders managing supply chain sustainability
  • Strategy and risk leaders integrating ESG into business planning
  • Anyone responsible for preparing sustainability reports or responding to ESG ratings

The three maturity levels

  • Level 1 -- Awareness: ESG is on the radar but not yet embedded. The organisation recognises the importance of sustainability but efforts are fragmented, under-resourced, or driven primarily by external pressure such as regulation, customer demands, or public scrutiny. There is no cohesive strategy, accountability is unclear, and data collection is manual and inconsistent. Environmental and social commitments are aspirational rather than measurable.
  • Level 2 -- Committed: ESG goals are formalised, funded, and tracked. The organisation has made public commitments, assigned accountability to named leaders, and begun building the structures needed to deliver. Reporting follows recognised frameworks, key metrics are monitored, and sustainability considerations are included in major business decisions. Supply chain due diligence has started, and stakeholder engagement is becoming more deliberate. The foundation is solid, but ESG is still managed as a distinct workstream rather than a way of operating.
  • Level 3 -- Integrated: ESG is inseparable from how the business runs. Sustainability shapes investment decisions, product design, supplier relationships, and governance structures. Data is managed with the same rigour as financial data, targets are science-based and independently assured, and the organisation is transparent about both progress and setbacks. Leadership is accountable, employees are engaged, and the organisation actively contributes to systemic change in its industry and communities.

The 6 areas assessed

  1. ESG Strategy & Commitment -- Does the organisation have a clear, resourced sustainability strategy with leadership accountability?
  2. Environmental Impact & Climate Action -- How well does the organisation measure, manage, and reduce its environmental footprint?
  3. Social Responsibility & Workforce -- How does the organisation treat its people and contribute to the wellbeing of the communities it operates in?
  4. Governance & Transparency -- Are governance structures, ethics, and accountability mechanisms strong enough to support credible ESG commitments?
  5. Measurement & Reporting -- Does the organisation collect, verify, and use ESG data to drive decisions and accountability?
  6. Supply Chain & Stakeholder Engagement -- Does the organisation extend its ESG expectations beyond its own walls and engage meaningfully with external stakeholders?

How this model relates to other frameworks

  • Global Reporting Initiative (GRI Standards)
  • IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (ISSB S1/S2)
  • Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, now incorporated into the ISSB standards
  • SASB Standards (now maintained by the ISSB)
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
  • CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project)
  • EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) / European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)
  • UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)
  • ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems

Frequently asked questions

What is the ESG / Sustainability maturity model?

Assess how deeply your organisation embeds environmental, social, and governance practices into strategy, operations, and reporting. It is an original, simplified model with three maturity levels (Awareness, Committed and Integrated), assessed through 24 questions across 6 areas: ESG Strategy & Commitment, Environmental Impact & Climate Action, Social Responsibility & Workforce, Governance & Transparency, Measurement & Reporting and Supply Chain & Stakeholder Engagement.

How long does the ESG / Sustainability assessment take?

Most people finish in 10–14 minutes. Each of the 24 questions has three concrete answer options. Your progress is saved in the page URL, so you can bookmark it and come back later.

How is the score calculated?

Each answer scores 1 (Awareness), 2 (Committed) or 3 (Integrated). An area's score is the average of its answered questions, and the overall score is the average of the area scores, so every area counts equally. Scores run from 1.0 to 3.0.

Is my data stored or shared?

No. Your answers are never sent to a server. They are stored only in the page URL, which you control. Copy the link to share results with colleagues, or export a PDF or CSV report.

How should I use the results?

Start with "Where to focus" in your report. It lists the questions with the biggest gap to the target you set for each area, and shows what the next level looks like in practice. For a fuller picture, ask several people from different teams to complete the assessment and compare their links. Differences in perception are often as revealing as the scores themselves.