TOOL
Sustainability Alignment Tool
Evaluate and align your vision with the 8 ecological and social sustainability principles through a clear, step-by-step framework. Identify gaps, brainstorm solutions, and create a stronger, more sustainable strategy for long-term success.
Tool purpose
This tool helps organizations evaluate how well their vision and goals align with the eight ecological and social sustainability principles. It identifies areas of alignment, uncovers gaps, and fosters creative brainstorming to strengthen your strategy for long-term sustainable success.
When to use it
The tool is best used for:
Strategic Planning for Sustainability
When shaping or revising your organizational vision and goals to ensure they support ecological integrity and social equity.
Assessing Current Alignment
When you need a clear framework to evaluate whether your existing strategies meet sustainability principles.
Driving Innovation and Inclusion
When you want to involve diverse stakeholders in creating solutions that bridge gaps in alignment with sustainability.
Area
Strategy, innovation, leadership, and transformation
2h - 4h
While the core team for this activity should remain small, involve other stakeholders at key points to ensure well-rounded input and insights. Key participants may include decision-makers, sustainability experts, team members from diverse departments, and stakeholder representatives who bring valuable external or community perspectives.
Capabilities
Strategic thinking
Stakeholder management
Research
Systems or Service Design
Templates
Find out more about the 8 Sustainability Principles here
Method
Step 1 - Understand the principles
Start by familiarizing yourself with the eight sustainability principles. This ensures you have a clear framework for evaluation.
Bring your team onboard in a short session so everyone has the chance to make their questions and get themselves sully familiarized with it.
Step 2 - Evaluate your alignment
Start by making some research by interviewing key stakeholders and getting information through some desktop research on the current activities being done in relation to the SP.
To be more efficient, you can split the different Principles amongst the Core Team members, so everyone can focus on getting specific information.
Create a simple table to map your vision's alignment with the principles:
Sustainability Principle - Aligned Aspects - Misaligned Aspects
Step 3 - Brainstorm gaps
Hold a brainstorming session with your core team to generate ideas for addressing misalignments. Ask:
What’s missing from the vision?
How can these gaps be addressed with feasible actions?
Step 4 - Prioritize and refine your vision and targets
Incorporate the prioritized ideas into your vision and goals.
Focus on making adjustments that align your strategy with all eight principles while remaining actionable and measurable.
Step 5 - Engage and align Stakeholders
Involve key stakeholders throughout the process to ensure a well-rounded and inclusive approach. Share findings from your evaluations and brainstorming sessions, and invite their input to:
Strengthen alignment with the principles.
Build buy-in and shared accountability for the refined vision.
Ensure the revised vision addresses diverse perspectives and creates value for all involved.