What is a sustainability index?

A sustainability index is an instrument used to measure the sustainability of a business across environmental and social factors. It provides non-financial data that can tell investors and stakeholders how a company is managed in a day-to-day setting and the importance that they place on environmental stewardship and social responsibility. There are dozens of different indexes that businesses can disclose to, each providing their own parameters and levels of credibility amongst the public. The Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good are the most popular in Europe, whilst the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index has a large representation in the US. Sustainability indexes are becoming increasingly important, not only as a measure of risk for investors, but also as a measure of environmental impact. In the face of aggravating climate change, it is paramount that businesses place sustainability at the forefront of their management. Being able to benchmark your company against others as well as being subject to pressures from the public is also a valuable driver of sustainability in business.

What is a sustainability index used for?

Sustainability indexes are primarily used by investors who are interested in introducing sustainable investments to their portfolios. The rise in this interest is in part due to the fact that a business’ sustainability performance is a strong indicator of future performance. A study by HEC Paris titled “Do Investors Actually Value Sustainability Indices?” analysed the impact on companies that are listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Their findings showed that the listed businesses had a higher percentage of shares held by long-term investors, as well as higher visibility amongst financial analysts.

How do sustainability indexes work?

Each sustainability index works slightly differently, all having a unique assessment criteria and methodology. The general procedure, however, involves a yearly disclosure cycle. This begins with an invitation for companies to participate in the disclosure process, which is often completed through a questionnaire. Participating businesses will have several weeks to several months to complete the questionnaire – depending on the sustainability index – and their answers will be analysed and scored according to each index’s methodology. Once all companies have been given a score, the results are made public and the cycle will begin again for the following year.

What are the benefits of having a sustainability index?

The benefits of having a sustainable index range from financial to non-financial, and benefit businesses, investors, and the public alike. Businesses: Sustainability indexes are useful tools in benchmarking your businesses’ non-financial performance. Measuring your impact is the first step in improving it, and disclosing to a sustainability index allows your business to track progress and make credible plans for improvement. Investors: Sustainability indexes provide non-financial information on companies that give indications of future financial performance. This data is incredibly useful to investors who are looking for long-term, sustainable portfolios. Public: Sustainability indexes make business sustainability data publicly available. With sustainability being of increasing importance to consumers, this helps members of the public to easily decide where they should spend their money, ultimately driving the market in a more sustainable direction.

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Introducing the Metrikus API – here to generate a wave of innovation in workplace technology

Data Analytics, Technology, Workplace

April 30, 2024

Emily Vernon

We’re very excited to be launching something that we’ve been working on for a while… our very own API.

The first step on an exciting new path, launching the API is an opportunity for us to work more collaboratively with companies in the market – coming together to build game-changing workplace solutions for end customers.

We’ve already had a lot of questions about the API, so here’s a quick blog post diving into what we’re doing, who it’s for, and why we think (know) it’s going to be a game changer.

Why are we launching an API?

Aggregating building data is hard. It’s often siloed, hidden or tangled up with other data that we don’t actually need. And all the time and money that's wasted sifting through messy data could be used solving actual problems.

We’ve spent the past eight years figuring out how to turn data chaos into data clarity. So now we’ve got it sussed, we want to take that pain away for our partners.

With our API, you have the flexibility to do whatever you want with building data. No more debates over which systems to integrate with, or how to spend your developers’ time.

Building a brand new app? Looking to level up your current workplace offering? Want to bolster your value to consulting clients? The options are quite literally endless once you’ve got access to a single point of aggregated and normalized data.

What can you do with our API?

As we’ve already mentioned, there are lots of different ways you can use our API. But for the purposes of this blog post, we’ve picked out the top three use cases.

1. For developing

Right now, developers are spending way too much time setting up new integrations, aggregating data and making sense of all of it.

With our API, developers get access to data that’s already been aggregated, normalized and contextualized for them. And this means they have more time to focus on the big stuff – creating the best possible experience for their users.

2. For consulting

A lot of consultants are wasting their billable hours on low-value tasks like manual data acquisition.

Using our API, they can access aggregated building data to elevate their analysis and advice, bolstering their value to clients and helping them to stand out from their competitors.

3. For analyzing

Data analysts are wasting 80% of their time finding, cleaning and organizing data – leaving only 20% for actual analysis.

With Metrikus, they can spend all of their time analyzing aggregated data, drawing meaningful conclusions and making data-driven decisions.

What are the benefits of using the API?

1. Access the building data you need, all in one place

You can’t get much value from building data when it's stuck in different workplace systems. With the Metrikus API, you’ll get access to a single point of aggregated building data.

2. Avoid the hassle of integrating new data sources

It’s a big time drain and effort for you to research, assess, and set up new data integrations. Let us handle all that for you, so you can focus on developing your application.

3. Query data quickly and efficiently, regardless of format

We normalize building data so you don’t have to. It’s super quick and easy for you to query whatever aggregated data you need, regardless of the format or data source it came from.

4. Turn your data into useful information

Context is everything – especially when it comes to your building. Our API gives you access to meaningful information in a clear data model so that you can make better sense of it.

5. Benefit from a straightforward developer experience

You’ll never be left in the dark when you’re using our API. Our developer portal gives you access to comprehensive documentation to help you get the most out of your building data.

6. Worry less with our trusted authentication process

Data security is a top priority for us. Whenever a user makes a data request via our APIs, they go through our trusted authentication and authorization process.

Are you ready?

So, as you can probably tell, we’re very excited for the launch of our new platform and API.

It’s time for a new wave of innovation in workplace tech, and our API is here to drive this change – helping companies to spend less time on integrations and more time on what matters.

Are you ready to get involved? Sign up now to get early access to our API.