Corporate sustainability work is evolving from isolated projects detached from core business operations to systematic, data-driven management.
This transformation involves strategic-level impact analysis and the identification and measurement of local-level impacts using new technologies such as eDNA analytics, satellite monitoring, and AI. Generating reliable data on the climate and biodiversity impacts of operations and products has become a critical part of both corporate responsibility and broader risk management. At the same time, it opens opportunities to identify new sources of business value.
This week, we’re sharing results of our work on these topics at the General Assembly of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in Panama.
Certification systems under pressure
The demand for credible data and verifiability is growing, and it’s increasingly visible at the consumer interface, where verified data is required to underpin sustainability communication and environmental marketing.
Certifications play a key role in sustainability communication. They act as proof points that demonstrate a company’s commitment to sustainability and transparency, often forming the first impression consumers or B2B customers get of the responsibility of products and organizations.
This rising demand also challenges certification systems to evolve. Most voluntary, market-driven sustainability certifications developed in the 1990s are now facing a turning point. Certificates can no longer rely on process requirements or commitments alone. Instead, they must demonstrate measurable and verifiable impact. Certification schemes are updating their standards for a new era where data, measurement, and impact tracking are central.
For companies, this shift brings an opportunity to obtain tangible, verifiable insights within existing structures. A prime example is FSC, the world’s best-known forest certification system, which we have supported for years in developing transparent methods for measuring and verifying certification impacts. During the process, we have closely collaborated with certificate holders, and the work has provided valuable data not only for certification purposes but also more widely for sustainability reporting and communication.
From global databases to eDNA
Sustainability data consists of multiple layers that complement one another, together forming a picture of a company’s impacts. Global and open databases provide the foundation for identifying key impacts and risks, for example, by assessing ecosystem conditions in production areas.
Increasingly precise satellite imagery and AI based analysis methods make it possible to track land use changes, biomass, and habitat development. Field surveys, species monitoring, and eDNA analyses add a concrete dimension revealing what’s actually happening in nature at the micro level.
In our work with FSC, we’ve explored the potential of combining these different methods, and the results have been highly promising. Together, these layers of information create a science-based understanding of environmental impacts, offering a solid foundation for credible sustainability communication and development of more sustainable business models.
Text: Lauri Tamminen
Photo: Katariina Musta