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    KPIs to Measure for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

    Mateusz Panek, Jacek Warchoł
    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

    Achieving any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) entails defining benchmarks that organizations can use to set relevant goals. Data and analytics can pave the way for businesses to accomplish them.

    Sustainability makes good business sense, which is why many organizations are adding it to their corporate strategy. However, many underestimate the strategic effort needed to align these sustainability-driven initiatives to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many companies also often don’t know where and how to start.

    Using established references, we created a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) to help companies understand their social impact, set goals and benchmarks, and track areas for improvement. Our downloadable guide lists companywide targets and data points that can be used as starting points for supporting sustainability programs.

    We previously discussed the first nine SDGs and the targets, metrics, and KPIs that companies can track and analyze. Here, we’ll delve into the rest of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

    Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

    Sample targets:

    • Ensure nondiscrimination and inclusiveness in operations and products.

    • Provide equal renumeration and social securities for men and women.


    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Number and percentage of employee hires by age group, gender, and region.

    • Percentage of employee diversity (e.g., gender, age groups, minority or underrepresented).

    • Ratio of salary and renumeration of men and women for each employment category and location where the company or its business unit operates.

    Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

    Sample targets:

    • Address the impact of operations on employees, neighboring communities and its people, and the environment.

    • Responsibly manage natural disaster risks and understand their impact on.


    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Investment (in currency) in water and sanitation, renewable energy, telecommunications, and transportation.

    • Number of individuals with improved access to affordable housing.

    Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

    Sample targets:

    • Adopt circular business models for products and services.

    • Implement sustainable procurement, obtain ecolabels and certifications, and adopt the same principles to suppliers and other third parties.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Weight and volume (in tons) of renewable and nonrenewable materials used to produce and package products.

    • Percentage of recycled inputs used to manufacture products.

    • Hazardous and nonhazardous waste (in tons) broken down into disposal methods.

    Goal 13: Climate Action

    Sample targets:

    • Invest in technologies that protect and strengthen the company (and communities where it operates) against environmental hazards.

    • Disclose information on emissions and set targets to reduce them.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Yearly comparisons of the company’s Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions, in metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)

    • Fuel consumption from nonrenewable and renewable sources in joules (J) or multiples

    • Consumption in electricity, heating, and cooling, and energy consumption outside the company in J, watt-hours (Wh), or multiples

    Goal 14: Life Below Water

    Sample targets:

    • Track, report, and address the impact of business activities on marine biodiversity.

    • Establish traceability, ensure sustainable practices in the supply chain, and obtain aquaculture and food safety certifications.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Liters of planned and unplanned water discharges by quality and destination.

    • Percentage of habitat areas protected and restored through sustainability initiatives.

    Goal 15: Life on Land

    Sample targets:

    • Responsibly manage waste from chemicals used in operations and address their negative impact on soil, wildlife, and food chains.

    • Improve the use of forest-related resources, obtain sustainable forest management certifications, and invest in technologies that responsibly use natural resources.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Percentage of forest-related raw materials used for production and consumption.

    • Percentage of procurement spend on forest commodities.

    Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

    Sample targets:

    • Evaluate the impact of business decisions on investment, employment, communities, and environment.

    • Report breaches of customer privacy, antitrust violations, and incidents of noncompliance.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Percentage of suppliers screened with economic, social, and governance (ESG) criteria.

    • Fines (in currency) and number of nonmonetary sanctions for noncompliance with environmental laws and data regulations.

    Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals

    Sample targets:

    • Empower domestic businesses to access international markets and provide linkages with global value chains.

    • Disclose information on the company’s sustainability efforts.

    Sample data that can tracked and analyzed:

    • Number of joint development programs that the company participated in.

    • Number of multistakeholder initiatives that the company is a part of



    Achieving sustainability means knowing the business’s impact and purpose, but it needs the right data and technologies to act on them. Having analytics and business intelligence capabilities can help organizations be more proactive, holistic, transparent, and accountable in their business decision-making.

    Tracking and Measuring Sustainability Targets and KPIs

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    Meet Our Experts

    Mateusz Panek
    Mateusz Panek PhD, DBA, LLD
    Head of Sustainability Analytics     Mateusz Panek

    Mateusz is a professor of leading business and engineering universities in Paris, Los Angeles, Warsaw, and Gliwice. He has more than 16 years of experience in sustainability, strategic and operational management, compliance, and project management in FMCG, fashion, luxury, retail, e-commerce, and supply chain companies. He has worked both on market and international levels for global brands such as METRO AG, Lacoste, GANT, and SINGULART. 

    In his work, he combines his professional experience as well as academic knowledge. Mateusz holds three doctorate degrees: a doctorate in business administration (DBA), a doctorate in laws (LLD), and a doctorate in philosophy (PhD) with a specialization in environmental studies. With his extensive knowledge and business experience, Mateusz can help organizations gain full, end-to-end visibility over sustainability reporting and strategy — from legal and environmental to business perspectives.

    Jacek Warchoł
    Jacek Warchoł Director of Supply Chain Analytics Practice Jacek Warchoł

    Jacek boosts the competitiveness of global enterprises by digitally transforming their supply chains. He empowers clients by building data-driven supply chains that run more efficiently through AI-powered automations and are managed more effectively through intelligent analytics tools. Armed with years of experience in supply chain management and expertise in data, advanced analytics, and AI, he helps optimize the core processes involved in procurement, inventory management, global logistics networks, distribution, and other key business areas.

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