The research was conducted under the leadership of ACBI director Henk Volberda. For the research, a survey was sent to more than 1,500 corporate decision-makers in the Netherlands. They were asked to assess how they rate other companies in terms of sustainability. This involved looking at the three well-known ESG goals (environmental, social & governance), along with the impact organisations have on society.  ‘High energy prices, a lack of raw materials, and a labour shortage make it more challenging for most companies to keep sustainability high on their agenda,’ says Volberda. In spite of this, there is a lot of interest in sustainable business practices.

The SD400 showcases both pioneers in sustainable entrepreneurship and service providers who facilitate other organisations in their transition.

Different speeds

The SD-400 also reveals that all companies are working on sustainability and that the topic is taken seriously. According to Volberda, that is the good news. The SD-400 also reveals that all companies are working on sustainability, According to Volberda, that is good news. This applies to different types of companies, not just the ones where sustainability is the core activity, such as green energy companies or specialists like sustainability consultants. ‘You do see that the transition is occurring at different speeds. Some companies are significantly much further ahead in this process than others,’ says the UvA professor.

More information about the SD-400 ranking and the rankings per category can be found on the MT/Sprout website.