Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) Methodology

Although business and societal success depends on sustainability, most businesses companies struggle with demonstrating the monetary impact of their sustainability efforts as they seek to address ESG issues. In response, the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) has developed the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) methodology. The ROSI methodology was created to help companies measure the financial returns on their sustainability activities and, thus bridging the gap between sustainability strategies and financial performance and allowing users to build a better business case for current and future sustainability initiatives.

CSB offers in-depth resources on ROSI, including a step-by-step overview; original research publications and an interactive research database; industry case studies on implementing ROSI; Excel tools for testing ROSI focused on risk, talent, and operational efficiency; and a free online course module for building a case for sustainability.

This suite of resources will help you to assess the value created by sustainability strategies, to track sustainability-related financial performance in real time, and to assess the potential ROI of future sustainability initiatives at both the firm and the division level.