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July 23, 2023
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In today's complex business landscape, companies face challenges in deriving actionable insights from the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data they collect and report. However, the advent of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has brought about transformative solutions that enable easy and understandable visualizations and graphs based on ESG data. In this blog post, we will explore the difficulties in obtaining actionable insights from ESG data, the importance of setting targets and visualising business units on ESG metrics, and how AI can simplify the process of generating dashboards with relevant ESG metrics, allowing organisations to understand the status quo and set a roadmap for their sustainability initiatives.

Visualising and understanding ESG insights to make them actionable is essential

To drive meaningful change and track progress, companies must set ambitious targets and track performance on ESG metrics. However, comparing ESG performance across different business units within an organization can be complex. Visualizing and comparing business units' performance on ESG metrics can provide valuable insights and promote healthy competition. It enables companies to identify best practices, share learnings, and encourage collaboration among various units. A report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development emphasizes the importance of visualizing and benchmarking ESG performance to drive continuous improvement (Source 2: WBCSD. "Reporting Matters: WBCSD's CEO Guide to Reporting on the SDGs." 2017. [link]).

ESG dashboards enable the implementation of an ESG roadmap, and the evolution of your company’s progress

Dashboards play a crucial role in understanding the status quo of an organisation's ESG performance and establishing a roadmap for improvement. Dashboards provide a comprehensive overview of key ESG metrics, enabling stakeholders to visualize trends, track performance, and identify areas for improvement. They serve as decision-making tools for management, investors, and other stakeholders. A white paper by ERM underscores the value of dashboards in tracking and communicating ESG performance (Source 3: ERM. "Building an Effective ESG Dashboard." [link]). Dashboards allow organizations to communicate their ESG efforts transparently, building trust and credibility among stakeholders.

However, it’s difficult to get actionable insights from ESG data

Many companies struggle to extract meaningful insights from the vast amounts of ESG data they collect. The data is often fragmented, unstructured, and lacks standardization, making it challenging to derive actionable information. Moreover, the sheer volume and complexity of ESG data pose a significant hurdle for manual analysis. A study by PwC highlights that companies face difficulties in correlating ESG data with business performance and identifying the most material ESG issues for their specific industry (Source 1: PwC. "Moving from ESG Reporting to ESG Performance." 2020. [link]).

Today with AI, You Can Easily Generate Graphs and Build Your Own Dashboards

AI has revolutionized the generation of visualizations and graphs based on ESG data. With AI-powered tools, organisations can easily generate graphs by providing a prompt or selecting relevant ESG metrics. These tools leverage AI algorithms to analyze and visualize data, simplifying the process of creating informative and visually appealing dashboards. In a matter of seconds, users can build customised dashboards tailored to their specific needs and requirements. This enables organizations to communicate their ESG performance effectively and make data-driven decisions (Source 4: Thomson Reuters. "Artificial Intelligence for ESG: Driving Performance and Transparency." [link]).

By utilizing GraphGPT, for example, organizations can provide prompts related to ESG data and receive visually understandable graphs as outputs. These graphs can represent various ESG metrics, such as carbon emissions, diversity ratios, or social impact indicators, in a clear and concise manner. This capability enables organizations to gain insights into their ESG performance, identify trends, and track progress towards their sustainability goals.


Conclusion

AI technology offers a transformative solution for enabling easy and understandable visualizations and graphs based on ESG data. By overcoming the challenges of obtaining actionable insights, visualizing and comparing business units on ESG metrics, and generating informative dashboards, AI empowers organizations to drive sustainability performance and communicate their efforts transparently. With AI-powered tools, companies can leverage the power of data visualization to understand their current ESG status, set targets, and map out a roadmap for continuous improvement. The ability to easily generate graphs and build customized dashboards through AI algorithms simplifies the process and empowers organizations to make data-driven decisions. By harnessing the potential of AI, companies can unlock the full value of their ESG data and drive positive change in their sustainability initiatives.