Why SUSTEquity was created
In recent years, companies have increasingly invested in environmental and social initiatives. A Deloitte Survey reveals that 83% of companies increased their investments in 2025 compared to 2024, and 14% reported increasing them by more than 20%. Despite growing interest and spending on sustainability initiatives, companies still struggle to understand how their current and potential customers may respond to them. This is because most analytical tools examine sustainability investments from a supply-side perspective, by focusing on how much effort companies actually put into such initiatives and the impact such initiatives may have on the environment (for example, in terms of CO2 emission mitigation) or society (for example, in terms of better inclusion of minorities).
While accurately assessing, reporting, and communicating these aspects is critical, a key dimension that has remained unexplored to date concerns the analysis of how customers — both actual and potential — react to such initiatives and/or the marketing communications surrounding them. The SUSTEquity Model was born to address this issue, with the ultimate goal of converting companies’ sustainability efforts into unprecedented opportunities that, while preserving the environment and/or societal well-being, can also increase business performance and value.