About us
About Sustainability Monitor
Founded in 2017, Sustainability Monitor takes a global perspective to tracking the ESG activities on social media of the world’s biggest consumer goods brands and the corporates which own them. We believe that comparing the sustainability activities of the world’s biggest brands and brand owners can highlight ‘best-in-class’ practices and motivate others to step up to the plate.
Driven by innovative IT, our growing team of business and sustainability researchers create reports which combine:
- difficult-to-access data
- advanced statistical and text analysis
- innovative data visualisation.
Social media posts are up-to-the minute, succinct summaries of where companies and brands are positioning themselves and what is being communicated to consumers, investors, employees, competitors and regulators. And posts can be quantified in terms of frequency and reach for easy-to-understand comparisons.
We’re a diverse team of IT developers, data analysts, business researchers and designers, using machine learning models and data automation to allow us track:
- more than 100,000 social media posts a year
- the 60 biggest consumer goods corporates
- 440 of the most important brands.
Our founder
Sustainability Monitor reports was founded by Ronnie McBryde whose business research background includes:
- global advertising agencies (Ogilvy, Bartle Bogle Hegarty)
- competitor monitoring (Cable & Wireless)
- research publishing (Mintel, Ovum)
- IT & telecoms (IDC)
- academia (Edinburgh, Imperial, London Business School).
As a research buyer, Ronnie was frustrated by verbose reports, difficult-to-use databases and boring tabular output. As a research director, he was frustrated by hard-to-find data in inconsistent formats, illogical corporate/ brand selections and large teams churning out reports with ‘the thud factor’. He decided to step back from the coal face and reinvent the research production process.
Based at the University of Kent’s Innovation Centre, the company has worked with staff and graduate students within many schools of the university to develop cutting-edge analyses, the output of which transcends traditional boundaries.
The problem
‘A green industrial revolution is taking place where green technology will change global business models. We are transforming 200 years of industrialisation in 10 years.’
‘70% of GHG emission reductions will come from private sector companies. While governments may sign any agreements, implementation
will primarily be the responsibility of the private sector.’
(COP26 – Glasgow, November 2021)
What are consumer goods corporates and their brands doing in the ESG space? Every social media post communicates where management priorities lie. Our tracking services show which corporates and brands show the greatest commitment on social media.
Sustainability Monitor analyses ESG communications from the world’s leading companies and brands. Monitoring key social media channels, we uncover what brands and brand owners are saying to both consumers and investors.
Our solution
We analyse hundreds of thousands of social media posts, filtering ESG-related content from the everyday. The company collects, collates, curates and analyses the claims to provide up-to-the-minute insight into the claims, positioning, trends and themes of both corporates and their brands. Our clear, succinct, actionable reports save time, effort and money.
Aggregating thousands of data points, our easy-to-read charts allow meaningful comparisons of the key players in the consumer goods industry, within sectors and within categories.
We analyse the:
- volume of posts
- use of social media platforms
- potential reach.
But we’re equally concerned with messaging. Each quarter, we provide an overview of post content: who are going above and beyond? who are doing little?
Since early 2020, we’ve been collecting data. This repository of ESG data allows us to track trends, uncover themes and understand the key concerns of both companies and their brands.
What we offer
Sustainability Monitor produces clear succinct reports with the necessary depth of analysis for investors, the C-suite, marketing teams and digital strategists.
With a focus on sustainability across consumer goods, SusMon reports identify which:
- sectors are driving the agenda
- corporates are talking most on social media and which are not
- categories are most active
- brands have the greatest visibility.
