The Model
From sustainability efforts to measurable value
Why the SUSTEquity Model exists, what it is, and the five pillars it stands on.
The Essence
Why SUSTEquity was created
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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.
Most analytical tools examine sustainability investments from a supply-side perspective: how much effort companies put into such initiatives, and the impact they may have on the environment (for example, CO₂ emission mitigation) or society (for example, better inclusion of minorities).
While accurately assessing, reporting, and communicating these aspects is critical, a key dimension has remained unexplored to date: how customers — both actual and potential — react to such initiatives and 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 societal well-being, can also increase business performance and value.
The crucial question
How are sustainability initiatives actually perceived by our customers?
The Challenge
What SUSTEquity is
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The SUSTEquity Model is an original analytical tool that significantly differs from most other sustainability-related tools by adopting a demand-side (rather than a supply-side) perspective.
By answering the question above, our model provides companies with key insights, which can assist CEOs and middle-managers in efficiently and responsibly allocating monetary, time, and human resources among sustainability initiatives that not only contribute to environmental protection and societal well-being but also expand business success.
The critical strength of our model lies in its nature — a science-based tool that:
Collect
Data is collected directly from customers using techniques that are established in the global academic community.
Analyze
Data is analyzed using rigorous statistical methods and algorithms to obtain solid and significant results.
Convert
Statistical results become strategic insights: which sustainable actions — current or planned — generate the greatest value in the eyes of customers.
The Pillars
Five strategic pillars
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The name itself is the framework: each letter of SUST·Equity stands for one of the model's five foundations.
Sustainability
The foundation of responsible corporate action.
Users
The consumers whose perceptions give meaning and value to such actions.
Sensitivity
The ability to capture subtle emotional and cognitive responses to sustainability efforts.
Transformation
The process through which sustainability becomes real, relevant, and rewarded.
Equity
The resulting value, tangible and intangible, built when sustainability actions are truly understood and appreciated.
Unlike traditional models, SUSTEquity adopts a demand-side perspective, examining how people interpret, believe in, and emotionally respond to companies' environmental and social initiatives. Built on years of academic research and validated through empirical studies, the model integrates quantitative and experimental methods with strategic interpretation.
It produces a hierarchy of perceived value among different sustainability actions, identifying which ones most effectively strengthen consumer trust, reputation, and preference — and highlights how different consumer segments evaluate sustainability, offering companies a unique diagnostic tool to inform their decisions, communication strategies, and positioning.
What we do
Research in practice
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Building on 20+ years of experience in marketing and consumer behavior, we adopt scientific research methods to advance environmental and social progress. Our work focuses on:
- Measuring consumer responses to sustainability initiatives
- Identifying the drivers of perceived value, trust, and preference
- Comparing the effectiveness of alternative sustainability actions
- Understanding how different segments interpret sustainability efforts