Sustainability Framework
Actors Across Layers
Who operates in the sustainability system, and where.
Different actors operate at different layers. Understanding where you sit, who else operates around you, and how different players interact is the first step to effective strategy.
IN THIS SECTION
Demand Side
INVESTOR
Capital providers
Investors deploy capital seeking both financial returns and sustainability outcomes. They operate primarily at L4-L5, responding to governance frameworks and influencing corporate action through investment decisions, engagement, and stewardship.
Examples: DFIs, impact funds, ESG funds, commercial banks, family offices
Key challenges:
- •Balancing fiduciary duty with impact objectives
- •Data quality and comparability across portfolios
- •Greenwashing risk and credibility
- •Measuring real-world outcomes vs. portfolio metrics
Where is your capital creating impact?
CORPORATE
Demand-side actors
Corporates sit at the heart of sustainability action. They set targets, develop transition plans, manage supply chains, and report to stakeholders. Their decisions ripple down through value chains to landscapes.
Examples: Brands, retailers, manufacturers, service companies
Key challenges:
- •Navigating competing frameworks and requirements
- •Building internal capability across functions
- •Supply chain visibility and influence
- •Moving from disclosure to genuine transformation
Do you understand your full exposure?
Enablers
CONSULTANCY
Commercial advisory
Consultancies help organisations navigate sustainability requirements. They advise on strategy, compliance, reporting, and implementation – translating frameworks into action.
Examples: ERM, Anthesis, Carbon Trust, boutique specialists
Key challenges:
- •Keeping pace with evolving requirements
- •Moving clients beyond compliance to transformation
- •Demonstrating ROI on sustainability investments
- •Building deep sector expertise
Where do you add most value?
STANDARD SETTER
Defining frameworks
Standard setters define the rules of the game – what counts, how to measure it, what "good" looks like. Their frameworks shape corporate behaviour and market mechanisms.
Examples: Verra, SBTi, SBTN, Gold Standard, GRI, ISSB
Key challenges:
- •Balancing rigour with accessibility
- •Ensuring real-world impact, not just compliance
- •Harmonising with other standards
- •Keeping pace with science and practice
How does your standard connect to outcomes?
CERTIFIER & VERIFIER
Validating claims
Certifiers and verifiers provide independent assurance that claims are credible. They audit, certify, and verify – building trust across the system.
Examples: Soil Association, SGS, Bureau Veritas, audit firms
Key challenges:
- •Scaling verification cost-effectively
- •Maintaining independence and credibility
- •Adapting to new standards and requirements
- •Technology integration (remote sensing, AI)
What trust do you enable?
INDUSTRY BODY
Professional networks
Industry bodies convene professionals, set sector standards, advocate for policy, and build collective capability. They shape how sustainability is practiced within sectors.
Examples: ISEP, IEMA, UKSIF, NFU, trade associations
Key challenges:
- •Representing diverse member interests
- •Driving ambition vs. lowest common denominator
- •Demonstrating member value
- •Influencing policy effectively
How do you shape sector practice?
Connectors
TECHNOLOGY & DATA
MRV & platforms
Technology and data providers enable measurement, reporting, and verification. They build the infrastructure for evidence-based sustainability – from satellite monitoring to blockchain registries.
Examples: Sylvera, Pachama, registry platforms, MRV tech, satellite providers
Key challenges:
- •Interoperability across platforms
- •Ground-truthing remote sensing
- •Data privacy and ownership
- •Business model sustainability
What gaps do you fill in the data chain?
INTERMEDIARY
Market facilitators
Intermediaries connect producers with buyers, aggregate small-scale supply, develop projects, and facilitate market transactions. They bridge the gap between landscapes and corporate demand.
Examples: Carbon brokers, aggregators, landscape coalitions, project developers
Key challenges:
- •Building trust on both sides
- •Managing quality and integrity
- •Achieving scale while maintaining impact
- •Navigating evolving market rules
How do you connect supply to demand?
REGULATOR
Mandatory requirements
Regulators set mandatory requirements, enforce compliance, and shape market conditions through policy. They translate scientific imperatives into legal obligations.
Examples: EU Commission, FCA, Defra, EPA, national governments
Key challenges:
- •Balancing ambition with feasibility
- •Enforcement and compliance monitoring
- •International coordination
- •Keeping pace with science and markets
How do you drive real outcomes?
RESEARCH & ACADEMIA
Knowledge generators
Research and academia generate the evidence base for sustainability. They develop methodologies, track planetary systems, evaluate interventions, and train the next generation of practitioners.
Examples: Universities, UNEP-WCMC, Stockholm Resilience Centre, think tanks
Key challenges:
- •Translating research into practice
- •Funding for applied research
- •Timelines vs. policy/market needs
- •Communicating complexity
How does your research reach practice?
Value Creators
NGO
Non-profit advocacy & conservation
NGOs work across planetary foundations, landscapes, and ecosystem services. They advocate, conserve, build capacity, and often bridge gaps between producers, corporates, and governance systems.
Examples: FFI, WWF, Conservation International, local trusts
Key challenges:
- •Sustainable funding models
- •Scaling impact beyond project sites
- •Balancing advocacy with partnership
- •Demonstrating measurable outcomes
How do you translate mission to action?
GUARDIANS, CUSTODIANS & PRODUCERS
Stewards of land, water, resources & traditional knowledge
The foundational actors of sustainability. Indigenous communities protect planetary systems through traditional knowledge. Custodians steward landscapes and heritage. Producers manage land, water, and natural resources – together creating the foundation for all ecosystem services. Often undervalued in current systems.
Examples: Indigenous communities, traditional land managers, farmers, foresters, fishers, cooperatives
Key challenges:
- •Recognition of traditional knowledge and rights
- •Capturing fair value for ecosystem services
- •Meeting certification and traceability requirements
- •Balancing productivity with regeneration
Are you capturing value from all service types?
How Actors Interact
No actor operates in isolation. Understanding the relationships between actors reveals opportunities for collaboration and influence.
Capital Flow
Investors → Corporates → Intermediaries → Producers
Capital flows down through the system, shaped by governance requirements and enabled by intermediaries who aggregate and de-risk.
Data Flow
Producers → Tech/Data → Certifiers → Corporates → Investors
Evidence flows up through the system – from landscape-level MRV through verification to disclosure and reporting.
Standards & Governance
Research → Standard Setters → Regulators → All Actors
Science informs standards, standards inform regulation, regulation shapes behaviour across the system.
Capacity Building
Consultancies + Industry Bodies + NGOs → All Actors
Enablers build capability across the system – training, advising, convening, and supporting implementation.
Find Your Position
Understanding where you sit in the system is the first step. The next is building the capability to act effectively.