Agility in delivering consistent value with sustainability data is fast becoming a critical tool to demonstrate effectiveness.
InsightsFuture is a consultancy focused on creating clarity from confusion in the management of sustainability data. We work with sustainability data managers to position them as leaders in sustainability using data innovations excellence. The result is confidence, effectiveness, and trust in using and collecting data.
In collaboration with and support of:
About Ana
InsightsFuture was born out of a desire to support market-based sustainability initiatives to improve strategic decision-making and communicate impacts using data. Innovation in sectors like sustainability standards has been successful in bringing together companies, supply chain actors, producers and farmers, and technology providers for collaboration. Yet sustainability initiatives still struggle to implement innovations in ways that provide evidence, confidence, and transparency about the results of their work.
Despite vast amounts of data and information collected to tackle critical sustainability challenges like climate change, deforestation, living wage, and forced labor, most data is not providing good decision-making insights. Data often stays locked within organizations due to a lack of trust in the data or uncertainty in how it can be shared and used. These conditions thwart sustainability progress by reducing sustainability data’s ripple effects among sustainability partners and efforts.
InsightsFuture wants to contribute to changing that. Our vision is a thriving data ecosystem for sustainability where organizations consistently release data value to support achievement of sustainability goals.
In my early days working in sustainability certification, I saw the impacts of the digital age on sustainability efforts. Growing digitalization of audits and a more connected world resulted in more and more data collection and use. The agriculture certification program I was part of upgraded databases to store growing volumes of audit data while expanding operations to meet booming certification demand for new crops in new regions. The shift to digital data capture and greater volumes of data promised greater insights, cost efficiency, and impacts.
In a matter of a few years, I watched the nature of sustainability standards assurance change. News media published high profile news stories about child labor and other sustainability risks not captured in certified farm audits. Stakeholders were beginning to demand more transparency about the information behind the sustainability label. The label was no longer a guarantee that the product was sustainably sourced. The data and information behind the label were fast becoming the value behind the sustainability claim.
Today, the demand for data as evidence of impact is needed to satisfy growing stakeholder appetites for transparency and value. Market disruption and the digital transformation brought on by a global pandemic have also highlighted the importance of operational resilience and excellence to innovate and face new risks.
Good data practices have never been more essential. They underpin compliance with data privacy regulation which exposes operational and reputational risks for organizations. Data that is managed well is also critical for the credibility of remote audits which replace the eyes and ears of auditors. How can sustainability initiatives organize their efforts to bring data together and share evidence of their effectiveness and intended impacts?
I started InsightsFuture with the aim of supporting organizations to unlock the power of the data they manage and that the world needs. Our approach is tailored specifically for market-based sustainability sector dynamics and needs:
- Principle of data as a common good to address sustainability challenges
- A wide range of value chain actors with varying levels of digital literacy and access to technology (e.g. agricultural producers and technology providers)
- A need to scale meaningful connections and value in a colorful landscape of sustainability initiatives
- A desire for long-term inclusive and sustainable solutions for the collection and use of data that result in an equitable distribution of value among stakeholders
Expert assurance and data innovations leadership
With more than 20 years supporting sustainability organizations and systems, I understand the negative consequences of data challenges for sustainability teams and managers. I have seen technology implementations fall short due to minimal focus on process and people and am passionate about contributing to sustainability by helping to close these gaps.
I am an expert in providing operational and data innovations support for market-based sustainability initiatives on topics such as:
- Certification and verification assurance system design and implementation
- Data innovations in sustainability systems such as data governance, continuous improvement, and remote auditing
- Data management framework design for sustainability auditing assurance
- Sustainability benchmarking assessments and recognition programs
I serve as an independent expert for the Assurance Committee of the Responsible Jewellery Council and advise emerging sustainability initiatives on data innovations.
