Blueprint 3: Data

Data integration, contextualization & activation for multicapital accounting
The Data Blueprint proposes a general specification for data architecture and information systems to accurately measure progress toward financial, economic, social and environmental sustainability via dynamic interlinkages between the individual company (micro), industry (meso), and environmental, social, and economic systems (macro) levels in order to spur the emergence of a truly green, regenerative, inclusive, and open global economy. Taking a “Positive Maverick” approach, it transcends the incrementalist approaches to data of ESG to focus on transforming raw data into insightful information, decision-useful intelligence, and actionable knowledge. The general specification is based on three primary dimensions necessary for building out a data infrastructure that fulfills the potential of triggering transformative systems change:
- Integration of the multiple capitals (natural, human, social, built, and financial) to optimize positive synergies between and amongst them, to better support the creation of financial, societal (shared), and system value (to employ a recently coined term.)
- Contextualization of organization-level impacts on the multiple capitals within the carrying capacities of those capitals at the systems level, either a virtuous (regenerative) or vicious (degenerative) cycle.
- Activation of responses when the sustainability of any capitals – and hence the potential for biota well-being and human fulfillment – is placed at significant risk. Data without engagement falls short of its potential; “activated” data fulfills its potential of driving the change signaled by integrated, contextualized data.
Throughout this report, the Data Blueprint cites examples of shortcomings and gaps in need of filling, as well as emerging best practices that exemplify approaches to data integration and contextualization that serve multicapital accounting. And each of the 3 primary chapters (on Integration, Contextualization, and Activation) ends with a series of Recommendations for relevant constituencies such as reporters, standard-setters, governments and intermediaries, and investors and other stakeholders, framed at 3 maturity levels from educate to advocate to accelerate. Following the release and publication of this Data Blueprint report, r3.0 is launching its Beta Testing Program to pilot Recommendations from the Blueprint. This report profiles a few of these pilot projects.
Lead Author
Bill Baue
Senior Director
r3.0
+1 413 387 58 24

Bill Baue
Reporting 3.0

Louis Coppola
Governance & Accountability Institute

Jed Davis
Cabot Creamery

Niels Faber
Radboud University

Johannes Friedrich
World Resources Institute

Leo Bonanni
Sourcemap

Julie Gorte
Pax World Investments

Jeff Gowdy
PivotGoals

Henk Hadders
University of Groningen

Ann Hoogenboom
Cabot Creamery

Sheer El Showk
Lore AI

Vishal Kapadia
WikiRate

Tariq Khokhar
World Bank

Monika Kumar
World Bank

Brendan LeBlanc (✝︎ 2020)
EY

Sanford Lewis
Sanford J. Lewis Attorney

Mark McElroy
Center for Sustainable Organizations

Jiro Olcott
Guard Global

Stephen Russell
World Resources Institute

Emma Stewart
Autodesk

Andrew Winston
PivotGoals