Sustainalize

What Sustainalize does

Sustainalize was a Dutch sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, with additional offices in Brussels (Belgium) and Cologne (Germany). Founded in 2010, the firm advised nearly 200 organizations across technology, banking and finance, retail, aviation, and government sectors on measuring, disclosing, and responding to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Its service portfolio spanned four integrated pillars: ESG strategy development and execution, implementation support, external reporting, and impact measurement, covering topics such as climate change, biodiversity loss, resource availability, diversity and equality, human rights, and governance.

The firm's value proposition rested on in-house expertise in regulations, integrated reporting, and communications, delivered through a horizontal segmentation approach targeting enterprise clients. Sustainalize operated a consultative, enterprise field sales motion, with revenue generated through professional services engagements structured as project-based or retainer arrangements (specific pricing not publicly disclosed). The team grew to 30-50+ professionals in the years preceding full integration.

In April 2021, Sustainalize was acquired by ERM, the world's largest pure-play sustainability advisory firm, as a vehicle to expand ERM's continental European consulting capabilities. By September 2023, Sustainalize was fully integrated into ERM and retired as a standalone brand, with the 50+ professional team continuing to serve clients under the ERM name. As of the source date, Sustainalize no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

Sustainalize

Legal name

Sustainalize

Website

https://sustainalize.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainalize is a Dutch ESG consulting firm that advised nearly 200 enterprise organizations on sustainability strategy, implementation, reporting, and impact measurement across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The firm was acquired by ERM in April 2021 and fully integrated under the ERM brand in September 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Risk Advisory (BPAHAJAH), Sustainability & ESG Reporting (GRI/SASB/ISSB/CSRD) (EUAHAJAB), ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ)

Keywords

• Sustainability consulting
• ESG advisory services
• Corporate sustainability strategy
• ESG reporting consulting
• Impact measurement consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sustainability Consulting Services: Professional consulting services providing sustainability advisory, including ESG strategy development and execution, implementation support, external reporting, and impact measurement. Revenue generated through professional services engagements with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sustainalize is a Dutch sustainability consulting firm that helps organizations measure, disclose, and respond to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) issues. The firm provides end-to-end advisory services spanning sustainability strategy development and execution, hands-on implementation support, external sustainability reporting, and impact measurement across topics such as climate change, biodiversity loss, resource availability, diversity and equality, human rights, and governance.

Product overview

Sustainalize is a sustainability consulting firm offering a unified set of professional services. The company provides end-to-end ESG consulting including strategy development, implementation support, external reporting, and impact measurement. Now operating fully under the ERM brand following acquisition in April 2021 and complete integration in September 2023, Sustainalize's services cover climate change, biodiversity loss, resource availability, diversity and equality, human rights, and governance. The firm serves approximately 200 organizations across technology, banking, finance, retail, aviation, and government sectors with a team of 30+ professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ESG Consulting Services Comprehensive sustainability consulting services that help businesses measure, disclose, and respond to ESG (environmental, social, and governance) issues and challenges. Targeted at enterprise organizations across multiple sectors.
• Sustainability Strategy Development Strategic consulting for developing and executing corporate sustainability strategies aligned with organizational goals and regulatory requirements. Targeted at enterprise clients seeking long-term sustainability roadmaps.
• Implementation Support Hands-on advisory and program management for implementing sustainability initiatives within organizations. Targeted at organizations operationalizing their ESG commitments.
• External Reporting Advisory support for external sustainability reporting and disclosure requirements, including integrated reporting aligned with regulatory frameworks. Targeted at organizations with ESG disclosure obligations.
• Impact Measurement Assessment and measurement of sustainability impact across environmental, social, and governance dimensions. Targeted at organizations needing to quantify outcomes of their sustainability programs.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ERM (Environmental Resources Management)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021ERM, the world's largest pure-play sustainability advisory firm, acquired Sustainalize in April 2021. This acquisition expanded ERM's sustainability consulting capabilities in continental Europe and reinforced ERM's position as the global market leader in pure-play sustainability consulting. Sustainalize fully integrated within ERM by September 2023, operating exclusively under the ERM brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Sustainability & Climate Services: Big Four sustainability arm providing ESG advisory, climate strategy, and sustainability assurance. A scaled competitor targeting the same enterprise ESG strategy and reporting budgets as Sustainalize/ERM, particularly in financial services and technology.
• PwC Sustainability: Big Four sustainability practice offering ESG reporting, climate risk, and sustainable finance advisory. Competes for the same enterprise ESG strategy and non-financial assurance work that anchors Sustainalize's service portfolio.
• EY Sustainability Services: Big Four sustainability advisory covering ESG strategy, climate change, and sustainability assurance. Direct competitor for enterprise ESG mandates across Europe, with comparable end-to-end capability from strategy through reporting.
• Accenture Sustainability Services: Global consulting giant's sustainability practice, including acquired EcoAct, covering ESG strategy, net-zero transformation, and reporting. Increasingly competes with pure-play sustainability consultancies like Sustainalize/ERM for enterprise sustainability transformation mandates.
• KPMG Sustainability Services: Big Four sustainability practice offering ESG strategy, non-financial reporting assurance, and climate advisory to large enterprises. Competes with Sustainalize/ERM for the same corporate ESG mandates, particularly CSRD/ISSB reporting work in Europe.
• ERM (Environmental Resources Management): Parent company and the world's largest pure-play sustainability advisory firm with 8,000+ experts in 40 countries. Sustainalize now operates fully within ERM, making ERM the closest reference point for the firm's service model, client segments, and end-to-end ESG capabilities.

Direct peers

• South Pole Group: Global pure-play sustainability consultancy offering climate strategy, ESG advisory, and carbon market services to enterprises. Highly comparable to Sustainalize in service scope (strategy, reporting, climate advisory) and target customer (large corporates needing ESG support).
• Carbon Trust: Independent sustainability consultancy advising businesses and governments on carbon reduction, ESG strategy, and climate-related reporting. Comparable to Sustainalize in advisory depth, vertical coverage, and enterprise/government client mix.
• EcoAct (Accenture): France-based sustainability consultancy now part of Accenture, specializing in carbon strategy, climate reporting, and net-zero advisory. Direct peer in continental European ESG advisory, overlapping heavily on CSRD, SBTi, and climate disclosure services.
• Antea Group: Dutch-headquartered international engineering and sustainability consulting firm offering EHS, ESG, and sustainability advisory. Direct regional peer to Sustainalize, with overlapping Benelux presence and comparable enterprise/government client mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sustainalize

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustainalize