Checklist for assessing sustainability impact
This checklist is designed to support organisations in assessing their impact on sustainable development in a structured and reflective way. It helps to move beyond simplified narratives and capture the complexity of how activities contribute to, or hinder, progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
1. Capture the full picture of impact
- Have we identified both positive and negative impacts of our activities?
- Are we avoiding cherry-picking specific SDGs while ignoring others?
- Have we considered environmental, social, and economic dimensions together?
2. Understand interactions between goals
- Have we identified potential synergies and trade-offs between SDGs?
- Could progress in one area undermine progress in another?
- Have we discussed these interactions across different perspectives or stakeholders?
3. Consider cross-border effects
- Could our actions create impacts beyond our national or regional context?
- Do we rely on resources, labour, or production in ways that shift burdens elsewhere?
- Are we contributing to or mitigating global inequalities or environmental pressures?
4. Ensure inclusion – Leave No One Behind
- Who benefits from our actions – and who might be excluded or negatively affected?
- Have we considered impacts across different groups (e.g. gender, income, geography)?
- Are we addressing or reinforcing existing inequalities?
5. Define system boundaries
- What is included in the assessment and what is left out?
- Have we considered impacts across the full value chain (upstream and downstream)?
- Are there indirect or hidden effects we risk overlooking?
6. Take a long-term perspective
- Are we considering short-, medium-, and long-term impacts?
- Could actions that seem positive today create future risks or lock-ins?
- Are we aligning with long-term sustainability goals (e.g. 2030, 2050)?
7. Assess scale and significance
- How large or significant are the identified impacts?
- Which impacts are most critical to act on?
- Are we focusing on what matters most, or what is easiest to measure?
8. Acknowledge uncertainty
- What do we not know about our impacts?
- Where are we making assumptions?
- How can we improve our understanding over time?
9. Link assessment to action
- Have we identified concrete changes or improvements based on the assessment?
- Who is responsible for acting on the findings?
- How will we follow up and learn over time?
10. Be transparent
- Are we open about limitations, trade-offs, and negative impacts?
- Can others understand and scrutinise our assessment?
- Are we communicating in a way that builds trust and credibility?
