Q Insights #011

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This week’s read time: 6 minutes

Welcome to this edition of Q Insights — our bi-weekly newsletter for sustainability and ESG professionals looking to make smarter solution decisions.

Each edition brings you concise, relevant updates on the tools, trends, and technologies driving the sustainable transition. We filter the noise, highlight what matters, and help you navigate the sustainability solution landscape with clarity and confidence.

In this edition, we’ll cover: 

• Q Intelligence: How Buyers Are Choosing Sustainability Reporting Software 📊

• Q Interview: How Measurabl is setting the standard for real estate sustainability data (An interview with Matt Ellis, CEO & Co-Founder of Measurabl) 💬

• Q Signals: Novata expanded its collaboration with S&P Global, Workiva launched new features and tools, and other news 🟢

• KanataQ Corner: New Listed Providers, and Ecosystem Partner announced ✅

• and other insights 💡

Q INTELLIGENCE

How Buyers Are Choosing Sustainability Reporting Software

In 2025, picking ESG & Sustainability reporting software isn’t just a tech decision; it’s compliance, efficiency, and strategy rolled into one.

From 10+ buyer interviews we reviewed (100 pages of content), three themes stand out:

1️⃣ Clear Goals First

• Is the platform for compliance (CSRD, GRI, SASB, TCFD)?

• Efficiency (cutting manual consolidation)?

• Insights (benchmarking, anomaly detection)?

Pre-CSRD, sustainability teams often made software decisions alone. Now, finance, procurement, HR, and operations also have a seat at the table — because sustainability data now feeds into the annual report and other corporate disclosures.

2️⃣ Scoring Beats Demos

The mistake most teams make: choosing based on a slick demo.

Leading buyers use weighted scoring frameworks, assigning:
~40% to compliance & data management
~30% to UI/UX & integrations
~30% to support, analytics, and customization

“The winning vendor was the one that nailed our workflows live — not the one with the flashiest pitch,” said one manager.

3️⃣ Adoption & Readiness Decide the Deal

The best software fails if no one uses it. Lean teams demand clean, intuitive UI. Large firms push for regulatory readiness: CSRD assurance, EU Taxonomy tracking, ESRS digital tagging, etc.

The key test: “Could my least technical colleague use this in under 10 minutes?”

The takeaway: The right software saves hundreds of hours, reduces compliance risk, and turns reporting into a decision-making asset.

Q INTERVIEW

This week’s guest:

Matt Ellis

CEO & Co-Founder of Measurabl

1. To kick things off, can you briefly explain what Measurabl does, and share a few key numbers that show the scale and impact of the platform today?

Measurabl is the world’s most widely adopted sustainability data platform for real estate. Our mission is to be the catalyst for profitable, sustainable real estate, using investment-grade environmental data as the foundation. Today, more than 22 billion square feet of real estate across 90+ countries, representing more than $3T in asset value rely on Measurabl to measure, manage, disclose and transact. In only the last couple of months, over 2 billion square feet and 12,000 assets have joined our platform through our new free solution.

2. Measurabl recently surpassed 21 billion ft² (1.95 million m²) of real estate coverage. From a product and infrastructure standpoint, what has enabled you to achieve this scale?

The number keeps growing. We’re over 22.2 billion square feet today. There are two key drivers: 

• Open, global infrastructure built for integration and interoperability. We already connect directly with thousands of energy, gas, and water utilities worldwide, data hubs like ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, real estate technology platforms like RealPage, certification bodies like USGBC, and frameworks like GRESB and CRREM. We welcome more and offer a bi-directional API to help everyone connect and exchange data on their terms.
  

• A free-first business model. By removing paywalls to sustainability technology, benchmarks and analytics, we’ve radically lowered barriers to better real estate. Anyone can begin collecting data, benchmarking performance, and charting a decarbonization path today with minimal burden and no cost. This major shift is unlocking a new wave of scalable adoption, including to smaller real estate owners and operators who previously could not afford sophisticated tools for sustainability. With each new subscriber, our dataset grows, enriching the data and insights for everyone on the platform. 

3. Beyond compliance, in what ways are clients leveraging Measurabl to create business value?

For too long sustainability has been treated as a reporting, scoring, or labeling exercise. But that’s not the business of real estate. The business of real estate is doing deals: buying, selling, leasing, financing, lending, etc. That’s where Measurabl delivers value. By delivering objective, investment-grade sustainability data into diligence, leasing, and underwriting deals, Measurabl subscribers de-risk, lower operating costs, and reduce cost of capital. They also future-proof their assets against regulation, improve tenant demand, and manage climate risk.

Take BXP, the largest publicly traded developer and manager of premier office properties in the U.S. Using Measurabl’s Optimize product to manage real-time energy data across more than 100 sites, BXP has cut over 18 million kWh, saving $2.2 million in costs, and generating $5.3 million in demand response payments. For them, sustainability data isn’t for compliance—it’s a daily financial lever to improve returns for their shareholders.

4. What’s next for the company? Are there any new features or capabilities in development, or new regions, asset classes, or verticals you’re looking to expand into?

Making a portion of our platform free was a major step in catalyzing more profitable, sustainable real estate globally. The next step is to extend Measurabl as the source of truth for sustainability data in real estate—by extending coverage and integrating more partners, like lenders, insurers, real estate consultants, and technology companies so verified data can power smarter decisions and better outcomes. We already connect with thousands of sources and invite others to double down on interoperability. Our goal is to activate the entire ecosystem to create shared value. We’re well on our way.

Q SIGNALS

Latest developments, insights, and trends

📊 New tools, features, and funding rounds from solution providers

Novata (KanataQ listed) expanded its collaboration with S&P Global Sustainable1 to integrate sustainability intelligence with Novata’s data management platform, helping corporates and investors manage ESG data and reporting. The partnership combines Novata’s tools, including its Carbon Navigator, with S&P Global’s Trucost carbon dataset, sustainability reporting services, and Corporate Sustainability Assessment framework. Clients can now calculate and manage Scope 1–3 emissions, prepare audit-ready regulatory disclosures, and benchmark performance more effectively. (link)

Workiva (KanataQ listed) launched Intelligent Finance, GRC, and Sustainability, expanding its platform with agentic AI to help teams streamline workflows and extract insights from data. The release includes Workiva AI and new sustainability capabilities such as materiality assessments, peer benchmarking, disclosure analysis, and automated drafting aligned with ISSB and ESRS. Features include an ISSB disclosure creator, peer goal analysis, and tools to evaluate reports for accuracy, consistency, and completeness. Workiva said the platform enables CFOs and sustainability leaders to meet rising reporting demands with secure, specialized AI-driven support. (link)

Watershed introduced Product Footprints, an AI tool designed to speed up and improve the accuracy of supply chain emissions measurement, particularly for Scope 3.1. The system breaks down purchased goods into their underlying materials and processes, producing emissions data more quickly than traditional life cycle assessments and allowing teams to model the impact of procurement decisions. Tested by over 20 companies across industries such as automotive and life sciences, the tool has been used to better account for low-carbon inputs and to prioritize supplier engagement.

🎥 Webinar Spotlight

Here’s a great upcoming webinar from beSirius (KanataQ listed): “Sustainability Outlook 2025: AI, Money, and the End of Sustainability as We Knew It.”

Join leaders from the UN Global Compact, ArcelorMittal, and beSirius for a 60-minute live dialogue on how sustainability is shifting from glossy reporting to measurable performance, financial value, and AI-driven transformation.

📅 Thursday, October 2 | 4:00–5:00 PM CET

👉 Register here

KANATAQ CORNER

What’s new on KanataQ?

📈 KanataQ Growing Family

Here is the list of providers that joined KanataQ since our last edition: Circular IQ (Circular Economy), Climate Horizons (Climate Action), Earthly (Biodiversity & Natural Capital), envima (Circular Economy), Ludke Consulting (Strategic Advisory Services), Garuda Energy (Sustainable Operations), Nature Alpha (Biodiversity & Natural Capital), RO-SE Global Advisors (Strategic Advisory Services), Sustashift (Reporting & Disclosure), The Impactors Advisory (Strategic Advisory Services), Updapt (Digital Solutions & Analytics), and ValueCo (Digital Solutions & Analytics).

🔵 New Ecosystem Partner

We’re pleased to welcome Vijay Rangarajan, who join KanataQ as Partner. As a reminder, KanataQ Ecosystem Partners are a select group of sustainability experts carefully chosen by KanataQ to contribute to the platform's growth and success.

Come join us

Are you a sustainability solution provider? Join KanataQ, the platform where sustainability solution providers connect with high-intent buyers. Generate quality leads, gain market insights, and maximize ROI with our commission-free model. List with us today or contact us at [email protected] for inquiries.

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