TheSustainability ROI Workbookis a “book” cleverly disguised as an Excel workbook. It is a tool that helps build a CFO-friendly business case for any sustainability-related project. It integrates guidance from the CFO Leadership Network into a cost-benefit analysis that is framed by a traditional capital expenditure (CapEx) request form.

The workbook automatically does the return on investment (ROI) calculations for the project: its payback period, the internal rate of return (IRR), and the net present value (NPV) of its future cash flows. Plus, it includes a Project Appraisal Tool that helps CFOs make better-informed resource allocation decisions, when apprising multiple internal projects competing for limited available capital. 

Explanatory text and graphics are integrated into the Excel worksheets and pop-up, just-in-time comments provide guidance on how to fill in fields that require user input. User are prompted to consider whether the project captures any of two dozen potential benefits associated with sustainability-related projects, or helps mitigate a couple of dozen potential risks of not doing that kind project. Help videos and an overview flyer are also available.

To expedite its use by the global legions of sustainability champions, the Workbook is a free, open-source resource. Users are encouraged to create tailored versions for specific sectors, users, other technology platforms, other languages, etc. It may be useful in your efforts to gain support from the C-suite for your proposed sustainability-related project.