NuMetric

NuMetric is a groundbreaking tool designed to revolutionize how businesses measure their social & environmental impact. NuMetric assesses product/service quality, operations, employee well-being, environmental responsibility, and community involvement.

NuMetric is an effective tool for the many business leaders that care deeply about our collective future, offering practical & insightful social and environmental insights and measurable indicators, specifically tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Interested in learning how you can improve the social and environmental impact of your business? Reach out to our partners at Bloom: a mission-driven firm that have developed two tailored offerings for SMEs, powered by NuMetric:

Sustainability Bootcamp for SMEs

Bloom's 1-to-1 Sustainability Audit & Critical Path

NuMetric's Origin Story

Corporate America is increasingly focusing attention on sustainability, stakeholder capitalism, and social return on investment, the goal being to measure environmental and social value unaccounted for in traditional financial reporting. The Decency Foundation is focusing on the other end of the spectrum, working with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) –  comprising 99% of all firms – to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their treatment of employees, customers, suppliers, and the larger community.      

The Decency Foundation first developed NuMetric for the small farm sector, to monitor and measure SMEs’ social and environmental performance in real time. Relying on quantitative and qualitative data, NuMetric is a core aspect of the foundation's mission. NuMetric helps to:

(1) gauge a company’s fit with its values-based mission

(2) provide ongoing analysis and recommendations for improving its environmental/ social footprint

(3) develop strategies to improve its social/environmental practices while driving financial sustainability and growth. Beyond its specific project initiatives, The Decency Foundation facilitates NuMetric’s adoption by SMEs looking for a practical tool to effectively assess and enhance their social and environmental performance.  

The Foundation first brought on an experienced research team led by Lucy Hurst, Nigel Holloway, and Maria-Luiza Apostolescu to develop "the Nu Metric." Their extensive research and thought leadership with the Economist Intelligence Unit and Barilla Food Sustainability Index helped make a valuable and accessible tool for small farms and small businesses across all industries. The metric has since developed to further examine critical interpersonal dynamics to help guide business leaders toward improved relationships with their employees, communities, and external stakeholders. Since 2023, we have worked with Bloom Funding to further develop and enhance the metric, incorporating additional insights to move beyond existing ESG indicators for a widely-applicable tool that can be utilized from farming to manufacturing to professional services.