About
Sustain Life is an enterprise sustainability management platform acquired by Workiva, now operating as part of Workiva's integrated cloud-based suite for finance, risk, and sustainability reporting. The platform is designed to help organizations of all sizes track, manage, and disclose their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data with confidence and accuracy. At its core, Sustain Life enables carbon accounting—capturing emissions data across Scope 1, 2, and 3—while also supporting broader sustainability program management. Users can map their data to voluntary and mandatory reporting frameworks, conduct double materiality assessments, and automate data collection workflows to reduce manual effort. The platform leverages Workiva AI to surface insights, accelerate report preparation, and assist teams in meeting regulatory requirements such as CSRD, SEC climate disclosure rules, and other global sustainability standards. Real-time collaboration tools, audit trails, version control, and permission management ensure that sustainability data remains accurate and defensible. Sustain Life is ideal for sustainability, finance, and risk teams at mid-size to enterprise companies that need to produce credible, assured sustainability disclosures. It integrates seamlessly with existing enterprise systems and supports multi-entity reporting across complex organizational structures. Whether preparing voluntary sustainability reports or complying with mandatory regulations, Sustain Life provides the structure, automation, and AI assistance needed to deliver high-quality sustainability outcomes.
Key Features
- Carbon Accounting: Automatically capture and calculate Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions across your organization with audit-ready accuracy.
- Sustainability Framework Mapping: Map your sustainability data to major voluntary and mandatory reporting frameworks including CSRD, GRI, TCFD, and SEC climate disclosure rules.
- AI-Powered Reporting: Leverage Workiva AI to automate routine reporting tasks, surface insights from sustainability data, and accelerate preparation of ESG disclosures.
- Double Materiality Assessment: Conduct structured double materiality assessments to identify and prioritize sustainability topics relevant to your stakeholders and business.
- Automated Data Collection: Streamline sustainability data gathering from across teams and systems with automated workflows, reducing manual entry and improving data quality.
Use Cases
- A corporate sustainability team preparing an annual CSRD-compliant sustainability report with verified emissions data and assured disclosures.
- A multinational enterprise automating the collection of Scope 3 supply chain emissions data across dozens of subsidiaries.
- A finance team conducting a double materiality assessment to identify ESG topics material to both financial performance and societal impact.
- A risk and compliance officer mapping existing sustainability initiatives to GRI and TCFD frameworks to meet investor disclosure requirements.
- An ESG manager streamlining voluntary sustainability reporting for stakeholders while building readiness for upcoming mandatory regulations.
Pros
- End-to-End Sustainability Management: Covers the full sustainability reporting lifecycle—from data collection and carbon accounting to framework mapping and assured disclosure—in a single platform.
- Regulatory Compliance Ready: Built to support major global sustainability regulations including CSRD, SEC climate rules, and others, reducing compliance risk for enterprises.
- Audit-Ready Data Trails: Full version control, auditability, and traceability ensure sustainability reports can withstand third-party assurance and regulatory scrutiny.
Cons
- Enterprise Pricing: As part of Workiva's enterprise suite, pricing may be prohibitive for small businesses or early-stage startups with limited sustainability budgets.
- Complex Onboarding: The breadth of features and integrations may require significant setup time and organizational change management before seeing full value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sustain Life?
Sustain Life is an AI-powered sustainability management platform, now part of Workiva, that helps businesses track carbon emissions, manage ESG data, and produce compliant sustainability reports.
What reporting frameworks does Sustain Life support?
The platform supports a wide range of frameworks including CSRD, GRI, TCFD, SASB, and SEC climate disclosure requirements, with built-in framework mapping tools.
Does Sustain Life support carbon accounting?
Yes. The platform enables comprehensive carbon accounting across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, with automated data collection and audit-ready calculations.
Who is Sustain Life designed for?
It is designed for sustainability, finance, legal, and risk teams at mid-size to large enterprises that need to produce credible, assured ESG and sustainability disclosures.
How does AI enhance the Sustain Life platform?
Workiva AI assists users by automating routine reporting tasks, surfacing insights from sustainability data, answering questions, and accelerating the preparation of disclosures with greater accuracy and speed.
