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This research paper identifies and quantifies the main criteria that define Corporate Sustainability (CS) based on data from large Brazilian companies participating in B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcao), the Brazilian stock exchange. The data is derived from the 2015/2016 Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) report. Initially, we applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on a sample comprised of sixty companies. Then, we organized and classified the scores for each criterion. Doing so, we are able to create a list of eighteen preponderant CS criteria, with respective components and dimensions. This list can be used as a reference for academic or practitioner studies. Notwithstanding, the main contribution of the present research is to unveil the inefficiency with which the social dimension is managed on CS issues. This gap related to the difficulties of assess and valuate social actions invites new studies on the way these aspects are being addressed on corporate level.

This study proposes a heuristic for assessment of corporate sustainability based on the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) of the B3 (former BMF (ii) the ISE criteria were classified as mandatory or compensatory and (iii) two assessment approaches were compared: (a) Evaluation of Weighted Sum (WS), which uses simple weighted average, and (b) the proposed evaluation approach, based on the Minimum Performance on Mandatory Items (MPMI), which focuses on the deficits of the dimensions and criteria of corporate sustainability. Sixty organizational units were evaluated and compared using WS and MPMI approaches. The proposed MPMI clarifies that, in the pursuit of corporate sustainability, higher performance in some dimensions may not be enough, and instead, it is necessary to comply with all dimensions. Besides, when compared to the traditional weighted approach, MPMI provides a more transparent assessment of corporate sustainability through a clear identification of the criteria and dimensions to be improved.