For many companies, defining a sustainability strategy and integrating a functioning sustainability management system has become a guiding principle. Sustainability controlling and the corresponding analysis tools play a decisive role in this. This study examines the effects of sustainability-related key figures on strategic decisions in companies. The empirical study and the literature research have shown that the transformation to a sustainable company is essential for its continued existence. Legal regulations and the expectations of stakeholders should be taken into account when setting sustainability targets. Suitable key figures must be defined to measure target achievement in order to present the company's sustainability performance on the market and to enter into dialogue with stakeholders. It also became clear that in times of global crises and ever stricter legal regulations, key figures as a control element of sustainability targets have a significant influence on strategic decisions within the company.