A: Job Title: 

Sustainability Consultant

Sustainability Consultants are highly sought-after professionals as more and more companies are adopting environmentally friendly business practices. Businesses hire sustainability consultants when they need additional expertise to develop and implement plans for more sustainable practices and products.

B: Job Description: 

A Sustainability Consultant has a range of responsibilities that involve creating more sustainable solutions that are better for the environment while not impeding the success of the business. Sustainability consulting duties vary from project to project and from industry to industry. Here are some basic responsibilities.

1/ Responsibilities:

– Develop and implement sustainability strategies tailored to client needs.

– Provide training on sustainability topics. 

– Conduct environmental assessments and audits to identify areas for improvement.

– Provide guidance to minimize the negative impact the company has on the environment

– Provide guidance on resource conservation to reduce the use of vital or limited resources, such as energy, water or oil

– Provide guidance on sustainable purchasing practises including supply chains to identify opportunities for sustainability improvements.

– Collaborate with stakeholders to integrate sustainability into business operations.

– Provide guidance on the tools to monitor and create reports on crucial data. 

– Provide guidance on communication and marketing strategies with PR & media campaigns and sustainability reporting. 

– Provide guidance to change a company’s culture to make the business to be more sustainable.

– Provide guidance on regulatory requirements that are relevant to the company and ensuring compliance.

– Keeping up to date with research or changes in legislation that apply to the company and advising about any changes

2/ Qualifications:

Sustainability Consultants come from a broad range of backgrounds and industries.  Here are some typical qualifications.

– Bachelor’s degree in engineering, environmental science, sustainability, or related field.

– ⁠Proven experience in consulting.

– ⁠Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

– ⁠Excellent communication and project management abilities.

– ⁠Familiarity with environmental regulations and best practices.

C/ How to become a Sustainability Consultant

Here are the steps to take to become a professional in this field:

1/ Pick up relevant knowledge

There are many courses to help you develop your knowledge and skills and prepare you for a role as a sustainability consultant. A good start would be an introductory course on Sustainability Disclosure and Reporting followed by more specialised courses on carbon management and green financing.

You should be knowledgeable about the variety of issues in the field of sustainability as it relates to business practices and modes of production. You should also continually develop your knowledge and skill set to keep up with the latest changes in the field.

2/ Gain relevant experience

Relevant experience is important to gain hands on insight into the current issues surrounding sustainability.

3/ Sharpen the following skills needed to do a good job

3.1/ Organizational Skills: You’ll need to have highly developed organizational skills to manage all the different legislation and related information. These skills are also crucial for ensuring that all necessary documents for different aspects of a project are correctly prepared and filed away for record keeping.

3.2/ Communication Skills: A sustainability consultant needs strong written and verbal skills to discuss sustainability issues with a variety of people, including other professionals and the general public.

3.3/ Presentation Skills: You may be required to present information to a variety of stakeholders both within the company and without, so your presentation skills and confidence in public speaking should be well-developed.

3.4/ Numeracy and literacy Skills: You’ll usually carry out assessments and analyze data, perform research and prepare reports, which can be complex work that requires excellent skills within numeracy and literacy.

3.5/ Problem-solving Skills: You should have problem-solving skills to accurately assess cases and determine the best approach for the business or organization you’re working with.

D/ Keen to become a Sustainability Consultant?

Send a note to FT Liu at ft.liu@aeterni.eco