Sustainability consultant explained

A sustainability consultant is someone who advises businesses on methods to deliver their products or services in a sustainable manner (usually in an ecological sense). This field forms part of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and includes focal areas like "green building, renewable energy, waste management and sustainable development."^[1]

Organisational culture and behaviour change

Research on the role of sustainability consultants in the UK found that there is a tendency to focus on technical aspects of building energy efficiency, facilities management and renewable technologies, but that consultants were aware of the need to support businesses on the ‘softer’ aspects of sustainability such as organisational culture and values.^[2]

Behavioural change initiatives can be effective in reducing emissions, and have multiple benefits including boosting staff morale,^[3] while research has found that collaboration between businesses can improve environmental performance.^[4]

Online tools are available to support sustainability consultants to broaden their skills.^[5]

Industry associations

• Accounting for Sustainability (A4S)^[6]
• American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC)^[7]
  • Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment^[8]
• The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education^[9]
• The Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB)^[10]
• International Society for Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)^[11]
• The Sustainability Consortium^{[12] [13]}

Certifications associated with sustainability standards include the Zero-energy building (ZEB), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), WELL Building Standard, and Passive Building Design.

See also

• Environmental consulting
• Green accounting
• Sustainable development
• Environmental engineer
• Eco-capitalism

Notes and References

1. Web site: What is a Sustainability Consultant. 2021-01-26. www.eco-officiency.com.
2. Hampton, S., 2018. ‘It’s the soft stuff that’s hard’: Investigating the role played by low carbon small- and medium-sized enterprise advisors in sustainability transitions. Local Economy 33, 384–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269094218778526
3. Rotmann, S., 2017. “Once upon a time…” Eliciting energy and behaviour change stories using a fairy tale story spine. Energy Research & Social Science, Narratives and Storytelling in Energy and Climate Change Research 31, 303–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.06.033
4. Lewis, K.V., Cassells, S., Roxas, H., 2015. SMEs and the Potential for A Collaborative Path to Environmental Responsibility. Business Strategy and the Environment 24, 750–764. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1843
5. Web site: OLCreate: Promoting sustainability in business Promoting sustainability in business: A values-based toolkit.
6. Web site: Home. 2021-01-26. Accounting for Sustainability accountingforsustainability.org. en.
7. Web site: American Sustainable Business Council - ASBC. 2021-01-26. American Sustainable Business Council. 5 August 2020 . en.
8. Web site: Home . iema.net.
9. https://www.aashe.org/ AASHE.
10. Web site: Homepage Climate Disclosure Standards Board. 2021-01-26. www.cdsb.net.
11. Web site: ISSP. 2021-01-26. ISSP. en-US.
12. https://www.sustainabilityconsortium.org/product-sustainability/industry-sectors/ The Sustainability Consortium
13. https://www.betterneverstops.global/ Business Coaching and Business Planning