What is a Sustainability Consultant and How to Find One

With the environment under considerable pressure from human activity, organisations everywhere are naturally searching for ways to become more sustainable. But what if you don’t have the necessary knowledge or skills to do so? It’s at this point that you might consider hiring third-party help to guide you.

There are multiple options available to you, such as a sustainability consultant and a certification programme (like the Net Zero Certification Programme). Keep reading to understand the difference between these two options, and how they can both help you reduce carbon emissions across the business.

What is a Sustainability Consultant? 

A sustainability consultancy is a company that has a background in business combined with knowledge of the environment and of course, sustainability. Their work covers a broad range of tasks and strategies used to help organisations reduce their carbon emissions.

Sustainability consultants use their expertise and knowledge to advise and guide businesses to become socially and environmentally responsible. In addition, their expertise touches on how the company operates in a more sustainable way.

You may hear sustainability consultants also referred to as green consultants, eco consultants, or environmental management consultants. You may also hear of climate change consultancies. Sustainability consultants may specialise in specific industries, areas, or the types of companies they assist. Consultants are hired for short- or long-term projects and work with organisations to move forward with their sustainability goals.

You might also enjoy: Why sustainability and business go hand in hand

What Does a Sustainability Consultant Do?

Sustainability consultants offer a broad range of services to assist companies with their green efforts, including:

• Conducting company assessments on energy, water, carbon, waste, hazardous materials, environmental impacts, and more.
• Creating an overall strategy for sustainability plans.
• Providing plans on waste reduction in business operations and manufacturing.
• Offering guidance on green building design, construction, and improvements to a facility.
• Providing guidance on sustainable purchasing practices.
• Overseeing training and education on sustainability topics.
• Offering guidance on the installation and implementation tools needed to monitor and create reports on crucial data.
• Providing plans on environmental management and compliance.
• Offering guidance on communication and marketing strategies with PR & media campaigns and sustainability reporting.
• Providing plans to improve involvement of the community and volunteer programmes.
• Helping a company’s culture change to make the business more self-sustaining
• Conducting energy audits.
• Collecting and analysing data, identifying needs.
• Finding ways to use renewable energy sources.
• Simplifying of supply chains.
• Ensuring a company’s workplace is healthy, as well as the surrounding environment.

Sustainability consulting duties vary from project to project and from industry to industry. Each organisation requires its own strategy and plans to become greener. Eco consultants bring their knowledge and expertise to each project and company they assist. What’s more, the consultants also understand how to implement these strategies and maximise profits at the same time.

Read next: Five tips for adopting sustainable business practices

Net Zero Certification Programme vs Sustainability Consultancy

If you need something more hands-on than sustainability consultancy, you may be interested in Planet Mark’s Net Zero Certification Programme.

The Net Zero Certification Programme is an annual membership that gives organisations the support, resources, and tools to achieve net zero by 2050 or sooner. It rewards continuous improvements towards net zero by guiding Members to set carbon reduction targets aligned to their organisation’s size, industry and strategic objectives.

The Net Zero Certification Programme provides full sustainability consultancy, but with additional support to guide organisations on their net zero journey.

Here are just some of the ways that Planet Mark goes further:

If you’d like to keep learning about the Net Zero Certification Programme, you can download the membership brochure today.

Where Can You Find Sustainability Consultants? 

Sustainability consultants come from a broad range of backgrounds and industries. You can find consultants who are project managers, engineers, inspectors, scientists, architects, and more. They offer their expertise and knowledge on sustainable business operations and practices. These experts also make their services available to communities looking to become more sustainable.

While they come from a wide range of backgrounds, sustainability consultants all have a common goal: environmental responsibility. Their aim is to reduce our impact on the Earth’s environment through water and energy efficiency, reduction of pollution and waste, and improvement of a community’s environment and health.

Sustainability consultants usually have these skills: 

• Problem-solving
• Communication 
• Analytical thinking
• Technical and computer skills

How to Hire a Sustainability Consultant? 

Sustainability consultants may be self-employed or part of environmental consulting firms. . Hiring a self-employed consultant usually means hiring them as an independent contractor. On the other hand, hiring a sustainability expert from a consulting company is possible. Another option is to hire an individual as an employee with your company.

The decision depends on your organisation’s industry and business type, working hours, tax implications, and more. Many companies choose to hire sustainability consultants for specific projects, making budgeting their services more manageable.

If you’d like to hire a sustainability advisor , here are some questions to ask before hiring:

Questions about their background: 

1. What was your background before becoming a consultant?

2. Have you published books, reports, case studies, or articles on sustainability?

3. What associations and organisations are you (or your company) affiliated with?

4. How do you keep up with current news, laws, regulations, and trends within the sustainability industry?

5. How long has your company been in business?

6. What type of industries/clients do you work with?

7. Explain about your most recent client and project; what type of service(s) did you provide for them? What were the results of the project?

Questions about Their Services

8. What type of services do you/your company offer?

9. What is your company’s specialty in the sustainability field?

10. What is your process for working with clients?

11. Once the project is completed, what type of documentation or deliverable do you provide?

12. Can you help us achieve environmental certification?

Learn more: What is Environmental Certification & Why Do You Need It?

Questions about Their Administration Fees

12. What is your response time to emails and phone calls?

13. How do you charge for services?

14. What are the billing terms?

15. Do your fees include travel time and other charges, or are these billed separately?

In addition to the questions above, here are some other considerations when hiring a sustainability consultant:

• If the consultant needs to travel and conduct site visits, ensure they have their own transport or that you provide this. It may be necessary to cover transportation costs, so make sure to ask how these expenses are covered and include them in your budget if necessary.
• The sustainability consultant also requires excellent communication and problem-solving skills. They may need to speak with stakeholders, your employees, clients, and the public.
• A consultant must also have excellent project management skills to manage your budget and deal with safety & health issues.
• They must also have excellent maths and literacy skills in order to conduct research and write reports.
• Sustainability consultants should also have qualifications, certifications, and work experience. Most consultants do have degrees. They may also have a Sustainable Business Certificate or Environmental Planning Certificate from a recognised educational facility. They may also be enrolled in a certified programme in sustainability management.

Concluding Thoughts

Searching for the right sustainability consultant can be challenging. The key is to look for consultants who have a background in your and business type. Also, remember to check their certifications and project experience.

Choose the consultant or consulting company that is the best fit for your sustainability challenges and goals.

Planet Mark: Your Partner for Achieving Net Zero

Planet Mark goes beyond traditional sustainability consultancy services. We offer full, wrap-around support to help organisations achieve net zero by 2050 or sooner with an annual membership, the Net Zero Certification Programme.

Get in touch to find out how we could empower your journey to net zero.