Sustainability in Business

From communications to packaging, from product design to supply chain, from operations to waste management, nearly every facet of business can incorporate sustainable practices. To make a sustainable impact, you don’t necessarily have to have “sustainability” in your title. Find some ways to lead green change in business below!

Job Types

Within business sustainability roles, you may find yourself utilizing a variety of skills that allow you to work on sustainable goals. Common tasks in these roles can include developing strategies to reduce a company’s ecological footprint; keeping investors/stakeholders up to date and reporting progress of sustainability programs; and overseeing material assessments, benchmarking, facility optimization, and/or manufacturing assessments. Terminology you may see in your job search is ESG (environmental, social, and governance), which is a framework by which to assess an organization’s practices and the impact they make in these areas.

Sample job titles include:

Chief Sustainability Officer
Sustainability Strategist
ESG Analyst

Project Manager
Sustainability Coordinator
Facility Manager

Resources

Sustainability Consulting

Sustainability/environmental consultants provide expertise and advice on environmental issues to clients (clients can include businesses, organizations, government agencies, etc.). Projects for these consultants can include environmental assessments, regulatory compliance, environmental remediation, sustainability and conservation, environmental management systems, stakeholder engagement, data analysis and reporting

Networking is KEY in this industry! Network through personal connections, professors, Virginia Alumni Mentoring, LinkedIn, and more. When networking, try conducting an informational interview, which involves asking about the person’s organization, role, and career path to learn more about the industry.

Example firms that hire sustainability consultants include:

For more information about consulting, check out our consulting webpage!

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More Sustainability Resources