A sustainability consultant is someone who advises businesses on methods to deliver their products or services in a
sustainable
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...
manner (usually in an ecological sense). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown to be a very specific field and includes focal areas like "''green building, renewable energy, waste management and sustainable development''."
Construction and Engineering
Sustainability consultants for building construction focus largely on the energy performance of a building: how much energy will be needed to heat, cool, or otherwise power a building, and how efficiently this energy can be recycled. They might also consult on the source of the energy if it will be from an
alternative source.
One engineering technique to reduce energy usage is
Passive Building Design.
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.
Behavioural change initiatives can be effective in reducing emissions, and have multiple benefits including boosting staff morale, while research has found that collaboration between businesses can improve environmental performance.
Online tools are available to support sustainability consultants to broaden their skills.
Industry Associations
* Accounting for Sustainability (A4S)
*American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC)
*
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE; pronounced 'sib-see') is an international professional engineering association based in London, England that represents building services engineers. It is a full member of the Co ...
*Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
*The
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
*The Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB)
*International Society for Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)
*The Sustainability Consortium
Business Coaching and Business Planning
Retrieved 22 March 2021.
See also
* Environmental Consulting
Environmental consulting is often a form of compliance (regulation), compliance Consultant, consulting, in which the consultant ensures that the client maintains an appropriate measure of compliance with environmental regulations. There are many t ...
* Green accounting
Green accounting is a type of accounting that attempts to factor environmental costs into the financial results of operations. It has been argued that gross domestic product ignores the environment and therefore policymakers need a revised model th ...
* Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
* Environmental engineer
Environmental engineering is a professional engineering discipline that encompasses broad scientific topics like chemistry, biology, ecology, geology, hydraulics, hydrology, microbiology, and mathematics to create solutions that will protect an ...
* Eco-capitalism
Eco-capitalism, also known as environmental capitalism or (sometimes) green capitalism, is the view that capital exists in nature as "natural capital" (ecosystems that have ecological yield) on which all wealth depends. Therefore, governments s ...
References
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Consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
Consulting occupations