Does Your Business Need a Sustainability Manager?

Over the past few months, I have noticed an increasing number of job advertisements online for sustainability managers for businesses looking to incite positive change through their business practices. After evaluation of some of the organisations advertising, I found not all of these businesses needed a sustainability manager due to a number factors such as size and industry.

For many small businesses, a sustainability manager isn’t necessary. Consultancy firms, such as Strategic Sustainability Consultants, can provide assistance to these smaller organisations in ensuring they have a well-structured and coherent sustainability plan with attainable and meaningful targets for economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Large corporates, especially those trading internationally, definitely benefit from having a sustainability manager on their team as they are responsible to shareholders and need to be seen playing their part in safeguarding the future of the planet.

Medium-sized enterprises vary on a case by case basis. In many instances, there is not enough work for an organisation to hire someone full-time or even part-time to manage the sustainability angle. Therefore, it is sometimes more cost-effective to hire an external consultant. Medium-sized companies in most industries should only require four to six weeks of full-time sustainability review, assessment and planning each year. Personnel in other positions within the organisation should instead be trained in sustainability knowledge and understanding in order to carry out their duties. For instance, the marketing team should understand the importance of marketing the organisation’s commitment to sustainability through staff training and occasional meetings with the organisation’s hired external sustainability consultant.

A business truly working towards sustainability will have the commitment to sustainability embedded in every team within the organisation, not just in one position.

Every business is different; therefore, we highly recommend meeting with a sustainability consultant prior to making a decision to hire a full-time or part-time sustainability manager for your organisation. Working with external consultants could save your business tens of thousands of dollars.

If you are considering your need for a sustainability manager, contact a member of our team to discuss your options and what would be best for your organisation.

This article was originally published on the Strategic Sustainability Consultants website.