In a world where sustainability is taking centre stage in business, so does the sustainability manager in organizations. But what does a sustainability manager do? What are the core skills that you need to become one? In this article, we’ve summed up the five keystones of this increasingly popular role. If you can identify with it, and have what it takes, this might be the job for you.

Environmental Stewardship

At the heart of a sustainability manager’s mission is the commitment to environmental stewardship. Picture this as a superhero swooping in to ensure that a company treads lightly on the planet. From optimizing energy usage to minimizing waste production, these champions of sustainability seek innovative ways to weave eco-friendliness into the fabric of daily business operations.

Social Responsibility

Being a sustainability manager is not just about saving the forest around the company you work for. You are also the social advocate of the organization. You care deeply about the well-being of the people working there. You create community and involvement within the workforce and outside of the company. You help create support by supporting local projects and initiatives that ensure the fair treatment of employees and make sure the company is not involved in any practices that can bring harm to the community.

Green Innovation

All companies are slowly going green or at least thinking about it. As a sustainability manager, you are responsible for designing and executing this transformation. An important task in a changing world! You need to be, or become, an expert in green innovation to make sure your organization is at the frontline of this development. Green innovations can include new ways of production that are more eco-friendly, using green energy sources, reducing waste, and sometimes even completely redesigning products to fit the new eco-friendly course of the company.

Reporting and Communication

But it is not only about making business greener. This skill puts the “manager” in sustainability management. You need to be able to justify and promote sustainability. Therefore, you should not only be a skillful communicator but also able to create rational reports and communicate them in an understandable way. In other words, you need to know your stuff and be able to show the benefits to stakeholders like company leaders but also customers and employees 

Compliance

All the policies in the world won’t change anything if it is not regulated. It is up to you as a sustainability manager to stay up to date on the latest laws and regulations related to environmental protection and social responsibility. With that knowledge, you make sure that everyone in your organization is not just following the rules but is involved in making environmental protection and social responsibility a part of the culture.

In other words, as a sustainability manager, you have what it takes when sustainability is your passion. But not just that. You also enjoy creating a green strategy that works and getting stakeholders on board with it. If you recognize yourself in this, we at sustainablejobs.com would be happy to connect you with the company that is looking for you!

Written by Marc Wijnja

offthegridwithmarc.com