The year is 2025, and things are changing fast in the business world.
More and more, sustainability is becoming crucial for business success, as numerous regulations take effect, and stakeholders increasingly demand responsible business practices. Simultaneously, top full-time sustainability talent is becoming more difficult for companies to find and attract.
Sounds like a bit of a tricky situation doesn’t it? Companies need to embrace sustainability, but the talent necessary to do that isn’t readily available!
Thankfully, new solutions are emerging to help companies bridge this knowledge gap. Forward-thinking companies are realizing that they can utilize sustainability services — the specialized expertise and solutions provided by freelance sustainability professionals — to achieve their sustainability goals. When accessed in the right way, these services can allow companies to become sustainability leaders, without ever having to hire full-time sustainability employees.
But the truth is, not all sustainability services are created equal. There are various ways companies can access this kind of support in 2025, with some ways more effective than others.
In this article, we explore the best options available to companies today.
Option 1: Traditional consulting firms
Okay, this may not be a freelance option, but for decades, traditional consulting firms have been the go-to option for businesses seeking expert advice — and this includes sustainability advice. All the big consultancies now offer sustainability-related services, and of course these services can be very effective. But are they the best option overall in terms of value and flexibility? Advantages and disadvantages should help us decide!:
Advantages:
- Well-established and trusted brands with experience across many industries.
- Can offer full-service packages, combining sustainability advice with other business services.
Disadvantages:
- Extremely expensive.
- You’re often paying for the brand, not the person doing the work (who may be quite junior).
- Rigid structures — not ideal for flexible, project-based needs.
- Onboarding process can be very slow due to long lead times and bureaucracy.
Verdict:
If you have a very big budget, don’t need to onboard sustainability talent quickly, and flexibility isn’t a priority, then traditional consulting firms can be an effective option. But if you’re looking for flexibility, affordability, and hands-on sustainability expertise, we would suggest moving on to option 3!
Option 2: Upwork
For many people, Upwork — probably the most well-known generic freelancer marketplace — is the first solution that comes to mind when they think about accessing freelance talent. But while you can certainly find quality sustainability freelancers on Upwork, there are no guarantees. What are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing this option? Well let’s have a look, shall we?:
Advantages:
- Huge pool of freelancers available.
- Possible to find freelancers with very low rates.
Disadvantages:
- No quality guarantees, as freelancer screening is minimal.
- Finding genuine sustainability experts is difficult, as Upwork is not a sustainability-specific platform.
- Can be very time-consuming, because after posting a job, you will likely receive a large number of low-quality proposals that you will have to screen through.
Verdict:
If you are on a very tight budget, your project isn’t too urgent, and you’re willing to risk working with an unspecialized, lower-quality freelancer, then Upwork might be worth taking a chance on. If you’re looking for guaranteed efficiency and success, we would recommend giving it a miss.
Option 3: Dazzle: A new way to find the best sustainability talent
Less tradition and more innovation. Less generic and more specific. Less yesterday, and hello tomorrow. Dazzle is the new way to find the best sustainability talent. By creating the Dazzle platform solely with the goal of making top sustainability talent easily accessible for companies, we have eliminated all of the disadvantages mentioned above, and added more advantages too.
By offering all the following features, we are positive that Dazzle is the best place for companies to access sustainability services. (Yes we know we are saying that ourselves, but we really do think it’s true):
- Quality sustainability expertise guaranteed: Dazzle provides easy access to a curated network of pre-vetted freelancers (top 10%). These are top-tier sustainability consultants, fully focused on sustainability and ESG.
- Fast matching: Start working with specialized freelancers within 48 hours.
- Free intro calls: Speak with your chosen sustainability experts before starting any project, with no obligation to commit.
- Flexible collaboration: You can work with Dazzle’s freelancers in an on-demand or interim basis.
- 75+ services covered: Including EcoVadis, LCA, SBTi, sustainability communications, and more.
At Dazzle, making top sustainability talent as accessible as possible is really important to us. By doing that, company by company, we know we can help make the world a much better place.
If you feel you need help with any area of sustainability, please contact us today, and within hours we can give you access to the exact sustainability services you need. Flexible, affordable, there when you need them.
You never have to stress about attracting top sustainability talent again.
