How important is it today for organizations to embrace sustainability? And we mean really embrace it, by making it a core aspect of the long-term business strategy?
If your answer to that question isn’t something along the lines of ‘very important indeed’, it’s possible that you might need to rethink things.
Because for a while now, customers, employees, investors, and other key stakeholders have been demanding strong sustainability performance from companies. Making it a crucial contributor to business success. While recently, legislation such as the CSRD and Green Claims Directive have essentially made sustainability a legal requirement.
With all this in mind, it makes sense for companies to hire someone who can manage sustainability-related issues and initiatives. In fact, sustainability has now become so simultaneously important and challenging, that many companies appoint several specialists to manage it.
As we will explore later in this article, many different types of sustainability manager exist. Each type focuses on optimizing particular aspects of sustainability within an organization. Choosing which one(s) you should hire depends on your unique circumstances. And we will offer our advice about that soon.
But first, let’s consider the general benefits that all sustainability managers can offer.
If you want to become a resilient, forward-thinking, future-proof business these days, hiring at least one sustainability manager is advisable.
No matter which type you bring on board, you should expect to notice the following benefits.
In some way, all sustainability managers help to improve a company’s environmental or social performance, or help to communicate those improvements.
In the eyes of key stakeholders, this can’t be a bad thing, can it?
Hiring a sustainability manager demonstrates a clear commitment to environmental and social responsibility. In nearly all cases, this enhances a company’s public image and brand reputation.
Enhanced brand reputation of course gives companies a better chance of outshining their competitors.
On top of this, sustainability managers generally drive innovation by exploring and implementing new sustainable technologies and practices. This adds even further to a company’s competitive edge, by differentiating them from competitors as an innovation leader within their industry.
We all know that companies are competing for more than just customers lately, they’re competing for top talent too.
At Dazzle, we happen to know a thing or two about talent. And we know from experience; the majority of top young professionals today want to work for companies that align with their values.
Usually, these values include environmental and social factors. Hiring some form of sustainability management is a great way to demonstrate to existing and potential talent that you care about these issues too. That you have taken tangible action to address them.
This makes it much more likely that the brightest talent around, will be working their wonders for you.
Maybe after reading this far, you’ve already decided that these are benefits you simply can no longer live without. You’d like them to kick in as soon as possible, and so you’re ready to hire the best sustainability management solution you can find.
We think that’s a great idea, so below we’ve included a list of the main sustainability manager types, and when you should consider hiring each one.
Sustainability isn’t just one single challenge anymore, it’s a whole series of challenges. From ensuring sustainability is incorporated throughout the supply chain, to minimizing energy usage, to having a positive social impact, to reporting on all these initiatives. It’s easy for the whole thing to become overwhelming, but don’t worry.
By putting the right management structure in place, you can rise to these challenges and become a sustainability leader. This process should look different depending on your organization’s particular goals and circumstances. Maybe it works best for you to have one general sustainability manager, or a combination of specialized managers each focusing on your priority areas.
By following our advice below, it’s very possible to find your ideal solution.
General sustainability managers have a big job on their hands. Having a broad reach over sustainability as a whole, it is their role to develop, implement, and guide a company’s entire sustainability strategy. Their reach should encompass all the key sustainability areas, such as environmental impact, resource usage, social performance, and sustainability reporting.
There are two main instances where you should consider hiring a general sustainability manager:
- If you are a smaller company just starting out on your sustainability journey, and with a limited budget. In this case, a general sustainability manager can help you develop and implement an initial sustainability strategy. One that addresses the aspects of sustainability most crucial to your business. Then, further down the line, when budget allows, you can expand your sustainability management team to place deeper focus on individual sustainability priorities.
- If you are a large company, it’s possible that you already have several specialist sustainability managers in place. In this case, hiring a general sustainability manager can help to ensure that all sustainability efforts are aligned. With the general manager’s task being to oversee the wider management team.
If you feel your environmental performance specifically isn’t up to scratch, we would recommend hiring an environmental sustainability manager.
They will come in and assess your current environmental impact, and develop and implement strategies aimed at minimizing it. They will address everything from carbon emissions and energy use, to waste management and water usage.
They will also make sure you’re in compliance with any relevant environmental regulations, allowing you to focus on more exciting things. (Nobody finds regulations exciting do they!?)
To improve your social performance, a CSR manager is your best bet.
They will assess your company’s existing impact on society, and develop and implement initiatives to improve that impact. While keeping you in line with any related regulations and ethical practices.
The overall outcome being that your company gains a deserved reputation as a socially responsible entity, with a positive impact on communities and society as a whole.
If you’re worried about your company’s ESG performance, you should think about bringing in an ESG manager. They will focus specifically on improving environmental, social, and governance aspects of your business. Particularly in relation to investor expectations and regulatory compliance.
By working across departments to implement strategies that align your operations with ESG principles, ESG managers will gradually make all your ESG worries disappear.
On the topic of things disappearing, sustainable supply chain managers will make your supply chain impacts disappear! Okay maybe not disappear entirely, but they will work with partners and suppliers to optimize your supply chain, and minimize its negative environmental and social impacts.
So if you feel your supply chain is a particular area of concern, hiring a sustainable supply chain manager is probably the best way to address it.
Maybe your supply chain is a shining bastion of sustainability perfection, but the products going through it could do with some improvement?
If that’s the case, you should consider adding a sustainable product manager to your team.
They will lead the development of new sustainable products, or the redesign of existing ones. Ensuring that, at the end of your sustainable supply chain, your company’s sustainability story continues.
If it’s clear that your whole operation is burning through too much energy (and money), hiring an energy manager will work wonders for you.
Through an energy audit, they will identify how you can minimize your energy use, and implement strategies to do so.
Within months, they will have paid their own salary and then some.
We have found lately that often, companies have loads of great sustainability initiatives, but they don’t know how to communicate them effectively.
If you feel you’re in the same boat, the value you will gain from hiring a sustainability communications manager is immeasurable. They will help you craft and deliver a sustainability message that resonates will all your key stakeholders.
Maximizing the return you gain from your sustainability efforts.
With new legislation like the CSRD taking effect, getting your sustainability reports correct can be a real headache. We really feel you on this one; report requirements have become so particular now that it can feel impossible to get it right.
If you want to save yourself this headache, hire a sustainability reporting manager.
They will take care of all the data collection, and make sure reports are accurate, engaging, and in line with regulations.
Hopefully, after reading about the sustainability managers above, you are better able to prioritize your sustainability manager needs.
Whether you’ve decided to hire a general sustainability manager, a combination of specialists, or all of the above, you might be interested to learn about the interim sustainability manager.
We have seen a surge in popularity for this option lately due to the added advantages it brings. As well as offering the knowledge and expertise of a traditional sustainability manager, interim managers come with extra cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and other important benefits.
This means that even on a limited budget, it’s possible to hire multiple sustainability managers on an interim basis. You could hire each type of sustainability manager only for the time you really need them. Allowing you to accelerate your sustainability journey without breaking the bank.
Or if your sustainability manager has to take maternity leave, or sick leave, interim sustainability managers can provide seamless cover.
But where are you supposed to this super-team of interim sustainability managers you might ask?
We say, no need to worry! You’re already in the right place.
Whether you’re looking to hire one sustainability manager or several, Dazzle can find you the perfect combination in no time.
Dazzle is a platform that offers the world’s best sustainability freelancers on-demand. And we have all kinds of interim sustainability managers available.
With our extensive pre-screening process, any manager you hire through Dazzle also comes with a proven track record. While for flexibility, you can choose to work with our freelancers on a project-based, on-demand, or interim basis
If you feel that your sustainability management is lacking in any way, please feel free to contact us today.
We’ll be delighted to find you a solution that works.
(Feel free to check out our complete sustainability manager guide to find out everything you need to know!)