Most of the online talk about sustainability careers romanticizes purpose and passion. That’s not wrong — but it’s far from the full picture. Sustainability isn’t environmentalism, and it’s not NGO work. It’s business. Here’s what sustainability professionals actually do — and how to get good at it.
When I tell people I work in sustainability, I often hear: “It must feel great to save the planet!” That’s sweet — but it’s not the whole story. Most people don’t realize that sustainability professionals work deep inside businesses, not outside them. We’re not activists or volunteers; we’re strategists, operators, and change agents navigating regulations, budgets, and internal politics. In this post, I’ll unpack what sustainability roles actually involve — and more importantly, how to get really good at them.
1. Balancing People, Planet, and Profit
Forget the image of sustainability as a purely environmental cause. In reality, it’s a constant act of balance — aligning environmental goals with business imperatives and social impact.
Organizations exist to deliver value, stay profitable, and operate within a set of defined values. As a sustainability professional, your role will likely fall into one (or more) of these categories:
Strategy Shaper: You help define the organization’s values and long-term goals — ensuring that people and planet are embedded alongside profit.
Project Leader: You drive initiatives that move the company from point A to point B — whether that’s reducing emissions, cutting waste, or minimizing pollution.
Performance Tracker: You monitor key indicators like energy use, emissions, or water consumption, and communicate performance through internal or external reporting.
Example: If you're in reporting, your job isn’t to make the numbers “look good.” It’s to reflect reality — objectively and clearly. A sustainability report should inform and enable improvement, not just impress stakeholders. That means working closely with project leaders and strategy teams to identify gaps, set better goals, and track meaningful progress.
No matter your role, one thing is constant: you’re working within a system of competing objectives. Your success depends on aligning sustainability efforts with the organization's core strategy — not as a side project, but as part of how the business delivers value. That’s what separates strategic change from greenwashing.
Want to get better at it? Start with the numbers. Learn to calculate ROI on sustainability initiatives. If you’re pitching a switch to renewables or a circular packaging model, translate it into cost savings, risk reduction, or market advantage. Business leaders speak the language of value — and your job is to show how sustainability delivers it.
CSRD, ESRS, SEC climate rules, CBAM — the regulatory landscape is evolving fast, and if you’re in this space, staying informed isn’t optional. Regulatory changes have a direct impact on how businesses operate, report, and strategize.
Take CSRD, for example — it’s pushed large companies into far more rigorous sustainability reporting. Meanwhile, the ESRS standards offer a practical framework that even smaller companies can start using to navigate ESG topics.
Regulations, especially in fast-moving fields like ESG, must be monitored closely. They represent the minimum threshold for action — and often signal where competitive advantage can be gained. As a sustainability professional, your role is part translator, part navigator: making sense of these frameworks and helping the business adapt proactively.
Example: Preparing for CSRD isn’t just about publishing an end-of-year report. It means mapping your value chain, identifying double materiality, aligning cross-functional teams, and getting data infrastructure ready — well in advance.
Want to get better at it? This is one area where AI can seriously amplify your edge. Tools like GPT can help decode complex regulation, draft disclosures, or simulate risk scenarios — if you prompt them well. (Want to learn how? Check out this post on prompting and how to properly use GPT.)
3. Driving Strategic Business Value
Sustainability isn’t a feel-good bonus — it’s becoming core to how companies create value, reduce risk, and drive innovation. When done right, sustainability isn’t separate from the business strategy. It is the strategy.
Whether it’s developing circular products, improving resource efficiency, or reducing exposure to climate risks, sustainability can unlock growth, strengthen resilience, and differentiate a brand.
Example: A circular economy initiative might sound like an environmental win — but it can also mean major cost savings, improved supply chain resilience, and a stronger value proposition to customers.
Want to get better at it? Think like a strategist. Learn how to connect the dots between what your company says (disclosure), what it does (action), and what it aims for (strategy). That’s exactly why I created the ESG Masterclass — to help you not only understand the “why” behind ESG, but more importantly, explain it to others and get buy-in across your organization. If you're looking for a place to start, this is it.
4. Mastering Communication and Collaboration
Sustainability doesn’t move on its own — it moves through people. You can have the best strategy and smartest metrics, but if no one understands or supports them, progress stalls. That’s why communication and collaboration are core skills for every sustainability professional.
You need to tailor your message to different audiences: from the shop floor to the boardroom. And you need to bring people along for the journey — not just tell them what to do.
Example: Explaining Scope 3 emissions to operations teams is different from pitching a green CAPEX project to the CFO. One needs clarity and relevance; the other needs a compelling business case with numbers.
Want to get better at it? Hone your storytelling. Practice breaking down complex ideas into simple, actionable messages. Learn how to speak the language of different functions — whether it's finance, HR, or product — and build coalitions that support your goals. Influence is built through clarity, consistency, and collaboration.
5. Solving Complex, Systemic Problems
Sustainability challenges are rarely isolated — they’re tangled up in systems. That’s why surface-level fixes don’t cut it. To make real progress, you need to think long-term, zoom out, and design for change at scale.
The most impactful sustainability work often happens not through solo wins, but through partnerships, systems thinking, and shared infrastructure.
Example: Collaborating with competitors on packaging recovery may sound counterintuitive — but when the problem is too big for one player to solve alone, collective action becomes a competitive edge.
Want to get better at it? Develop systems thinking. Learn to map dependencies, understand trade-offs, and ask better questions: What upstream or downstream forces affect this issue? Who else needs to be at the table? Work beyond silos and seek out alliances — inside and outside your org — that enable smarter, more scalable solutions.
Conclusion: Sustainability Work Is Strategy Work
Sustainability careers aren’t about “saving the planet.” They’re about navigating complexity, influencing systems, and integrating long-term thinking into business decisions. Whether you're shaping strategy, leading projects, or reporting performance, your role matters — and it’s strategic.
If you're serious about growing in this space, remember: it's not just what you know, it’s how well you can connect the dots, communicate the value, and bring others on board.
That’s exactly what the ESG Masterclass was built for — to help you master the why, how, and what of ESG so you can lead confidently and credibly. Curious? Make sure you check it out!