In brief
Sustainability is less a sector and more a highly diverse area that cuts across many industries – broadly, a 'job in sustainability' means performing a role that combines environmental, social and economic factors, and has a strong focus on environmental or social justice issues.
You might be interested in working in sustainability because of…
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a value you hold (for example, an accountant may really care about the social and environmental regeneration of their local area and choose to work for an organisation romoting this),
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a knowledge base you have (for example, you might hold a degree in a sustainability-related subject or have previous relevant work experience),
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the career opportunities this growing sector presents, or
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a combination of the above.
Whatever your reasons for considering a career in sustainability, the main thing to remember is that 'sustainability jobs' covers a broad range of roles. While it used to be that sustainability roles primarily sat within the energy and environment sector, the growth of sustainability as a value for companies worldwide means you can find opportunities across all the areas we explore on LSE Careers' employment sector webpages – from private companies to public bodies, education and research institutions and charities.
These opportunities can vary from organisation to organisation; for example, an administrator working for a social justice charity could be considered a 'job in sustainability', just as much as a sustainability manager for a footwear production company can.
Although generalist sustainability roles do exist (for example, sustainability officers or sustainability consultants), most sustainability-related jobs will have a focus, typically dictated by the organisation's activities or mission.
Check out the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a helpful framework of the broad range of sustainability issues companies might choose to prioritise.If you're interested in sustainability, reflect on the issues you really want to work on and the role you wish to play in these, as this can help you decide which opportunities to apply for or identify the experience you need to get.
Sustainability is interdisciplinary and employs graduates from a range of backgrounds.Whilst structured graduate and internship programmes are currently rare, opportunities are becoming more common, so watch this space!
Where can you work?
- Sustainability consultancies – there are a growing number of boutique sustainability consultancies, as well as many larger consultancies.See the Financial Times list of leading sustainability management consultancies and also our Careers in consultancy webpage.
- Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – large, multinational organisations in sectors such as banking and fast-moving consumer goods have teams which monitor and report on sustainability targets, as well as coordinate and implement sustainability initiatives.
- Public sector – roles can be found in regulatory bodies, research institutes, local authorities, think tanks, charities, NGOs and international organisations.
- Sustainable finance jobs – within wealth and asset management, there are an increasing number of investment roles including ESG, responsible investment and impact investing.
- B Corporations – B Corps are an example of how the private sector is changing to become more sustainable.These are 'businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose'.B Corps can be found in virtually every sector.
- Please refer to our energy and environment webpage for information on working in renewable energy, environmental consultancies, environmental policy and regulation, and conservation.
What's changing in the sector?
The roles and companies offering jobs in sustainability are varied, and evolving in response to changes in political, business and social environments.
Sustainability is rapidly becoming more important to businesses and organisations – many are responding to extremely concerning scientific reports, changes in regulations, mounting stakeholder pressure (e.g.clients and consumers, investors, employees) and other business risks (think of all the supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19 or the Suez Canal blockage).
The number of people working in sustainability is increasing as existing businesses employ people specifically to focus on sustainability and identify necessary changes to minimise sustainability risks and harness any opportunities.Further, a growing number of more traditional roles are now taking responsibility for monitoring, reporting and managing factors within the sustainability agenda as part of their regular duties.Don't be surprised to see sustainability-related tasks appearing in more job descriptions in the near future.
Of these growing opportunities, the greatest growth is predicted in areas including climate change, biodiversity (nature-based solutions), circular economy, emissions management and corporate sustainability, as more companies set ambitious net zero carbon goals.
Useful websites
CareerHub – showcases jobs, events and networking opportunities for LSE students
Sustainability jobs boards
ACRE – market-leading sustainability and ESG recruitment agency
Charity Job – a large UK jobs board for non-profit, social enterprise, community interest companies (CICs) and voluntary jobs
Countryside Job Service – a jobs board for environmental professionals
Guardian Jobs Sustainability – a jobs board for sustainability roles
Green Jobs – links to a wide range of job sites including opportunities in renewables, energy and environment
Third Sector Jobs – a specialist jobs board for charity, non-profit and voluntary sectors
Sustainability resources
ACRE's How to Start a Career in Sustainability – includes an A to Z of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability job titles
EAUC - Scotland Sustainability Careers Guide – provides a good overview of the variety of opportunities available
EDIE – sustainability professionals' network and news board
Ethical Corporationmagazine – a sustainable business news board and magazine by Reuters
Sustainability magazine – a sustainable business news board and magazine