Hire a sustainability consultant
You can run your business in a more environmentally friendly way by hiring a consultant to look at different aspects of your building and operations.
Find out how they can help your business measure and reduce carbon emissions.
What is sustainability
Sustainability means operating your business in a way that protects the environment as well as keeping your business viable.
Sustainability consultants are experts in environmental policy and sustainable business practices. Many specialise in a particular area, industry, and type of company.
How sustainability consultants work
Consultants carry out a detailed analysis of your business based on the issue you have hired them to study. This can including your use of energy, transport, waste management and other topics.
They will then propose a strategy for improving efficiency in line with your business needs.
A sustainability consultant will help you:
- understand the opportunities of sustainability
- create a strategy which fits your business goals
- identify sustainable practices and products
- become more efficient with your resources
- monitor, report and communicate your progress
The cost of hiring a sustainability consultant depends on the size of your business and whether you need ongoing support.
Benefits of hiring a sustainability consultant
Based on the advice of a sustainability consultant you can:
- reduce carbon emissions and energy costs
- meet environmental regulations
- reduce the amount of tax you pay and get grants
- attract new customers
- help those in your supply chain meet new targets
- attract and retain employees who care about the environment
What sustainability consultants do
A 2024 report by Icebreaker One (IB1), sponsored by the British Business Bank, Carbon reporting solutions for UK SME’s: a landscape review, reviewed the different carbon reporting solutions available to UK SMEs.
The report identified the range of carbon reporting activities offered by sustainability consultants and area specialists:
Sustainable consultants
Experts advise organisations on sustainability strategies and how to meet goals.
They can offer tailored support to help you:
- manually collect your data
- calculate your emissions
- engage your supply chain
- develop a life cycle analysis of your product or service
- set and manage targets
- identify emission hotspots and offer advice on how to reduce them
- generate reports for disclosure
Product specialists
Product specialists assess and improve the carbon footprint of specific products.
They can offer tailored support to help you:
- manually collect your data
- calculate your emissions
- engage your supply chain
- develop a life cycle analysis of your product or service
- identify emission hotspots and offer advice on how to reduce them
Supply chain specialists
Supply chain specialists focus on calculating and lowering emissions across an organisation’s supply chain through aggregation.
They can offer tailored support to help you:
- manually collect your data
- calculate and track your emissions over time
- engage your supply chain
- identify emission hotspots and offer advice on how to reduce them
Find a consultant
Use the following websites to find directories of sustainability consultants:
- Institute for Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
- Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA)
If you’re looking for a consultant to advise on your premises, visit the Designing Buildings website for links to consultants that specialise in buildings.
Other ways to get advice
If you don’t have the resources to hire a sustainability consultant, you could: