Chief Sustainability Officer: What Does a CSO Do?

A chief sustainability officer (or CSO) is a senior executive at a company who is responsible for managing its environmental impact. As part of an organization’s “C-suite”—which refers to several corporate executive positions in a company, including the chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief financial officer (CFO)—a CSO is responsible for tailoring a company’s business operations to be as sustainable as possible.

Depending on the company, the CSO may have slightly different job titles with similar responsibilities—examples include director of sustainability, vice president of corporate social responsibility (CSR), or corporate sustainability process manager.

Here are some tasks that a chief sustainability officer is responsible for:

• Collaborating with C-suite members and stakeholders: As part of a company’s executive team, a CSO works closely with other C-level positions, like the chief executive officer (CEO), the chief product officer (CPO), the chief operating officer (COO), and the chief financial officer (CFO), as well as other major stakeholders, such as board members.
• Designing and executing sustainability initiatives: A CSO’s primary responsibility is to design and implement a corporate sustainability strategy that maintains a company’s profitability. This strategy should allocate a company’s efforts and resources to reduce pollution and waste, conserve resources, reduce energy use, recycle, and reduce emissions. These plans extend to every facet of the company’s operations, including day-to-day office activities, the production line, the supply chain, and employee commutes. A CSO may also enact outreach initiatives and sustainability programs for educating employees and the general public on the importance of environmental protection in the corporate world.
• Leading the sustainability team: In small companies or startups, the CSO may be the only member of the sustainability department. However, in larger companies, a CSO may manage a whole team to assist them in enacting plans and tracking progress.
• Managing the sustainability budget: As the head of environmental sustainability, this executive manages a company’s sustainability budget, tracking annual expenses related to environmental efforts and reporting at the end of each fiscal year.
• Staying updated on local and national legislation: Local and national environmental protection statutes constantly evolve. A company’s CSO needs to stay informed of this new legislation to ensure their company always operates within the legal bounds of sustainable practice.
• Tracking environmental impact: CSOs implement systems to track the environmental impact of their company’s production, office activities, and so on. This is key to developing plans that improve a company’s sustainability efforts and track their effectiveness, which they typically demonstrate in regular sustainability reports.

Most chief sustainability officers have a few key qualifications or skills, including:

1. 1. Communication and leadership skills: A good CSO needs excellent communication skills, leadership skills, and interpersonal skills, so they can effectively guide their team and interface with the other C-suite executives.
2. 2. Education: Most CSO positions require candidates to have at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, environmental science, or another similar field. More competitive positions will seek out candidates with additional education, like an MBA degree or an additional sustainability certification (like a Sustainability Excellence Associate or Sustainability Excellence Professional certification).
3. 3. Experience: The role of the CSO carries lots of responsibility, so most chief sustainability officer job descriptions usually require at least ten years of experience in sustainability or business roles, with at least five years in a leadership position. Potential employers are especially interested in seeing the proven effects of the candidate’s sustainability efforts.

There is no single path to landing a CSO position but if you’re interested in landing this job, here are a few basic steps to get you started:

1. 1. Earn a relevant degree. Nearly all CSOs have a bachelor’s degree, usually in a relevant field like environmental science or business administration. Seek out an educational program that lets you choose a dedicated concentration—for instance, environmental science with a concentration on business or business administration with a concentration on environmental studies.
2. 2. Find an entry-level sustainability position. You need to start small and acquire some on-the-ground experience before becoming eligible for a C-level role. Start your career path with an entry-level job in a sustainability department or environmental nonprofit to learn more about the field.
3. 3. Move up to a leadership role. CSO positions want to see candidates with years of leadership experience, so try to move up to a management position—like a sustainability manager or department head—to show you have what it takes to lead a team.
4. 4. Consider more education or certification. Highly competitive CSO positions seek applicants with master’s degrees or higher sustainability certifications. If you’re hoping for a major CSO position, consider an MBA, master’s in environmental science, or a Sustainability Excellence Professional certification (from the International Society of Sustainability Professionals).
5. 5. Apply for a CSO role. Once you have the requisite education and experience, it’s time to start applying for CSO positions. Showcase your background and be confident in your abilities. Leverage your connections in the business and sustainability worlds to get a leg-up on the competition.

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