Chief sustainability officer

The chief sustainability officer, sometimes known by other titles, is the

As of 2018, 44 CSOs were identified at largest companies in the world, with most having the rank of vice president or higher, and according to the Weinreb Group 45% of CSOs are women and 55% men as of 2018. A 2011 study^[2] found that the majority of top corporate sustainability executives are two degrees removed from their CEO in the corporate hierarchy, meaning that their boss reports to the CEO.

Responsibilities

Chief sustainability officers are responsible for an organization's objectives and initiatives relating to sustainability.^[3]  Sustainability is defined by the United Nations as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”^[4]

The intent of the CSO position, as a member of the

• Communicating work done on sustainability both inside and outside the organization;
• Managing certifications such as Fair Trade Certified Mark, Organic certification and B Corporation (certification);
• Establishing internal process for calculating organizational Carbon footprint and building plans for reducing it;^[9]
• supply-chain management and building a plan towards supporting a Circular economy
• Evaluating the environmental footprint of their Information and communications technology including their corporate websites.
• Working with procurement to reduce
  Scope 3
  emissions.

Decision making

The CSO position is used to inform long-term decision making.^[10]  In Europe, the position is a forward-thinking one that interacts mostly with the big picture by incorporating and monitoring mid- to long-term sustainable objectives.^[10]  In Scandinavia, companies are more likely than American companies to have a position dedicated to sustainability in their senior management.^[11] The top three firms on Corporate Knights' The Global 100 index of the world's most sustainable corporations–Ørsted A/S, Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, and Neste Oyj–are all Scandinavian.^[12]

Challenges

Standardization

The utility of the position of CSO has been questioned.^[4]  Across industries and companies, there is no widely used standard and therefore the impact of a CSO can differ from company to company.^[4]  Larger companies are more likely to be able to take advantage of economies of scale to implement economical sustainability changes.^[4]

Symbolic nature

The position of CSO has been attacked as being symbolic and not making a concrete difference in organizations that employ the position.^[13]  Studies have shown a correlation between pollution and the presence of a CSO in companies in high pollution industries, directly contradicting the stated purpose of a CSO.^[13] When an organization has outside pressures such as regulation, it is much more likely to engage in a higher degree of sustainable behavior.^[13] It has also been shown that often in large companies a CSO has a larger impact on decreasing environment-related corporate social irresponsibility (CSiR) than it does on increasing corporate social responsibility (CSR).^[14]

Universities

Some universities in the US have appointed Chief Sustainability Officers or Sustainability Directors. The Pennsylvania State University was the first to appoint a CSO responsible for integrating sustainability in curriculum, research, operations, student engagement and community outreach. ^[15]

Related positions

The nomenclature of the position of CSO is not standardized across companies.

• Chief green officer (CGO)
• Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• Employee engagement
• Micro-sustainability
• Sustainability
• Environmental Manager

References