Sustainability Certifications – Sustainability Board

Earning a professional certification shows a personal dedication to your career. Certifications verify you have training in your chosen occupation and help show employers your value, both as a potential employee and as a contributor in your field. Committing to life-long learning and self-improvement can help you establish your professional credibility and advance your career.

If you are interested in a sustainability-related career, please see the certifications listed below.

General Sustainability and Climate

CC-P Candidate Pilot Program

The CC-P® Candidate is the perfect stepping stone to becoming a future Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®). This program is designed for:

Professionals transitioning to a career in climate change who do not currently satisfy the experience requirements of the CC-P®; and
Young professionals and students about to graduate looking to get a climate change position or job.

Certifying Organization: The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA)

Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA). Originally designed by ISSP, the SEA credential demonstrates an understanding of core sustainability concepts and best practices. SEA is designed for those who are new to the sustainability field, including students, recent graduates or professionals interested in incorporating sustainability concepts into their work. The SEA is a prerequisite for the SEP.

Certifying Organization: International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)

Intended for Early/Mid Career professionals. Learn more.

Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P)

The Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) is the credential for mid-level practitioners reflecting your dedication to professional development and your competency in the fundamentals of climate change preparedness and strategic planning.

Certifying Organization: The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO)

Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn More.

Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP)

The SEP demonstrates advanced knowledge and extensive experience in the sustainability field. This credential is intended to recognize leaders and experts who are at the forefront of the transition to a more sustainable world. In order to earn an SEP credential, candidates must previously have earned their SEA and demonstrated professional mastery in key fields, including stakeholder engagement, core sustainability concepts, and implementation of sustainable strategies.

Certifying Organization: International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)

Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.

Sustainability Reporting

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Professional Certification

LCACP certification allows the LCA practitioner to demonstrate a level of expertise in LCA practice and a commitment to the ACLCA Code of Ethics.

Certifying Organization: American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting Credential

The FSA Credential is designed for professionals who benefit from understanding the link between financially material sustainability information and a company’s ability to drive enterprise value. The majority of test takers are professionals in investment analysis, consulting, and corporate sustainability.

Certifying Organization: Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

Intended for Early/Mid Career professionals. Learn more.

CPD Climate Change Survey Certification

CDP trainings are available in 8-hour, 4-hour and 1-hour modules, which are certified by CDP. The course can be taken virtually or in-person. Topics include: drivers for climate change reporting, materiality, risk and opportunity assessments and recent changes to the survey, such as scenario planning.

Certifying Organization: ISOS Group

Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn More.

Fundamentals of Integrated Reporting Certificate

Integrated Reporting, or , is a new approach to corporate reporting that helps organizations tell a better story, to investors and others, about how it creates value. Integrated financing reporting can be a real competitive advantage – and this course will make you the go-to person to make it happen.

Certifying Organization: CGMA

Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.

Specialty

Life Cycle Assesment Certified Professional (LCACP)

With two flexible learning routes to choose from – online self-paced (Route A) or blended (Route B) – the program provides a unique opportunity to gain expertise and global recognition in sustainability reporting with the GRI Standards.

Certifying Organization: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

TRUE Advisor Certificate Program

As a TRUE Advisor, you’ll be the resident expert at your company in supporting and implementing zero waste programs and leading facilities through the certification process.

Earn the TRUE Advisor certificate to showcase your commitment to preserving and improving the environment; that you possess the knowledge necessary to divert and document unnecessary waste from landfills, incineration (waste-to-energy) and the environment; and a willingness to assist others in achieving zero waste operations.

Certifying Organization: TRUE Program for Zero Waste Certification

Intended for Early/Mid Career professionals. Learn more.

Circular Economy Pioneer Program

Find out how different areas of our economy can be redesigned to create healthy circular systems, why we need a circular economy to tackle climate change, and how we can build the circular cities of the future.

Certifying Organization: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn More.

Leading the Sustainability Transformation Professional Certification Program

GreenBiz Leadership Development offers unique online learning opportunities that empower current and future leaders to build and transform sustainable businesses and organizations. It leverages GreenBiz’s years of experience providing valuable editorial resources, peer-to-peer networking, and industry-leading events, and is developed in collaboration with sustainability experts and leading educational organizations.

Certifying Organization: GreenBiz

Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.

AIChE Credential for Sustainability Professionals (ACSP)

The AIChE Credential for Sustainability Professionals (ACSP) will distinguish recipients as qualified experts in sustainability, and will be supportive to those engineers who aspire to the Professional Engineering License. The program is also designed to help companies control training costs by pooling expertise and by providing readily accessible resources that have been evaluated for quality.

Certifying Organization: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)’s Institute for Sustainability (IfS)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

Certificate in ESG Investing

With the Certificate in ESG Investing, you can master real-world investing skills, incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in your skillset.

Certifying Organization: CFA Institute

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate

As the leading professional association for risk managers, GARP developed the SCR program to prepare candidates for sustainability and climate risk challenges.

Certifying Organization: Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

(AWS) Professional

The AWS Professional Credentialing Program (PC Program) provides a mechanism through which trained individuals can continue to develop and enhance their AWS skills and experience and make claims related to their level of credential through marketing and communications.

Certifying Organization: Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS)

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

City Climate Planner (CCP) Certificate Program

The City Climate Planner (CCP) Certificate Program aims to increase the global talent base of local climate planning specialists. Through training and offering professional certificates, the CCP will help city practitioners develop the skills needed to design, plan and implement green growth initiatives in their cities.

Certifying Organization: World Bank

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.

Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV-SP)

The ENV SP designation is becoming an increasingly important credential for any professional involved in civil infrastructure. Since its inception, more than 8,000 professionals have obtained their ENV SP credential, which has equipped them with the knowledge to apply the ground-breaking Envision concepts to their daily work.

Certifying Organization: Institute for Sustainable Information

Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.