Register as an independent associate
In this post I will talk about how you can join Sustainable Factors and build your presence as a consultant in ESG Sustainability.
The issue of greenwashing competence:
One of the emerging risks in E,S,G sustainability is the concept of greenwashing competence. You can read more about the issue in this article. In summary, the author makes a credible case that in order for corporates/governments to be genuinely aligned to the SDG objectives, the correct skills need to be integrated into ESG Programmes. For example, it makes no sense that a Governance specialist is delivering a Climate Change programme and vice versa.
An example of the problem:
Voice of customer: “We are investing $230m into three new commercial facilities of variable purpose. As part of our commitments to sustainable operations, we need to complete a comprehensive feasibility study on our current options. Here follow a subset of our risk models which require urgent attention:
Civil network infrastructure, time to market and Co2/Co2e impacts
Local workforce age, literacy rates and opportunities for social impacts
Port exposures, climate risks and business continuity strategy/costs
Conservation strategy and positive impacts for biodiversity
Monitor/Control the coverage gaps in stewardship and ensure future shareholder assurance*
In each one of those points above, the customer would require a transformation lead and also someone with specialist knowledge in the respective ESG issue. Given that the required skills are so disparate, the sponsor would currently go to their comfort-blanket branded consulting firm and pay the premium. However, unlike any other initiative, assurance on outcomes and value matter more so than ever; not least because shareholders/stakeholders are increasingly interrogating the impact of sustainable initiatives and outcomes.
*Not all asset owners have the same expectations from sustainability. To ensure that future mandates are not blocked out from investing, a living framework is needed to ensure that we are able to meet a wide array of demands from asset owners in the future.
The proposal for Independent Consultants:
I want customers (corporates, asset managers, owners, governments) to be able to build their ESG task-force pipeline within 15 minutes, whereby they can source their skills by a very specific ESG issue.
To help solve the issue I decided to offer independent consultants and data/technology firms a platform to showcase their own services and their own brands. The idea here is that a Board, Executive Committee, ESG Leader, Transformation Director, or anyone who has a requirement for an Environmental, Social of Governance specialist can use Sustainable Factors to build their own specialist task force. The benefit for you as a consultant is firstly, you get a brochure page and secondly, you get the benefit of a motivated customer base. Customers who eventually visit Sustainable Factors will be specifically looking for you.
The current process to on board independent consultants into Sustainable Factors still going through its pilot phase. Whilst I have had a significant amount of interest from individuals wishing to join this initiative, I have to consider many factors including Geography, Diversity, Expertise and so forth. Accordingly, I aim to put the first 10 consultants live by the end of October 2021. I am very keen to hear from people all over the world and looking to bring more MENA and APAC consultants on board.
Please click here to see an example of how I expect your page to appear.
Zero cost?
Absolutely yes! £zero. My objective is to keep this service free for consultants, technology/data service providers and of course customers. However, there are some small expectations from you as an independent consultant.
Firstly, I expect your patience and understanding that this is a pilot and the first 10 people need to be the right balance of individuals in terms of integrity, talent, location, diversity, education, language skills and so on.
The second expectation is that you actively promote your service on your social engagements. On the contact form, the customer will contact you directly. We will have no visibility into this, neither do we want or need visibility. It’s your page!
How can you join?
Contact us and we can schedule a zoom/teams call to get the first draft of your profile loaded to the site.