Chapters
Section 1: The Foundations
This section introduces the role and its place in the organisation. We cover the role's purpose, key relationships of the CSO in the organisation, and foundational concepts in sustainability. We decipher what a sustainability-conducive culture is, guide you through markers of a strong sustainability strategy, and explain the steps to develop one.
Chapter 1.
The Role of the CSO
What does a CSO do day-to-day? What are the key relationships of a CSO in an organisation? What synergies and conflicts exist between the CSO and other corporate functions, and how should you approach senior leaders in these roles? We explore how the CSO role interacts with the rest of the C-suite, the personal traits needed for the job, and offer tips on navigating a corporate enterprise.
Chapter 2.
Sustainability Vocabulary
ESG, CSR, purpose, impact... the corporate sustainability function operates by its own vocabulary that the CSO needs to be proficient in. We unpack these and other concepts, briefly explain their history, and how they apply to your work.
Chapter 3.
Fostering a Sustainability Culture
Culture is the single most powerful element that will determine the success or failure of your efforts. We explore what a culture conducive to sustainability transformation is and the blockers to watch out for, offer a set of tools to diagnose the sustainability culture of an organisation, and to start building one.
Chapter 4.
Developing a Strategy
This chapter guides you in developing an effective sustainability strategy and integrating it into the core of your organisation. We explore aspects such as the organisation value proposition, the CEO and leadership team's perspective on sustainability, investor profile, regulatory environment, and sustainability maturity. By understanding your organisation, you can align and focus your efforts towards sustainability.
Section 2: Technical Areas
In this section, we delve into the technical aspects of the role, including key sustainability impacts and the tools and frameworks used to manage them. We cover topics such as policy development, reporting, internal controls, risk management, investor relations, and communication with stakeholders.
Chapter 5.
Materiality Assessment
You can't begin to transform if you don't know what topics to prioritise. Your materiality assessment is the bedrock of your whole sustainability strategy. Whether you have to start from scratch, or re-purpose work done already, this is a fundamental step in ensuring that all the work that follows is the right work. In this chapter, we explain what a (double) materiality assessment is and provide the steps to conduct one.
Chapter 6.
Measuring Impacts
All organisations cause impacts from their operations and activities; as CSO, your ultimate goal is to minimise or prevent them entirely. In this chapter, we walk you through the different groups of impacts an organisation may be causing and provide an overview of the latest tools and best practices to measure them. We also dispel sustainability myths and go into controversies surrounding certain practices like being 'carbon neutral' or 'nature positive'.
Chapter 7.
Sustainability Policies
Policies are an important aspect of managing impacts. They anchor certain expectations, link to working practices of the organisation, and provide guidance to staff and escalation protocols where things are not going as they should be. This chapter explains when you need a policy, what to include in one, and how to develop and roll out one effectively.
Chapter 8.
Sustainability Risk Management
This chapter discusses the relationship between the CSO and CRO. Both of these roles act as a check and balance to the organisation's risk management agenda, ensuring that it balances risk management with its pursuit of growth and profit. The chapter also covers how to prioritise sustainability risks alongside other risks and assign the right priority to keep the organisation safe, relevant, and sustainable for the future.
Chapter 9.
Investor Relations
Investors play a critical role in helping your organisation succeed. They are invested in the future of your business and are paid to support, scrutinise you, and provide the insight necessary for their investment to bring a return. This chapter covers what investors look for in a strong sustainability function, how they screen ESG performance, and how to build a mutually beneficial relationship with your organisation's investors.
Chapter 10.
Reporting
Sustainability reporting is a significant part of the CSO role. This chapter gives an introduction to the reporting ecosystem and the key players involved in sustainability reporting. It offers guidance on setting up the reporting process, such as identifying the required resources, timelines, and stakeholders, as well as creating internal controls and arranging an assurance process.
Chapter 11.
Communications and Marketing
Communicating with the outside world about your organisation’s sustainability efforts is an important task – and a double-edged sword. This chapter explains the role and place of sustainability communications, gives markers of greenwashing, and offers the steps to design an effective sustainability communications strategy.
Section 3: Pulling It All Together
This final section brings it all together and this is where we discuss practicalities. We look at how to set you up for strategy execution – including drawing up a sustainability budget, designing incentives mechanisms, and structuring reporting lines. We explore approaches to build your sustainability team and embed it in the organisation, and how to navigate and procure technology solutions. We conclude by offering words of advice from sustainability practitioners as you step into the role and look ahead at what’s next for sustainability.
Chapter 12.
Setting Up for Execution
Execution is about connecting strategy with action. This chapter covers how to set up sustainability governance and oversight with the board, structure incentives that will work, optimise reporting lines, set up your programme office, and develop the budget. It also looks at the importance of building your support network externally and where to seek help from peers.
Chapter 13.
Getting Together a Team
No one CSO comes to the role fully formed or can possibly cover all sustainability topics - you will need a strong team to support you. This chapter discusses the evolving sustainability roles and centers of expertise, and highlights the essential traits and competencies required for your team. It also provides guidance on where to recruit talent and how to integrate your team within your organisation.
Chapter 14.
Investing in Technology
You’re going to need technology systems to support your work. Given the vast and growing market of sustainability software, it’s crucial not to lose sight of your objectives. This chapter provides an overview of the sustainability technology market and types of sustainability software, and walks you through the process of building your sustainability IT ecosystem.
Chapter 15.
What's Next
This final chapter of the book looks at some of the current topics that are worth tracking for the impacts on the organisation and the CSO role. This is where we reflect on the evolution of the UN SDGs and on what comes after transparency, and how to anchor sustainability in an organisation despite global set-backs. We also offer words of encouragement from other CSOs and sustainability leaders to help you reach for impact.