the role of the CSO in 2021
published 12.17.20
As a Black woman in sustainability, I have often been the “only” one in the room. I find this saddening and also ironic because in the sustainability field we are working diligently to create a just future for people of all backgrounds. Yet, sustainability professionals who are developing solutions do not often reflect the communities that are most affected by climate change.
The year 2021 is an opportunity to recharge, refresh, and begin anew. Chief Sustainability Officers have a major platform for influence in the field of sustainability. In their positions of leadership, they have a choice to set the tone and either continue the norm or actively put a stop to their own form of “business as usual” and catalyze new change that seeks to work against systemic inequities.
Last year, I decided to write a book to discuss how sustainability bridges the gap between various challenges the world faces today and to provide an understanding of what it means to be an effective sustainability leader. My book, titled, Reimagining Systems for a Sustainable Future provides a critical lens on the nexus between theory and praxis to envision what sustainability leadership roles can mean for organizations, companies, and governments in the future.
It is my dream to become a Chief Sustainability Officer someday and writing this book was a way for me to hear from current sustainability leaders to learn from their reflections, challenges, and ambitions for the future of the sustainability field.
Building from my interviews with over sixty sustainability pioneers, Reimagining Systems for a Sustainable Future questions the intrinsic nature of sustainability, the psychology behind action, and what it takes to be a leader in this space.
Here are the three things that will characterize a Chief Sustainability Officer in 2021:
acknowledging privilege in the field and challenging how sustainability is defined and understood: the risk of further perpetuating the very systemic issues sustainability leaders seek to change is imminent. there is a responsibility to have a heightened awareness of societal needs and to ensure sustainability our work reflects that.
creating synergy between the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion and sustainability: society is becoming increasingly aware that the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion (de&i) are not mutually exclusive from sustainability. there is a push for sustainability to be more inclusive, intersectional, and anti-racist in both the work itself and in the people that carry out the work. some companies are responding to this push by creating the role of a chief inclusion & sustainability officer, by creating initiatives to simultaneously address systemic inequities and climate change, or by increasing collaboration and partnerships between the organization’s de&i and sustainability teams.
weighing working oneself out of a job versus evolving the role: this was a contested topic. some leaders longed for sustainability to be so deeply embedded in companies and cities that there is not a need for a separate role because sustainability becomes part of everyone’s role. others were more akin to the idea of keeping the role but evolving it over time based on new needs and demands.
These are just a few of the many themes and insights that emerged as I sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of sustainability leadership. To learn more, read Reimagining Systems for a Sustainable Future here.
About the author: Sade is a young professional with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a Certificate in Human Needs and Global Resources from Wheaton College (IL). Throughout her career, she has gained experience in supply chain sustainability, environmental policy analysis, corporate sustainability and climate change consulting, geospatial analysis, and nature-based solutions for sustainable development. Additionally, she has developed a broadened scope on what it means to live and act within planetary boundaries through her studies of Sustainable Development and Environmental Science in Denmark, Sweden, Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru.
by Sade Bamimore
Guest Writer
