The concept of outsourcing critical business support functions is nothing new. It’s used as a way to reduce risk and increase flexibility.
We’re all familiar with the idea of utilising outsourced expertise to support us across a range of disciplines, from accounting and PR to legal services. More recently, the model has even started to become more commonplace in senior roles such as CFOs.
It’s well understood that such roles sit alongside and complement traditional consultants. Consultants are routinely brought into businesses on an ad hoc basis to deliver specific projects for a fixed fee, in a defined time.
But a retainer model is different: it’s longer-term, allowing the expert to have more of an opportunity to immerse themselves in the business and better understand the organisation’s needs and workplace dynamics.
Why outsource sustainability?
Until recently, outsourcing sustainability as a role wasn’t a common practice. In the past, sustainability was typically dominated by the ‘big end of town’ – large organisations that didn’t need to think twice about employing someone to develop and own their approach to environmental, social and governance issues.
In fact, many of the world’s biggest companies boast entire teams of sustainability professionals. The landscape is changing, however, and sustainability is becoming ingrained in growing businesses looking to develop their first ESG strategy or report.
The ultimate aim is to empower businesses to become sustainability superstars so that they are in a position to further build their internal capabilities and hopefully embed sustainability into everyone’s roles.
These companies know the game is on – sustainability is no longer optional for their investors, staff and customers, but they don’t want to dive in headfirst and hire permanent sustainability staff.
Plus, with demand for expertise at an all-time high, it can be hard to find the right person at the right price, even if they are ready. And although bigger companies with established teams have a growing need for long-term specialist expertise, this isn’t always matched with an appetite to increase their headcount.
Integrating sustainability expertise
Where sustainability might previously have been given lip service, it’s now being taken more seriously and becoming part of a company’s DNA.
Broader teams need to be taken on a journey by someone that they know and trust, and who they can feel comfortable with asking those silly questions. An external sustainability expert can offer those benefits and more, particularly if they’re backed by a bigger, multidisciplinary team.
Working as an ingrained part of a company’s team, they get that all-important helicopter view and can get to know the business inside out. They can build relationships and help guide change management, as well as gain insights from investors and customers.
The ultimate aim is to empower businesses to become sustainability superstars so that they are in a position to further build their internal capabilities and hopefully embed sustainability into everyone’s roles.
It’s a model that’s expected to continue to grow. There are few better ways to create impact than to do so from inside a company, which makes it a win–win, and businesses are then better positioned to achieve their sustainability goals.
Read next: Why sustainability equals success for modern businesses