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
The CC-P® Candidate is the perfect stepping stone to becoming a future Certified Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®). This program is designed for:
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Professionals transitioning to a career in climate change who do not currently satisfy the experience requirements of the CC-P®; and
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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). 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.
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.
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
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.
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 Career professionals. Learn More.
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 Early Career professionals. Learn More.
Integrated Reporting, or <IR>, 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 Early Career professionals. Learn more.
Green Building
The LEED Green Associate exam measures general knowledge of green building practices and how to support others working on LEED projects. The exam is ideal for those new to green building.
Certifying Organization: U.S. Green Building Council
Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.
The Green Globes Emerging Professional (GGEP) program is designed for college students pursuing a design, engineering, construction management, and/or sustainability degree, although students in any discipline are welcome.
Certifying Organization: Green Building Initiative
Intended for Early Career professionals. Learn more.
The WELL Accredited Professional (WELL-AP) is a health and well-being credential that denotes expertise in the WELL Building standard. It's a commitment to advancing human health in buildings and communities around the world.
Certifying Organization: International WELL Building Institute
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
Earning the Green Globes Professional® credential gives you a clear understanding of the Green Globes assessment process and certification features. This training is intended to develop experienced sustainability professionals into expert users of the Green Globes building assessment and rating system. The Green Globes Professional training covers all of the Green Globes modules and protocols, including New Construction (NC), Existing Buildings (EB) and Sustainable Interiors (SI).
Certifying Organization: Green Building Initiative.
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
Living Future Accreditation (LFA) is the professional credential that recognizes proficiency in the world’s most ambitious, advanced, and holistic sustainable design standards.
Certifying Organization: International Living Future Institute (ILFI)
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
A LEED AP credential distinguishes those with advanced knowledge in green building, plus expertise in a particular LEED rating system.
Certifying Organization: U.S. Green Building Council
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
Ambassadors are leaders and active participants in Fitwel’s healthy building movement. They are well-versed in the evidence-based connection between design and health, can integrate Fitwel’s strategies within projects, and are able to effectively navigate the Fitwel Portal to track progress and attain Fitwel Certification.
Certifying Organization: The Center for Active Design
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
Energy for the Built Environment
The Certified Energy Manager is an individual who optimizes the energy performance of a facility, building or industrial plant. The CEM® is a systems integrator for electrical, mechanical, process and building infrastructure, analyzing the optimum solutions to reduce energy consumption in a cost effective approach.
Certifying Organization: Association of Energy Engineers
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
AEE's Certified Business Energy Professional (BEP) program awards special recognition to those business/marketing and energy professionals who have demonstrated a high level of competence and ethical fitness for business/marketing and energy management related disciplines, as well as laws governing and affecting energy professionals.
Certifying Organization: Association of Energy Engineers
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
AEE's Certified Energy Procurement Professional (CEP) program is designed to award special recognition to professionals who have demonstrated a high level of knowledge, experience, competence and ethical fitness covering the full spectrum of activities related to the purchase, sale and marketing of electricity and natural gas. By obtaining the CEP credential, you will be establishing your status as a qualified expert in this growing area of specialized expertise within the restructured energy marketplace.
Certifying Organization: Association of Energy Engineers
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
The Renewable Energy Professional (REP™) certification is designed to recognize the expertise and experience of professionals involved in the specification and application of renewable and alternative energy technologies, assessment of renewable energy projects, and development of achievable low-carbon and sustainability goals for organizations.
Certifying Organization: Association of Energy Engineers
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
The Certified Sustainable Development Professional (CSDP®) program recognizes individuals with expertise in Developing & Implementing Sustainability Programs, Environmental Issues, Alternative Energy & Carbon Reduction, Sustainable Policy Programs, Energy Efficiency Technologies in Sustainable Buildings, Impact of Sustainable Development Policies, Renewable Energy, Sustainable Transportation, Water Conservation and Financial Assessments.
Certifying Organization: Association of Energy Engineers
Intended for Advanced Career professionals. Learn more.
Specialty
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.
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 Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Early Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Early Career professionals. Learn more.
This program is designed to provide you the opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the body of knowledge relating to the basics of the supply chain. Foundational topics, theories, decision aids, strategies, etc. will be presented in a clear and concise manner. Specifically, some of the topics presented are Sourcing, the role of inventory in the supply chain, MRP, and Transportation. Beyond these specific supply chain topics, related issues such as Team dynamics, Sustainability, Lean and continuous improvement tools, will be presented. A CSCA designation demonstrates your expertise.
Certifying Organization: International Supply Chain Education Alliance
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
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 Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
The SEPC programme is for those events professionals interested in accelerating sustainability and social impact in their organisations and global business events. The programme provides guidance that will be valuable for reaffirming our industry’s commitment to a recovery that is resilient, sustainable and equitable.
Certifying Organization: Events Industry Council
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
In 2009, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) launched the Green Roof Professional (GRP) Training & Accreditation program in an effort to bridge the knowledge gap in industry training and best practice. Before this, no traditional discipline or training contained all of the competencies necessary for green roof success- from building science, horticulture, irrigation, waterproofing, plant physiology, structural engineering and beyond.
Certifying Organization: Green Roofs for Healthy Cities
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.
As the prominence and reputation of Chartered Environmentalists continues to grow, chartered status is increasingly seen internationally as a highly desirable demonstration of an individual’s competence. Registration as a Chartered Environmentalist demonstrates that an individual has been judged by their peers to be working at the highest possible standards in the environmental profession.
Certifying Organization: Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
Intended for Mid Career professionals. Learn more.