As the action and drivers for climate urgency build, every job holds the potential to be a sustainability job – from the factory to the boardroom. Sustainability knowledge is in high demand, and it’s an exciting field to join. For many professionals, they are entering sustainability from wide-ranging sectors to find a community of passionate, intelligent collaborators who genuinely seek the common good over individual gain.
ISSP strives to be a global community of changemakers and collaborators from 94 countries in public, private, non-profit, and nature spheres. Leaving competition at the door, we work together to provide the networking, training, and tools needed to meet goals and create sustainable change. I am proud to share our progress in this mission of accelerating impact and manifesting sustainable change.
In 2023, we invested in our digital presence and collaboration spaces, launching online discussion forums for members and a new website – this was no easy feat and well executed. Launching nine new courses, we were able to provide training in topics ranging from sustainable procurement to career development.
We then made strides towards fostering diversity within our community, increasing our international membership to 36%. We also managed to increase our webinar registrants by 56% and our live and self-study course enrollment by 34%.
We marked our 15th anniversary, celebrating not only our past journey and the people who built this network, but also the promise of a more sustainable future. I attended Sustainable Brands in San Diego this year, and it was heartening for me to hear many people share how ISSP helped them and guided them on their sustainability journey. We at ISSP want to grow this experience by making sure we stay relevant with our credentials, courses, study materials, webinars, and communities of practice.
COP 28 was a reminder of the urgency of our mission with emphasis on (1) fast-tracking a just, orderly and equitable energy transition, (2) climate finance, and (3) a focus on people, lives, and livelihoods.
It was also my privilege to welcome Gary Tong, Nicole Cacal, and Desta Raines to the ISSP Governing Board, knowing that their expertise and global perspectives will guide us in meeting the evolving needs of this community. Thank you to my other Governing Board colleagues for their guidance and expertise as we transitioned into a post-COVID world. An exceptional thank you goes out to our ISSP team – Michelle, Alex, Sarah, and Aqsa for their dedication and inspiration. It has been a pleasure working with them.
As a professional body of sustainability practitioners, sustainability and regeneration is everyone's work and we can work together to solve our climate and humanitarian challenges. We at ISSP aspire to be at the center of every aspect of work.
Thank you to everyone who was involved in our community, both this year and over the last 15 years.
15 years of championing
the field of sustainability
2023 was particularly special for us as we marked our 15th anniversary — a milestone significant not just for ISSP, but also for the huge strides of this industry.
By the numbers
60K
Professionals in network
In addition to our active members, we have an engaged network of professionals who attend our free webinars and subscribe to the newsletter for industry updates.
13%
Increase in total individual members in 2023
More than ever before, our new members live and work outside of North America. Since 2020, we've increased the percentage of members outside of North America by 12%.
29
Virtual professional development & networking events
A core tenet of ISSP's mission is providing leading professional development to help individuals meet their sustainability goals.
56%
Increase in monthly webinar registrants
Popular webinar topics included a COP 28 recap, sustainable procurement, consumer forecasting, grant writing, and carbon offsets.
34%
Increase in course enrollment
We added nine new courses, and the increase in learners was driven primarily by the addition of three new live courses.
+2K
Downloaded Sustainability Excellence study materials
The SEA and SEP credentials continue to represent a globally-recognized mastery of the six domains of sustainability excellence.
Building community
Expanding globally
New members joined from across sectors and around the globe in 2023, increasing overall membership by 13.5%. To better support this global audience, we improved our digital presence by launching an online discussion platform and hosting more virtual events like ISSPConnects and Career Showcases.
The ISSP leadership also convened with the industry at in-person events, such as a Greenbuild, Reuters ESG Investment, ESWCon, and 17 Rooms at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Each pin represents a different ISSP member.
13%
increase in total members with growing international diversity
36%
of members live outside of North America, which is a 12% increase since 2020
16
virtual networking sessions with members meeting across time zones
Expanding our community to organizational members
In 2023, we welcomed seven new organizational members from diverse industries and countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Uganda, and Canada. Our goal with this program is to develop a global network of organizations committed to a sustainable future. As members, their teams will gain foundational training across departments and a community to lean on as they learn. We also opened organizational membership to higher education institutions, slowly transitioning existing education partners to the organizational membership program. This provides their faculty and students the same access to membership benefits, while connecting them to the larger network.
Training for global goals
Accelerating impact
Through strategic programming initiatives, ISSP enhanced its outreach and impact in advancing sustainability professional development. We collaborated with leading organizations and experts for our technical webinar series, resulting in a 56% surge in registrants. The topics ranged from sustainability forecasting with NielsenIQ to gender dynamics in the workplace with Reimagine Gender, providing capacity-building opportunities across the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our dedication to career growth is reflected in the rise in individuals using our growing library of 35 courses, nine of which were added this year. Additionally, we supported members in advancing their sustainability and career goals through curated thought leadership in the ISSPBlog, featuring international experts like John Elkington, Gwen Migita, MBA, and Bobuchi Ken-Opurum.
56%
increase in webinar registrants
34%
increase in live and self-study course enrollment
9
new professional development courses
Driving sustainability excellence
Building foundational knowledge
Business leaders seek credibility in sustainability hires. Developed with rigorous international standards, the Sustainability Excellence credentials help individuals demonstrate familiarity with the core issues, trends, concepts, and frameworks of sustainability.
9%
increase in SEA credential holders
+2K
Downloaded Sustainability Excellence study materials
50
countries represented by SEA and SEP credential holders
In 2023, 709 professionals were active Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) credential holders. Formerly the ISSP-SA, the SEA was designed for emerging sustainability professionals. SEAs understand and communicate sustainability topics to diverse audiences.
SEA Geographic Distribution
Percentage of credential-holders in each region
50 Countries Represented
Colors correspond with the pie chart to the left
In 2023, 71 professionals were active Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) credential holders. This credential demonstrates a mastery of the most current sustainability issues and tools as well as the ability to apply systems thinking in developing solutions.
SEP Geographic Distribution
Percentage of credential-holders in each region
18 Countries Represented
Colors correspond with the pie chart to the left
Impact stories from Sustainability Excellence credential-holders
Leadership & partnerships
Building partnerships
During this year’s significant growth, ISSP leadership focused on operational efforts to support our member community, while also contributing to industry discourse at events such as COP 28, Sustainable Brands conference, and the first Africa Climate Week.
The ISSP Governing Board added three new members with diverse backgrounds and skillsets. Gary Tong brings consulting and engineering expertise, Nicole Cacal guides companies on how to innovate at the intersection of technology and social impact, and Desta Raines brings extensive experience in operations management and environmental and social governance.
Our ongoing collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) continues to provide foundational training through the Sustainability Excellence credentials.
ISSP Governing Board
Board members serve a six year term. Below is the leadership that served during 2023.
Partnerships
As highlighted by
UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 17), building partnerships to achieve goals is critical to successfully driving sustainability. By aligning efforts with partners, we collectively extend our impact. We work with the organizations below to provide excellent sustainability resources, programming, or events for our members.
Financials
Aligning resources with our mission
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, our financial decisions are focused on enhancing resources for our members, who are our key stakeholders. Recognizing economic disparities globally, we adjust membership and course pricing based on regional economies, as per World Bank classifications. This ensures more equitable access to our networking and training opportunities. In 2023, we also expanded our professional development resources with nine new courses and invested in a Sustainability Core Competences course launching in 2024.
Statement of Financial Position
A snapshot of ISSP's financial status
Where does our funding come from?
How ISSP supports its mission financially
Membership revenue
How the different member types break out with dues
Organizational efficiency
How the ISSP team allocated their time
