A sustainability consultant can help your business tackle ESG compliance, carbon accounting, and corporate responsibility while aligning these efforts with measurable results. However, choosing the wrong consultant could lead to wasted resources and limited impact.
But how do you find the right sustainability consultant or firm to get you the results you want and need? In this guide, we’ll look at some questions to ask yourself first, common pitfalls to avoid, and how platforms like Reegy are reshaping the way businesses approach sustainability.
What Makes a Great Sustainability Consultant?
A great sustainability consultant offers expertise in ESG compliance, carbon accounting, and tailored strategies for your business. They provide actionable solutions that align with your goals and simplify complex sustainability challenges.
Whether you’re a logistics company reducing fleet emissions or a small business starting with a basic ESG overview, your consultant’s approach should align with your unique goals. Here is how to identify great ones:
Expertise in ESG, Carbon Accounting, and Reporting
Of course, your sustainability consultant should have a deep understanding of key areas like ESG frameworks, carbon footprint analysis, and sustainability reporting. They should also be well-versed in industry regulations, ensuring your business not only meets compliance requirements but also positions itself as a leader in sustainability.
For example, we worked with a construction company that was struggling with data collection for their CSRD compliance. During our kickoff-project we first laid out a clear strategy and set up goals such as:
- Achieve CSRD compliance by 2025
- Carry out a double materiality assessment
- Set up a solid data collection process
- Turn the insights into at least 3 measures to implement to improve ESG performance
We then integrated our Reegy Platform with their operations to streamline all of this and to help them keep their ESG measures in-house in the future (yes, this also means reducing costs of sustainability consulting services).
A Tailored Approach to Your Business
Avoid consultants who take a one-size-fits-all approach. Effective sustainability consulting requires understanding your business, your goals, and your stakeholders. A good consultant will conduct a thorough assessment of your current sustainability efforts and create a customized roadmap to improvement.
That’s why we always begin with one or several discovery calls to assess our customers needs and goals. There is a huge difference between a small company with 50 employees looking to decrease their carbon emissions from scope 1 and 2 and an enterprise with 12,000 employees looking to decrease scope 3 emissions along the supply chain.
Transparent Pricing
Are you ever faced with service providers or products that aren’t upfront with pricing and the cost of usage down the road? All the sudden the project costs explode or you get a monthly invoice that’s 40% up from last time? Yeah, we dislike that, too!
A great sustainability consultant offers clear and transparent pricing from the start, ensuring you understand the costs and value of their services. Avoid consultants who provide vague estimates or surprise fees later in the process. Transparent pricing helps establish trust and ensures a good working relationship.
💡 Sustainability consulting fees are often a fixed project cost + per hour charges for additional services.
Holistic Approach
Sustainability is more than just carbon emissions or environmental issues. There is a reason, we use the term ESG (Environment – Social – Governance) that emphasizes that the a company must also look out for its employees, the communities it operates in and for, and adhere to proper business practices.
A good ESG consultant will cover all aspects of sustainability when working with you.
Good working relationship
Working with people you like to be around is usually more productive and fun than in a tense atmosphere.
E.g. our CEO Julius Launhardt had long been a management consultant for SMEs before founding Reegy and knew about the importance of establishing mutual trust and respect before starting any project.
You should only work with sustainability consultants who can create this environment and if in doubt, keep looking.
Knowledge of Digital Tools and Platforms
Technology plays a pivotal role in sustainability management today. From tracking emissions to preparing ESG reports, the ability to leverage digital tools can save time and provide actionable insights. The best ESG consultants don’t just give advice; they equip you with tools to execute that advice efficiently.
This is why platforms like Reegy are gaining traction. Beyond traditional consulting, we offer digital solutions to automate carbon accounting, ESG data collection, and reporting. Think of us as a blend of technology and expertise—helping businesses like yours reduce emissions, meet regulatory requirements, and boost their ESG scores.
Where to find a good sustainability consultant
You can find sustainability consultants with a simple online search, through mutual connections or by attending industry meetups or trade shows.
We assume you found out about Reegy when looking for ESG consultants or software online and this is usually the way most our customers connect with us. Other than that, you can always ask around in your network whether someone can make a recommendation!
At Reegy, we attend a lot of industry meetups and shows to connect with business owners, CEOs, CSOs, and others who are faced with sustainability-related issues.
Questions to Ask a Potential Sustainability Consultant
To ensure you’re making the right choice, consider asking potential consultants the following questions:
- Can you explain your experience with businesses in my industry?
Industry-specific knowledge ensures the consultant can navigate your unique challenges effectively. - How do you stay updated on sustainability regulations and standards?
Regulations like ESRS evolve frequently. You need a consultant who’s ahead of the curve. - What’s your approach to data and reporting?
Clear, actionable reporting is the foundation of sustainability efforts. Look for someone who can simplify this process. - Do you offer tools or frameworks to make sustainability management easier?
A consultant who integrates technology into their process—like Reegy does—can save you significant time and resources.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
While it’s important to focus on what a consultant should bring to the table, here are some red flags to look out for.
Overpromise results without a clear plan
Good project management begins with a clear plan and actionable steps. Avoid working with partners who wish to jump right in without laying out the groundwork first.
Lack a track record in sustainability
A consultant should be more experienced in the field than you are. That’s why you should avoid sustainability consultants who cannot provide references or customer testimonials.
💡 Everyone has to start out somewhere, sometimes. As a young company ourselves, we know how tough it was to find clients without a long track record a few years ago. However, we made up for that with expert experience in the field from prior jobs and projects.
Want to use ESG as a marketing tool only
Sustainability reporting is a compliance and legal matter, and not a marketing tool.
Sustainability reporting standards like CSRD, GRI, CDP, and others are meant to provide clear frameworks for fulfilling legal tasks in reporting. As such, they must be treated equally as important and professionally as your financial reportings.
Moreover, too much emphasis on marketing can lead to accusations of greenwashing by your stakeholders.
Focus solely on compliance without addressing broader sustainability goals
While we just said that compliance is key, sustainability is more than just that. Your company needs to not only comply with standards but make an impact in today’s world to stay competitive. That’s why sustainability consutlants and experts at Reegy always put emphasis on measurable impact. We love reducing emissions, introducing circular economy practices or setting up employee welfare programs together with our clients!
Avoid integrating technology or data-driven solutions into their approach.
ESG is heavily data-driven and “experts” who refuse to integrate technology into this process will not bring you the results you need.
How Reegy Makes Sustainability Consulting Smarter
At Reegy, we’ve designed our platform to complement our sustainability consulting process, ensuring you get both the expertise and tools to succeed.
We make it simply
Our job is to make sustainability simple for you so you can make the “magic” happen! We do not expect any prior experience from you when working with our ESG experts or our platform.
Automation Meets Expertise
With our SaaS solution, tasks like carbon accounting, ESG data collection, and reporting become seamless. Your consultant can focus on strategic planning while our platform handles the technical workload.
Scalable Solutions
Whether you’re a small business taking your first steps toward sustainability or a corporation managing complex global operations, Reegy scales with your needs.
Actionable Insights
Our ESG Quick Check component gives you an overview of areas needing improvement, helping consultants prioritize actions that yield the most impact.
The Long-Term Benefits of the Right Sustainability Partner
Choosing the right sustainability consultant isn’t just about meeting immediate goals—it’s about building a foundation for long-term success. With the right guidance, you can:
- Reduce emissions and improve efficiency.
- Enhance brand reputation and attract ESG-conscious investors.
- Stay ahead of regulatory requirements and avoid penalties.
Start Your Journey Today
Finding the right sustainability consultant is an investment in your business’s future. At Reegy, we combine expert consulting with powerful tools to make sustainability actionable and impactful. Contact us today to learn how we can help your business succeed in its sustainability journey.
Reegy is a complete software solution for ESG & Carbon Footprint Management. Our Reegy Eco Hub enables enterprises, financial institutions and governmental organizations to manage their climate action in one central location along the entire value chain. Track, measure, reduce, and offset your carbon emissions, disclose them to regulators, stakeholders, and customers and lead your company to Net Zero on autopilot!