Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) have never carried more expectations, scrutiny, or pressure than you do today. The organizations you lead are accelerating their climate commitments, while the regulations, risks, and standards governing those constantly change. After speaking with over 200 CSOs and sustainability leaders across technology, healthcare, finance, logistics, and education, one thing is clear: CSOs don’t need more noise – you need clarity, confidence, and a partner who helps you move faster.
That’s why we are highlighting the five main barriers leaders face today, and the practical support we provide to help you move from uncertainty to action and impact.
Credibility and Brand Reputation
Your Job: Protect your organization’s reputation in a world where every sustainability claim is scrutinized.
CSOs know the stakes. You’re navigating an overwhelming landscape of standards, each with its own nuances, acceptance levels, and ambitions. You need airtight documentation, transparent methodologies, verified retirements, and confidence that today’s decisions won’t become tomorrow’s headlines.
What we heard:
- “We need to make sure projects are real, verifiable, and will deliver what they promise.”
- “Sophisticated buyers expect tailored communication and can easily identify messaging that isn’t.”
- “We need third party certification, proof of retirement and robust documentation.”
Our Job: Deliver credibility by default.
We provide an end to end service that delivers the highest quality climate projects to reduce carbon emissions, improve health and livelihoods, and protect and restore biodiversity. Our climate portfolios are backed by the most rigorous quality assurance program in the industry, ensuring the impacts you seek are genuinely delivered. With access to a large and diversified portfolio. including exclusive and bespoke projects, we offer reliable delivery and purchase methods to meet your goals.
Complex Data Collection & Reporting
Your Job: Make sense of emissions data across geographies, suppliers, and frameworks.
Collecting accurate emissions data, especially Scope 3, is one of the most time-consuming challenges for CSOs. Many organizations are transitioning between frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), adapting to evolving Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requirements, or navigating new assurance obligations. First time reporters face steep learning curves.
What we heard:
- “Scope 3 data gathering is complex and time consuming.”
- “Reporting requirements are detailed and sometimes unclear.”
- “We rely on estimates because suppliers can’t always provide data.”
Our Job: Simplify the complex.
We help clients simplify data collection with streamlined processes, provide expert guidance on reporting frameworks, and offer integrated tools that make emissions reporting simpler, faster, and more reliable. For instance, our Client Hub provides trusted, auditable, and engaging impact data, to help you further understand and evidence the value of the climate solutions you are supporting.
Strategic Uncertainty & Evolving Standards
Your Job: Plan for the long term while managing short-term changes.
CSOs must commit to bold strategies, even as the rules evolve. From CSRD to Local Law 97 and SBTi Net Zero Standard version 2, leaders are navigating a maze of shifting expectations until we reach alignment across frameworks. Decisions on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), removals, or deforestation can feel like guesswork without the right support and information.
What we heard:
- “Uncertainty about future policy, regulation, and market development.”
- “We’re constantly adapting to evolving standards and requirements.”
- “We need clarity on how to account for new solutions like SAF.”
Our Job: Be your strategic compass.
We help clients build a flexible and balanced climate portfolio that can adapt as standards shift – ensuring compliance today while futureproofing for tomorrow. Our global experts help leaders confidently navigate ambiguity, minimize risk, and stay ahead of regulatory change.
Resource Constraints & Competing Priorities
Your Job: Advancing sustainability goals with limited staff, time, and budget.
Many sustainability teams are one or two person departments overwhelmed by reporting, supplier engagement, compliance, and climate action delivery.
What we heard:
- “Limited budget for sustainability initiatives, including purchasing carbon credits and hiring dedicated staff”
- “Sustainability tasks are often performed 'on the side of a desk' by people with already full-time roles.”
- “Abrupt shifts in company strategy, such as the complete removal of sustainability, ESG, and social or environmental impact functions.”
Our Job: Provide expert technical advice and ongoing counsel.
We simplify the complex while helping you make the business case for action and deliver real, measurable outcomes. We offer high-integrity solutions that maximize impact per dollar invested. We deliver accurate and reliable end-to-end service for organizations of all size - from portfolio design to project management, analysis and reporting, to credit lifecycle management and communications support.
Stakeholder Alignment & Internal Buy In
Your Job: Bring everyone with you, even those who don’t see sustainability as their job.
CSOs must coordinate procurement, finance, operations, HR, IT, suppliers, landlords, and senior executives. Many stakeholders don’t understand sustainability requirements, don’t prioritize them, or lack the capacity to provide data on time.
What we heard:
- “Engaging internal teams is challenging - sustainability isn’t their core role.”
- “We need senior leadership to drive action.”
- “It’s difficult to align stakeholders on expectations and timelines.”
Our Job: Build alignment and momentum.
With decades of experience, we act as trusted advisors to help you deliver your climate goals, engage and educate stakeholders, and provide tools that streamline cross functional collaboration. We enable sustainability leaders to focus on driving meaningful change within their organizations, delivering positive outcomes for both the environment and your business.
Our Promise
- Your Job: Navigate a complex, high pressure sustainability landscape with limited resources, evolving standards, and rising expectations while maintaining credibility and driving real business value.
- Our Job: Provide verified, credible carbon credits backed by expert guidance that simplify compliance, reduce risk, and transform your sustainability program into a strategic business advantage – all while delivering maximum climate impact for your budget.
