Certificate Course in Sustainability Management

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Sustainability Managers, CSR Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-SC-046

Before you join: Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in management, operations, HSE, CSR, risk, procurement, finance, reporting, communications or a related function.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Sustainability management now affects operating licences, financing, procurement eligibility, investor confidence, workforce expectations and community relationships. Organisations must respond to climate, resource, labour, safety and governance issues with evidence-based plans rather than isolated CSR activities. Managers need to identify material impacts, meet reporting requirements, control environmental and social risks, and show how sustainability priorities connect to business decisions.

This certificate course develops practical sustainability management capability across strategy, governance, environmental management, social responsibility, health and safety, climate action, ESG reporting and stakeholder engagement. Participants work with recognised approaches including the GHG Protocol, GRI Standards, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, ISO 14001, double materiality assessment, lifecycle thinking and human-rights due diligence. They learn to set targets, select indicators, establish data controls, prepare transition actions and assess supplier-related risks.

Instruction combines focused briefings, sector cases, facilitated analysis, group work, reporting simulations and structured application planning. Cases reflect common challenges in banking, manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, public services, healthcare, NGOs and multinational supply chains. Participants progressively build components of a sustainability management system during the programme, then assemble and present an integrated sustainability strategy and implementation plan in the final capstone.

The course suits managers and specialists who contribute to sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG reporting, risk, procurement, operations, communications or corporate planning. It is particularly useful for professionals moving from project-based CSR work towards accountable sustainability management with defined targets, governance, metrics and reporting responsibilities.

What you will be able to do

  • Conduct a double materiality assessment using stakeholder evidence and impact criteria
  • Develop a sustainability strategy with priorities, targets, owners, budgets and milestones
  • Calculate organisational greenhouse gas emissions using the GHG Protocol inventory boundary rules
  • Design ESG indicators, data controls and reporting evidence suitable for assurance
  • Apply human-rights due diligence to workforce, community and supply-chain risks
  • Prepare climate transition actions using scenario analysis, emissions baselines and target pathways
  • Evaluate sustainability initiatives through financial, environmental, social and operational criteria
  • Present an integrated sustainability management plan for senior management review

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Build a portfolio-ready sustainability strategy and implementation plan
  • Gain working fluency in major ESG reporting and carbon-accounting requirements
  • Prepare credible responses to sustainability responsibilities in management roles
  • Improve ability to challenge unsupported environmental and social performance claims
  • Develop practical evidence for progression into sustainability, ESG or CSR leadership roles

For your organisation

  • Creates managers able to convert sustainability commitments into accountable implementation plans
  • Improves consistency of ESG data, controls, metrics and reporting evidence
  • Strengthens identification of climate, environmental, labour and supply-chain risks
  • Supports procurement, investor, customer and regulatory sustainability information requests
  • Reduces fragmented CSR activity through material priorities and defined ownership

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain how sustainability management creates accountable environmental, social and economic performance.

  • Sustainability definitions linked to value creation, impacts and organisational accountability
  • CSR, ESG and sustainability management distinguished by purpose and scope
  • Triple Bottom Line limitations and practical decision-useful alternatives
  • Systems thinking applied to environmental, social and economic interdependencies
  • Planetary boundaries and social thresholds used for strategic context
  • Sustainability maturity models used to assess current management capability

Participants can prioritise sustainability issues using structured stakeholder and materiality assessment methods.

  • Stakeholder mapping using influence, interest, dependency and impact criteria
  • Interviews, surveys and workshops structured for materiality evidence collection
  • Double materiality distinguishes impact materiality from financial materiality
  • Impact severity assessed through scale, scope, irremediability and likelihood
  • Materiality matrices tested against governance decisions and reporting needs
  • Documenting stakeholder concerns, assumptions, evidence sources and unresolved issues

Participants can define governance arrangements that assign sustainability oversight, decisions and accountability.

  • Board oversight responsibilities for sustainability risks, opportunities and disclosures
  • Management committees establish decision rights, escalation routes and meeting cadence
  • RACI matrices assign sustainability actions, approvals and information responsibilities
  • Codes of conduct address bribery, conflicts, discrimination and retaliation
  • Whistleblowing systems protect reporters and support timely investigation procedures
  • Executive incentives linked to measurable sustainability and safety performance

Participants can identify reporting obligations and design a proportionate ESG reporting architecture.

  • Mandatory and voluntary disclosures mapped against stakeholder information requirements
  • GRI Standards applied to impact-focused sustainability reporting decisions
  • IFRS S1 identifies sustainability-related financial information for general-purpose reporting
  • IFRS S2 structures climate-related disclosures around governance and strategy
  • Reporting boundaries aligned with financial consolidation and operational control
  • Disclosure calendars coordinate data owners, approvals, assurance and publication deadlines

Participants can prepare a defensible organisational emissions inventory using GHG Protocol principles.

  • GHG Protocol organisational boundaries use equity share or control approaches
  • Scope 1 emissions calculated from stationary, mobile and fugitive sources
  • Scope 2 emissions reported using location-based and market-based methods
  • Scope 3 screening identifies material upstream and downstream value-chain categories
  • Emission factors selected, documented and quality-checked before inventory calculations
  • Carbon inventory recalculation policies address acquisitions, disposals and methodology changes

Participants can develop climate actions that connect emissions baselines, targets, investment and governance.

  • Climate risk categories distinguish physical risks from transition risks
  • Scenario analysis tests strategy assumptions under alternative climate futures
  • Science-based targets translate emissions pathways into organisational reduction objectives
  • Marginal abatement cost curves compare emissions reductions and implementation costs
  • Transition plans sequence operational actions, capital needs and accountability milestones
  • Internal carbon pricing informs investment appraisal and management decision-making

Participants can identify resource-efficiency and circular-economy interventions within operational processes.

  • Energy audits identify significant uses, baselines and efficiency opportunities
  • ISO 50001 principles support energy objectives, controls and performance review
  • Material flow analysis traces inputs, outputs, losses and recovery points
  • Waste hierarchy prioritises prevention, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal
  • Lifecycle thinking identifies environmental burdens across product and service stages
  • Circular business models include repair, reuse, remanufacture and product-service systems

Participants can assess environmental impacts and define controls for water, biodiversity and pollution.

  • Water balance analysis tracks withdrawals, consumption, discharge and reuse
  • Catchment context informs assessment of water stress and competing users
  • Biodiversity impact screening identifies sensitive habitats and ecological dependencies
  • Mitigation hierarchy applies avoidance, minimisation, restoration and offsetting sequences
  • Pollution prevention controls address air emissions, effluent, chemicals and waste
  • Environmental incident investigations identify root causes and corrective actions

Participants can apply human-rights due diligence to organisational and value-chain activities.

  • UN Guiding Principles frame corporate responsibility to respect human rights
  • Human-rights impact assessments identify affected groups and salient issues
  • Labour rights cover wages, working hours, freedom of association and safety
  • Grievance mechanisms require accessibility, confidentiality, non-retaliation and remedy pathways
  • Community engagement plans address land, livelihoods, culture and consent
  • Modern slavery indicators guide supplier screening, investigation and remediation

Participants can integrate health, safety and environmental performance within sustainability management systems.

  • ISO 14001 environmental management system requirements linked to sustainability objectives
  • ISO 45001 principles connect worker participation, hazards and operational controls
  • Risk assessments distinguish hazards, exposure pathways, consequences and control measures
  • Leading indicators measure prevention activities, control reliability and workforce participation
  • Lagging indicators track injuries, spills, nonconformities and environmental incidents
  • Management reviews evaluate HSE performance, corrective actions and resource needs

Participants can embed environmental, social and governance criteria into supplier management processes.

  • Supplier segmentation identifies high-spend, high-risk and strategic relationship categories
  • Supplier codes define labour, environmental, ethics and traceability requirements
  • Prequalification questionnaires collect evidence on policies, controls and performance
  • Risk-based audits test supplier practices against contractual sustainability requirements
  • Corrective action plans assign remediation actions, deadlines and verification methods
  • Total cost of ownership includes resource, carbon, risk and disposal costs

Participants can prepare investment cases that account for sustainability costs, benefits and risks.

  • Business cases connect sustainability initiatives with strategic and operational objectives
  • Net present value compares investment costs, savings and residual-value assumptions
  • Sensitivity analysis tests carbon prices, energy costs and demand assumptions
  • Avoided-cost analysis quantifies reduced waste, incidents, fines and downtime
  • Green finance principles distinguish use-of-proceeds, governance and reporting requirements
  • Benefit maps connect sustainability actions with financial and nonfinancial outcomes

Participants can design ESG data processes with reliable metrics, ownership and evidence trails.

  • Metric dictionaries define calculation methods, boundaries, units and data owners
  • Data-flow maps identify source systems, transformations, reviewers and reporting outputs
  • Control activities prevent errors through reconciliations, approvals and reasonableness checks
  • Audit trails retain source evidence, calculations, assumptions and change records
  • KPI dashboards distinguish outcome indicators from activity and leading indicators
  • Data-quality assessments score completeness, accuracy, timeliness and comparability

Participants can prepare report content and evidence files for internal review and external assurance.

  • Reporting narratives connect performance results, management actions and future commitments
  • Material topic disclosures specify policies, actions, metrics and performance trends
  • Evidence packs organise source documents, calculations, approvals and supporting records
  • Limited assurance differs from reasonable assurance in evidence and testing depth
  • Assurance readiness reviews identify unsupported claims, data gaps and control weaknesses
  • Disclosure sign-off protocols assign management review and publication accountability

Participants can plan behaviour change and workforce engagement for sustainability implementation.

  • ADKAR model identifies awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement needs
  • Change impact assessments identify affected roles, processes, systems and incentives
  • Sustainability champions support local communication, feedback and action follow-through
  • Training needs analyses match capability gaps with role-specific learning interventions
  • Performance objectives translate sustainability priorities into individual accountabilities
  • Recognition mechanisms reinforce reporting, resource efficiency and safe working behaviours

Participants can assess sustainability-related risks and incorporate resilience actions into business planning.

  • Risk registers record causes, events, consequences, controls and action owners
  • Inherent and residual risk ratings support prioritisation of treatment actions
  • Climate vulnerability assessments examine exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity
  • Business continuity plans address extreme weather, supply disruption and infrastructure failure
  • Bow-tie analysis links preventive controls, events, recovery controls and assurance
  • Risk appetite statements define tolerances for environmental and social exposures

Participants can prioritise and manage sustainability initiatives as an accountable implementation portfolio.

  • Project charters define objectives, scope, governance, resources and success criteria
  • Prioritisation matrices compare impact, feasibility, cost, urgency and stakeholder value
  • Work breakdown structures convert strategic actions into manageable deliverables
  • Gantt charts sequence dependencies, milestones, resource assignments and review points
  • Benefits realisation plans track expected outcomes, indicators and accountable owners
  • Portfolio dashboards report progress, risks, budget status and decision requirements

Participants can communicate sustainability performance accurately while avoiding misleading environmental claims.

  • Stakeholder communication plans define audiences, messages, channels and feedback routes
  • Material claims require evidence, boundaries, qualifications and accountable approval
  • Greenwashing risks arise from vague, selective, exaggerated or unsubstantiated statements
  • Claims review checklists test accuracy, comparability, relevance and substantiation
  • Crisis communications address environmental incidents with facts, actions and updates
  • Annual report narratives align commitments, performance trends, limitations and next steps

Participants can assemble strategy components into an implementable sustainability operating plan.

  • Strategic priorities selected from materiality findings, risk assessments and stakeholder needs
  • SMART targets specify baselines, deadlines, owners and measurement approaches
  • Implementation roadmaps sequence policy, process, technology and capability actions
  • Budget assumptions identify capital, operating, staffing and assurance requirements
  • Governance calendars schedule reviews, reporting cycles, decisions and escalation points
  • Performance scorecards combine climate, environmental, social and governance indicators

Participants can build, review and present a complete sustainability management plan for organisational approval.

  • Capstone brief defines organisational context, decision audience and planning assumptions
  • Materiality results prioritise issues requiring strategic objectives and management actions
  • Emissions, HSE and social data establish baselines and performance gaps
  • Strategy map connects targets, initiatives, governance, risks and resource requirements
  • Implementation roadmap specifies milestones, owners, KPIs, controls and review arrangements
  • Management presentation defends priorities, evidence, trade-offs and recommended decisions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Double materiality assessment template
  2. GHG Protocol emissions inventory workbook
  3. Sustainability strategy and operating-plan template
  4. ESG metric dictionary and data-control matrix
  5. Supplier sustainability due-diligence checklist
  6. Sustainability reporting evidence-pack structure

Who should attend

  • Sustainability Managers — responsible for translating commitments into governed programmes and measurable results
  • CSR Managers — moving from community initiatives towards material business and stakeholder priorities
  • HSE Managers — integrating environmental, safety and social performance with ESG management
  • Risk and Compliance Managers — assessing sustainability-related exposures, controls and disclosure obligations
  • Procurement Managers — managing supplier environmental, labour and human-rights risks
  • Corporate Strategy Managers — incorporating climate, resource and stakeholder factors into business plans

Skills and tools covered

Materiality assessmentESG reportingCarbon accountingSustainability strategyHuman-rights due diligenceEnvironmental management

Tools and standards

GHG Protocol, GRI Standards, IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, ISO 14001

How the course runs

Training methodology

The programme uses short instructor briefings to establish concepts, standards and decision methods, followed by sector-based case analysis and facilitated group work. Participants interpret emissions data, stakeholder evidence, supplier information, risk registers and report extracts. Simulations cover materiality prioritisation, target setting, disclosure review and management committee decisions. Each participant develops workplace-relevant components throughout the course, receives peer and instructor feedback, and consolidates these components into a final sustainability management plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in management, operations, HSE, CSR, risk, procurement, finance, reporting, communications or a related function. Familiarity with basic organisational structures, budgets, performance indicators and business planning is helpful. Participants should be able to interpret simple spreadsheets and read policy or report extracts. Prior sustainability qualifications, environmental science knowledge, carbon-accounting experience and reporting experience are not required. The course introduces technical concepts before applying them to management decisions and workplace deliverables.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need general professional experience in a business, operational, HSE, CSR, risk, procurement, finance or reporting role. Prior sustainability training, environmental science study and carbon-accounting experience are not required.

Participants should bring a laptop for working with templates and case materials. Where permitted, they may bring non-confidential sustainability policies, reports, emissions data, risk registers or supplier requirements from their organisation.

The course suits managers and specialists with responsibility for sustainability, CSR, HSE, ESG reporting, procurement, risk or corporate planning. It also suits professionals preparing to assume sustainability programme responsibilities.

Carbon accounting and environmental management are covered, but they are treated as parts of a wider management system. The programme also addresses governance, materiality, social issues, human rights, reporting, finance, procurement and implementation planning.

Participants build reusable work components such as a materiality assessment, emissions inventory structure, ESG metric set and implementation roadmap. These can be adapted to their employer's priorities, reporting obligations and operating risks.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes foundations and produces working analyses, while the second week develops controls, reporting, implementation planning and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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