Sustainable jobs in the UK are expected to grow significantly in the coming years as the country continues to focus on Green Initiatives and transitioning to a low- carbon economy.
UK Government’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 and various green initiatives and funding programmes are likely to support these trends, making sustainable jobs a crucial part of the future labour market. In the last year alone, (since August 2023) there has been a 68%increase in sustainable job listings within the UK and growth throughout the world is continuing to rise.
You don’t need to come from a STEM background to undertake a sustainable career. After all, Graduates of any discipline can access openings in finance, IT, Education, Communication, Food Chain and Administration all of which facilitate behaviours enabling us to protect, conserve and enhance our Environment.
Sustainability careers focus on promoting environmental and social responsibility within organisations. Roles include sustainable analysts, renewable energy specialists, and eco -friendly product developers.
Green Jobs
Green jobs are central to sustainable development and respond to the global challenges of environmental protection, economic development and social inclusion.
By engaging governments, workers and employers as active agents of change, the Green Agenda is being developed affecting enterprises, workplace practices and the labour market as a whole. These efforts create decent employment opportunities, enhance resource efficiency and build low-carbon sustainable societies.
You can find the glossary of terms relating to Green Careers below.
Circular Economy
Championed by Unilever, Renault, Deloitte, Phillips and Cisco, all of whom have made significant advances in transitioning to circular business models and are founding partners of the respected Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the circular economy concept is a central theme at national and EU policy level.
In contrast to the conventional economic system based on taking, making and disposing of things, a circular (non-linear) economy runs in loops, reusing materials, and with big implications for job creation, competitiveness and resource savings. It is a concept much broader than simply recycling - it's about maintaining the value of everything we use for as long as possible, looking for other uses for the by-products discarded during conventional production and employing intelligent design.
Innovation in this field is being driven by large corporations who are piloting new business models based on leasing, product performance, remanufacture and extended lifecycle thinking. The adoption of a circular economy offers considerable economic benefits; Defra1 calculates that UK businesses could benefit by up to £23 billion per year through low cost or no cost improvements in the efficient use of resources, whilst McKinsey estimates that the global value of resource efficiency could eventually reach $3.7 trillion per year.
Systems Thinking
Science, technology, engineering, maths and design (STEM) are subjects that will be crucial to any transition to a circular economy. Equally crucial will be the development of ‘systems thinking’—the skill of understanding how individual activities interact within a bigger, interconnected world.
Systems thinking means considering the wider impacts of business decisions and being able to process and balance complex information from multiple sources. For a company reviewing its supply chain, this may mean working closely with host country governments to ensure well intentioned wage increments designed to improve wellbeing of employees do not have adverse effects on other professions.
This means moving away from developing a product or service in isolation. For example- a company developing a mobile phone cover might consider not only where the materials they use come from, but also how the design might allow users to reuse, repurpose or recycle the case when they no longer need it. Such thinking can spur innovation- perhaps an adjustable and customisable mobile phone cover so that users no longer have to buy a new one when upgrading their phone- or a phone case leasing service!
Sustainable Careers
Digital Twin
A virtual representation of a real-world system, process or product which enables simulated testing, monitoring, and maintenance. E.g. a digital twin of
an office building could be created and then used to simulate the effects of different heating systems, or to optimise maintenance schedules.
Green Computing
A broad term which describes an approach to creating and using technology in ways which limit harmful impacts on the environment, through manufacture,
use, and disposal. This includes minimising the impacts of production processes and materials, and the impacts of use by reducing power consumption.
GVA (Gross value added)
An economic measure of the value of goods and services produced in a specified geographic area, or sector of an economy.
LCREE
A definition created by the Office for National Statistics for the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy. It includes activities that deliver goods and services likely to help the UK generate lower emissions of greenhouse gases in particular carbon dioxide.
LGA/Equity model
A data model based on LCREE which projects growth in demand for low carbon and renewables jobs based on the assumption the UK gets on track to meet Net Zero by 2050. Growth is assumed to result from sustained national policy, regulation, and investment to meet Net Zero.
Location Quotient
Location quotient or LQ measures the extent to which an economic sector is comparatively weak or strong within the local economy against an index of 1for UK average. Where Reading has a LQ above 1 it means there are more of those types of firms or jobs in reading than in other places.
Net Zero
This refers to the international target of reaching ‘carbon neutrality’ i.e. reducing greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible. In a UK context it refers to the 2019 legislation committing the nation to reach zero emissions by 2050.
Conservation and Energy which focuses on preserving and protecting the natural environment. These job profiles come from prospects.ac.uk.
Jobs include:
Environmental Management and Assessment
Green Chemistry
- Analytical Chemist- The job role may not be labelled as a Green Chemist but the work may retain a green focus.
Land Management and Agriculture
Legislation
Recycling and Waste Management
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Flood Risk Management
1. Qualifications- For many positions, a first-degree BA or BSC may be sufficient. However, for more niche roles a BSc or MSc may be essential or desirable. For an overview of courses refer to the Prospects.ac.uk database of courses. It is important to check the course content to ensure you are learning new topics and are not repeating material covered during your undergraduate studies. It is also vital to make sure courses are accredited by professional bodies.
2. Experience- Competition for some positions is fierce so relevant experience demonstrating your commitment is an expectation and not a desirable outcome. Volunteering for a charity, participating in one of our Skills Awards or undertaking an internship or undergraduate Research Programme would all count. Being a student member of a professional body/institute would also widen your network.
3. Applications- Do your research to tailor your written applications. Attend Application Workshops, look at the CV examples on our Essentials Pages. Get your application checked and arrange a mock interview with your Careers Consultant or Placement Coordinator.
- Consultancy ENDS provides Environmental and sustainability intelligence to professionals in Business, Consultancies, Government and Public bodies. There are over a thousand Environmental Consultancies listed on this site and it is possible to search by specialism such as Nature Conservation, Environmental Risk Assessment, Landscape Management etc.
- Not-For-Profit Organisations- provides a directory of over 600 organisations searchable by sector or organisations.
- Friends of the Earth provide a list of Charities and campaigners.
Government Agencies
- Government Departments include- The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Department for Energy, Security and Net- Also covers The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and The Department for Business and Trade.
Large Companies
These employ Environmental Specialists ranging from energy and utility companies to large financial corporations. Roles will vary depending on the employer ethos and their environmental priorities.
1. Demonstrate your enthusiasm through professional and personal interests and activities. Start by looking at communities such as The Crowd.
2. Take part in the University Sustainable Action RED Awards.
3. Start your own project however small, this shows you have the capacity to problem solve and take your own initiative.
4. Get involved in Green Week or similar University activities.
5. Think about the role which would best suit you and the skills you have. Sustainability covers a wide range of organisational functions from engagement and communication to analysing data and report writing. What are you good at? Don’t be afraid as sustainability roles often require the right personality and not always the most relevant experience. In other words, will you fit in?
6. Sometimes the role you would like to undertake hasn’t been discovered yet. Don’t hold back approach organisations with your new ideas and demonstrate how you can help them to become more sustainable.
7. Don’t forget to align your values with those of the company/institute you are contacting.
8. Include elements of sustainability within your dissertation.
9. Consider Internships which have a sustainable element.
10. Use your time at university to develop your ideas on sustainability.
11. Network with recruiters at Careers Fairs, Employer Insight panels and on LinkedIn.
12. Make sure you refer to our list of websites for job hunting.