Running a lithium-ion battery manufacturing company made me question whether we needed a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). I couldn’t quite pin down a job description at the time, but I had a nagging feeling we did. Now, after diving into the role of CSOs across industries, I see how this position is evolving—and why it’s critical, even as its future in the C-suite might be uncertain.
📚 I read "Chief Sustainability Officers at Work" by Chrissa Pagitsas in 2023. It is a collection of interviews with 24 CSOs from major corporations like Netflix, Coca-Cola, HP, and BlackRock. Some interviews are heavy on corpo-speak, but many provide practical insights into what CSOs actually do and where they add value.
How the Role of CSOs Evolved
The journey of corporate sustainability can be divided into three stages:1️⃣ Philanthropy: At first, sustainability was about doing good for the sake of reputation.2️⃣ Marketing & Risk Management: Then, it became a tool to enhance brand value and manage risks.3️⃣ Strategic Core: Today, sustainability is becoming the cornerstone of business strategy, driving long-term thinking and shaping product development, supply chains, and investor relations.
Sophia Leonora Mendelsohn of Cognizant captures this evolution perfectly, but others like Steve Waygood of Aviva Investors take it further: sustainability is a lens through which companies can think and plan decades ahead—something many regulators, politicians, and business leaders struggle to do.
Key Misconceptions About CSOs
A common misconception is that CSOs simply add costs to a business. The reality? Smart sustainability initiatives create tangible value:
Lower Costs: Amazon reduced its packaging weight by 36%, cutting waste and costs.
Better Products: Kevin Hagen of Iron Mountain highlights how ESG considerations lead to faster, cheaper, and more customer-aligned products.
Investor Confidence: Post-COVID, ESG mentions in investor calls jumped from 1% to 20%, according to Heidi DuBois of AEA Investors. Sustainability is no longer optional—it’s essential for attracting capital.
Where Does the CSO Fit?
Here’s where the job gets tricky. CSOs participate in almost all business processes:
🌍 Supply chain management
⚡ Energy sourcing
🎯 Product development
💼 Investor relations
Some report directly to CEOs, while others sit under COOs or CFOs, particularly as ESG reporting becomes more formalized. But there’s a debate about whether the CSO role should even exist long-term. At BlackRock, they argue that sustainability, if material to the business, should sit with the board of directors.
Marisa Buchanan of JP Morgan Chase says it best: “Forget titles—no job description ever fixed in the sustainability field.” A CSO role can be critical when a company is just starting its ESG journey. Over time, though, sustainability may become so embedded in operations that the role fades, leaving strategic oversight to the boardroom.
The Future of Sustainability Leadership
While the CSO role may change or even disappear, the need for sustainability oversight won’t. ESG principles are reshaping industries, driving innovation, and influencing investment decisions.
I read this book almost two years ago, and since then, I’ve been following sustainability professionals on LinkedIn. What I’ve noticed is that much of their time and effort seems to be spent on reporting—creating and managing ESG disclosures rather than actively driving change.
So here’s my question for you: Is the day-to-day reality of being a CSO more like what this book describes, or is it 90% paperwork and compliance? Let’s discuss!