Sustainability Consultants On Demand
Hire Top-Tier Freelance Sustainability Consultants
Dazzle is the sustainability freelancer platform that matches you to the best ESG professionals in the field. Hire consultants to help with any sustainability projects, such as strategy support, implementation and impact analysis.
Our matchmaking algorithm finds the best sustainability freelancer with the right background and expertise for your specific organisation.
Free 30-minute call · Shortlist within 48 hours · No match on your shortlist? You pay nothing.
Not ready to talk yet? Get the free EcoVadis Workbook first.
Collaboration options
Project-based expertise
We approach project-based collaborations with a clear end goal in mind, and reverse-engineer a project plan in order to achieve this goal. This provides you with the flexibility to work with the necessary sustainability professional(s), only for the time needed to overcome your particular challenge.
Ensuring a focused and efficient approach, without the long-term commitment of hiring full-time staff.
Book a free discovery call
Free 30-minute call · Shortlist within 48 hours · No match on your shortlist? You pay nothing.
What you get
- Dedicated sustainability expert(s)
- Work with a team or an individual
- Clear start date and deliverables
- Transparent terms
- Project-based pricing
- Hire within 48 hours
Example projects
- Double materiality assessment towards CSRD compliance
- EcoVadis assessment support
- Developing a compliant annual sustainability report
- Science Based Targets (SBTi) and Net Zero roadmap
- Climate risk assessment and mitigation
Interim expertise
Dazzle’s sustainability experts can seamlessly step in to provide specialised expertise exactly when and where you need it, without the burden of long-term commitments.
This model allows your business to scale your sustainability team efficiently, maintain operational continuity and handle peak demands cost-effectively.
In a nutshell, you can think of this option as ‘sustainability staff on demand’.
Book a free discovery call
Free 30-minute call · Shortlist within 48 hours · No match on your shortlist? You pay nothing.
What you get
- Dedicated sustainability expert(s)
- Fixed amount of hours per month
- Clear and predictable budget
- Transparent terms
- Suitable for family leave
- Hire within 48 hours
Example roles
- Interim CSRD manager
- Interim sustainability manager
- Interim sustainability communications expert
- Interim data collection expert
- Interim ESG manager
- Interim decarbonisation lead
Whatever expertise you need, our network can deliver.
The top-quality sustainability professionals in our network offer a broad spectrum of sustainability expertise. No matter what help you need, Dazzle has got you covered.
Sustainability Communications
Sustainability Reporting
ESG Ratings
Climate action
Working with Sustainability Consultants
We help organisations connect to top sustainability freelance talent by matching them based on their needs, challenges and ambitions.
Table of contentsWhat is a sustainability consultant?
- What is a sustainability consultant?
- What do sustainability consultants do?
- Who can call themselves sustainability experts?
- Why would you work with freelance sustainability consultants?
- When is it the right choice to consider freelance sustainability consultants?
- Benefits of working with a freelance sustainability expert
- An example of a typical freelancer ESG strategy process
What is a sustainability consultant?
Sustainability, otherwise referred to as ESG, has become more and more important in business. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. This is intended to cover the different aspects of being a sustainable business. Another common term is the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.
A sustainability consultant is a professional who specialises in advising and assisting organisations during the process of becoming more sustainable. ESG consultants have expertise in ESG reporting, sustainability strategy, impact assessments, sustainability KPI selection and ESG gap analyses. These actions are intended to support an organisation in identifying its key priorities as they relate to sustainability. Many companies face pressure from their clients, investors, governments and even the general public.
What do sustainability consultants do?
Sustainability consultants provide expert advice and guidance throughout the entire ESG strategy formation, reporting and optimisation phase. This often includes determining a baseline, sustainability goal setting, ESG KPI selection, employee engagement through training, and general consulting on sustainability topics.
This work is often done by big consultancies, but freelancing seems to be the future of work. With Dazzle, we give you access to the best freelance sustainability talent. In this overview we will talk you through:
- The skills and qualifications of freelance sustainability experts
- How they can support your organisation in becoming more sustainable
- What your collaboration with freelancers will look like
- Why working with freelancers is more cost-effective
Who can call themselves sustainability experts?
The freelance sustainability consultants on our platform usually have a background in ESG strategy or ESG reporting in large organisations, as a freelancer or even at Big Four consultancies. Many of them have since moved to the freelance community, either to have more freedom or to be able to serve more organisations with their sustainability skills.
The freelancers on our platform have gone through our assessment process, where we evaluate their skills through an interview and a case study. Afterwards, the Dazzle freelancers complete a skills inventory which feeds our matchmaking algorithm.
Qualifications and skills of freelance sustainability consultants
Sustainability consultants will have worked with many organisations throughout the years. It’s not unusual to have completed ESG reports, sustainability gap analyses and implementation projects in the past. That means that an experienced sustainability freelancer is able to hit the ground running very fast, without a long onboarding period compared to a full-time employee. On our platform, we have a wide range of freelancers, to be able to match your organisation, budget and ambition level.
Juniors
Junior sustainability freelancers (with 2-3 years of experience in sustainability consulting) can provide valuable legwork to understand how sustainability fits into your organisation, whether it’s researching the specific regulations that apply to your organisation, or supporting the implementation of actions that have already been determined by your sustainability strategy.
Associates
Associate-level sustainability freelancers (with 3-7 years of experience as a sustainability professional) can identify the gaps between your current ESG initiatives and those necessary to be a sustainable organisation. A more experienced sustainability consultant can advise you on best practices within your industry, and offer concrete implementation support.
Seniors
Senior sustainability freelancers (with 7+ years of experience as a sustainability professional) can support you completely, from becoming compliant to moving beyond basic requirements. They can act as Chief Sustainability Officers as a service to lead the sustainability efforts from the ESG strategy formation all the way up to publishing your annual sustainability report.
Why would you work with freelance sustainability consultants?
Sustainability or ESG freelancers are flexible alternatives to working with traditional sustainability consulting firms. Given the breadth and depth of sustainability, it could be helpful to have specialists available. Most ESG managers are generalists, but when topics such as biodiversity, regulatory compliance and LCAs arise, they could use a bit of support. With Dazzle, you can tap into a pool of experts when needed, for as long as you need the support.
When is it the right choice to consider freelance sustainability consultants?
Time pressure and flexibility
Recruiting employees for a full-time position in your sustainability team can be a time-consuming process. With Dazzle, you can get started in as little as 48 hours. Simply book a discovery call, complete the scoping form and we’ll match you to the best possible sustainability freelancer. When annual sustainability reports are due, ESG assessment deadlines are lurking around the corner and data collection is delaying your progress, working with a sustainability freelancer can fast-track your actions and help you bridge the gap in your team.
Understaffed ESG department
The beauty and challenge of sustainability is that it is an extremely broad topic, with more and more sub-topics. Especially in organisations that don’t have a fully staffed ESG department, it’s almost impossible to expertly cover every single specialty. Sustainability freelancers are a convenient solution to bridge the skills gap that inevitably exists within your organisation and get expert advice or implementation support in peak times.
Skill gaps and topic-specific expertise
Some extremely complex legislation might be coming your way, which could fall outside the comfort zone of your core sustainability team. We also regularly see sustainability being covered by HR, Marketing or Operations departments. Senior sustainability advisors in particular can deliver much-needed specialist expertise, for example for complex biodiversity scans, LCAs or reporting requirements.
Local expertise
If the ESG department has no expertise in a local market but needs to comply with local regulations, it’s difficult to find a sustainability advisor to support those cross-border activities. Experienced local sustainability freelancers can supply guidance on local legislation and reporting requirements, but also culturally sensitive advice on engaging employees in your sustainability efforts.
Benefits of working with a freelance sustainability expert
Flexibility
ESG freelancers can deliver punctual support, with more availability during peak times and on-demand standby during quieter times in your sustainability roadmap. Tap into a pool of experts to close the skills gaps.
Cost-effective
Traditional ESG consulting firms sell the time and rate of a consultant, and a group of analysts or offshore freelancers from low-income countries who deliver the work. That is neither transparent nor fair to the team members actually working on the project. Working with a sustainability freelancer ensures full transparency, as you’ll be working directly with the individual and there is clear commitment to the project.
Compliance and reporting expertise
Working directly with the individual ensures the level of expertise and experience needed to successfully deliver the project. Compare CVs and work with freelancers who are experienced in your industry. You can also rest assured that all Dazzle freelancers have successfully completed our screening process, meaning you’ll be working with only the best sustainability freelancers.
Working with, not for you
Traditionally, sustainability consultants take the work out of your hands and do the work for you. Our ESG freelancers will work with you on the project, and ensure knowledge transfer along the way. Dazzle is about making progress, on the sustainability front but also for the individual. Our freelancers learn from working with each other and the organisations we serve, and that goes both ways. We want to leave our clients better off than they were when we started, not overwhelmed by a 30-page report.
An example of a typical freelancer ESG strategy process
Setting an ESG baseline
In this first step, we will establish a baseline. What are the existing sustainability initiatives? How far along are you on your ESG journey? Depending on the maturity and ready availability of the data, we can determine a logical sequence for the rest of the project.
Alignment of sustainability goals and strategy
After the baseline has been established, a plan needs to be put into place to close the gaps. In the initial phase, your organisation needs to establish which KPIs to report on and how they relate to your ESG goal setting.
ESG reporting
Most organisations start with a rather simple ESG KPI dashboard. However, depending on which reporting standards or frameworks you follow, the reporting structure needs to be built or improved. GRI is the most common reporting standard to follow, and thus best practice. Reporting should be incorporated into your ESG roadmap. Many organisations opt to publish an annual sustainability report; this enhances transparency, organisational commitment and accountability.
Continuous improvement
Sustainability is never a one-off exercise, as it requires continuous work on your ESG strategy. That’s why you will need to put systems in place to ensure the achievement of your ESG goals. This final step will help you identify the areas of improvement for the continuation of your strategy. You can view this as a circular process, similar to the PDCA loop.
Dazzle’s collaboration enabled a highly efficient expansion of our sustainability initiatives, granting us immediate internal expertise without incurring overhead costs.
The experts, Nalise and Katie, both experts in this field, integrated flawlessly with our existing team. They delivered direct, practical support for our ESG strategy and execution, specifically driving supplier engagement and making significant contributions to our decarbonisation plan.
The adaptable nature of Dazzle’s service model proved invaluable, providing easy access to senior-level support while avoiding the burden of permanent expenses. It’s been transformative!
★★★★★
Jennica SimsVP & Global Head of ESGRequest expertise today, and get to work within 48 hours.
Match with top talent
Free 30-minute call · Shortlist within 48 hours · No match on your shortlist? You pay nothing.
Viktoria
Nico
Wouter
Not ready to talk yet? Get the free EcoVadis Workbook first.