Green Consultants

Why it matters, ten solutions, nine case studies, seven sector predictions and more...

Andrew Sheehan
May 14, 2024

Let’s talk about Green Consultants…

❓ What you’ll learn

A cost/benefit analysis of working with a green consultant.
The diverse landscape of sustainability consulting through ten profiles of leading firms and experts.
Nine real-world case studies demonstrating the effectiveness of green consultants in fast-tracking sustainability strategies.
Seven predictions into the future of sustainability consulting, including the impact of AI and evolving market demands.
Six ways to fund the services of Green Consultants through available grants and funding.
Three Frequently Asked Questions and Answers on Green Consultants.

💎 Why it matters

As companies face growing pressure to demonstrate their green credentials, they often struggle with prioritising, initiating and reporting their progress.

🔍 Problem

Companies need to address challenging topics like prioritising ESG initiatives, deciding on appropriate frameworks, selecting suitable technology and partners, and upskilling their workforce.

💡 Solution

Green Consultants can be on and offboarded regardless of your starting point.

📈 ROI

The cost of a green consultant can be offset by grants available such as the Green for Business Grant. Once onboard, Green consultants can expedite your goals, identify high-return projects, assist with grant funding, enhance your team's skills, advise on your initial sustainability hire, ensure compliance, and reduce the risk of penalties.

🏁 Players:

🚩 Heroes launching solutions

SustainabilityWorks is a 360 consultancy that helps change entire operational and reporting systems, and not just parts of them by Laura, Karen and Aideen.
Fifty Shades Greener equips your teams with education and guidance so that they can make the transformation themselves by Raquel.
SDG Hub brokers carbon offsetting deals between companies in their ecosystem by Yana and Sam.
Business-for-biodiversity identifies and improves your organisations impact on biodiversity by Lucy.
Sporting-Giants is accelerating climate action among sports governing bodies by Scott and Dan.
Sustainabil-IT’s fractional CSO and fractional CIO services accelerate sustainability digital transformation strategies by Mark.
Climeaction specialises in reducing your business's carbon emissions by Paul.
20FIFTY Partners equips your teams with sustainable competencies for long-term operational excellence by Ken.
Change-by-degrees is a digital platform that closes the sustainability skills gap in literacy, confidence, leadership, and more, by Dr. Tara and Madeleine.
EM3 is an energy management consultancy for manufacturing companies by John.

🚩 Fighters launching initiatives

SustainabilityWorks completed a comprehensive benchmarking exercise to inform the development of Ardagh Group’s sustainability strategy.
Eiffel Investment Group work with Greenly.earth to identify and reduce the carbon emissions of its portfolio of companies.
Verifact helped build a blockchain solution for Aldi to provide transparency across their supply chain.
The Printed Image onboard a Fractional Chief Sustainability Officer to provide a structured sustainability roadmap of initiatives through Agile Executives.
RPS Group provides a feasibility study and project roadmap for the delivery of a green hydrogen production plant in co. Offaly.
Baker Hughes reinvents itself for a decarbonised energy future with PWC.
Fifty Shades Greener equips the team at Folens with the knowledge and capabilities to achieve their sustainability goals.
Matheson reviews and reduces its carbon footprint at every stage of their recruitment process with the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance in the UK.
SDG Hub helped Wellola Mitigate 32 tonnes of C02e and more via Eternal Flame Worldwide.

🔮 Predictions

AI agents will be developed to deliver fast answers and solutions currently provided by green consultants, but won’t replace them.
As clients gain more experience in tackling sustainability challenges, their requirements will shift from basic strategy implementation to long-term compliance and reporting.
The skills gap in environmental sustainability, compliance, finance, and reporting will shrink in the workforce, forcing consultants to rethink their value propositions.
The market will see increased competition. Established players will compete with niche firms that specialise in specific aspects of sustainability, regulation, technology, and reporting.
As regulations and technology continue to evolve, consultants will need to adapt their practices to remain relevant. Building a trusted and credible brand today will be crucial for consultants' adaptability in the future.
The demand for part-time Chief Sustainability Officers will increase.
To maintain growth in a mature market, consulting firms will broaden their services beyond traditional environmental and social sustainability consulting. This expansion will include related areas such as marketing best practices to prevent green-washing, HR, and recruitment to help companies cultivate cultures of sustainability.

💰 Recent Rounds

Greenly raised $52m in series B funding round in September 2022.

Climeaction raised €2.3m from the Davy EIIS fund in March 2024.

ClimateVault raised $9.4m in series A funding round in June 2023.

Schneider Electric acquired EcoAct in November 2023.

ClimateView raised €14m in series A funding round in June 2023.

✨ Frequently Asked Questions on Green Consultants

What is Green Consulting?

Green consulting, also known as sustainability consulting or environmental consulting, is a sector that focuses on helping organisations, businesses, governments, and other entities address environmental challenges and achieve sustainability goals. Green consultants provide expertise, guidance, and services to help their clients minimise their environmental impact, comply with regulations, improve resource efficiency, and adopt sustainable practices across various aspects of their operations.

How much does a Green Consultant charge?

Green consultants' fees depend on work scope, project complexity, expertise level, location, and the firm's reputation. They usually charge using these models:

Hourly Rate: Clients pay based on the project time, which depends on the consultant's experience, expertise, and market demand.
Fixed Fee: Consultants provide a fee for the entire project based on the work estimate. This method is commonly used for projects with well-defined scopes and deliverables.
Retainer: Clients pay a monthly or annual fee for continuous access to advisory services and support.
Project-Based Pricing: For larger projects, the fee is based on specific deliverables and milestones.
Performance-Based Pricing: Fees are tied to the achievement of specific targets or outcomes like energy savings or regulatory compliance.

The rates can range from a few hundred dollars per hour for individual consultants to tens of thousands for larger firms.

What grants are available to support the cost of working with a Green Consultant in Ireland?

Enterprise Ireland provides a range of funding and grants for their client organisations.
The Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) provides discounted loans.
The European Investment Bank has an online green eligibility checker for funding your green investment.
Local Enterprise Offices have a range of funding and grant support for businesses.
The Planning Fund for Business (CPFB) also provides financial supports to businesses going green.
You can get up to €1m under the fund if you are a manufacturing business and a client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland through the Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund
And many more….