UN Sustainable Development Goals

Considering these when researching careers and employers

This resource is for all students who wish to consider Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in relation to their future jobs, careers and working life.

You may already be studying aspects of Sustainability within your degree subject and/or have a particular interest in finding out how sustainability principles could be incorporated into a future career or influence your search for a graduate job.

As Sustainability is a multi-disciplinary area and increasingly integrated into many different sectors, jobs and careers, this leaflet is only a starting point.

Depending on your values, skills, interests and degree subject, you may wish to refer to our subject specific leaflets to explore an area in more depth, for example ‘Environment and Sustainability’, ‘Economics’, ‘Politics & International Relations’ or ‘The Public and Charity Sector’.

We have also included some Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) resources that may help if you wish to research employers who have committed to sustainable/ethical business practices.

What is Sustainability?

The United Nations has defined Sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”, with the aim of creating a balance between economic growth, environmental preservation, and social well-being, often referred to as the three pillars:

The environmental pillar considers the impact of our consumption and production systems on the Earth, how to deal with climate disruption; loss of biodiversity, and how to manage vital resources (water, food and energy) sustainably.

The social pillar focuses on promoting social equality, justice, diversity, inclusion, health and well-being within societies.

The economic pillar works to ensure sustainable economic growth. This includes responsible resource management, economic systems that ensure long-term financial stability and socially responsible business practices (e.g. Corporate Social Responsibility).

Find out more by enrolling in Surrey’s Global Graduate Award in Sustainability or listen to Ted talks on Sustainability.

Self-Awareness - What's important to you?

After gaining a general understanding of Sustainability, reflect and clarify your personal values, strengths and motivations using our Self-Awareness resource. Then consider the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations in relation to your personal and professional goals and see where there may be some alignment and where you could help make a difference.

Sustainable Development Goals

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals aim to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address a range of global challenges and are a call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity to all people.

Explore the goals in more depth and write down any goals that resonate with you.
All jobs and sectors will need to adapt to sustainable development goals and new ways of thinking will be required at a global, national, and local community level. No matter what you are studying, there are many ways for you to contribute towards a sustainable future. For example, see McGill University's list of job titles – This is not an exhaustive list but it illustrates the wide variety of job roles and sectors linked to SDGs
Make a note of any job titles that appeal and/or link to your skills, strengths, knowledge and interests.

Sustainability is important at an individual, organisational, sector, national and global level. There is not one structured career path, there are roles in every sector and at every level. This is why it’s helpful to start with identifying what’s important to you, identify your strengths and expertise and where you can and want to contribute. Then you can research types of roles and organisations that are working towards SDGs that align with your values or goals. This may also mean identifying extra-curricular activities you can get involved with alongside your future career.

These career resources and articles can help generate ideas, whether you want to explore working directly in the sustainability, environmental or social justice sector and/or it is important to you to find graduate employers that support sustainability goals.

Careers & Sustainability

LSE - Careers in Sustainability

Prospects - A guide to sustainable careers

Prospects – How to get a job in Sustainability

80000hours.org – A Non-profit organisation whose aim is to provide research and support to help students and recent graduates find careers that tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Includes a comprehensive career guide.

Science for Global responsibility - A membership organisation promoting responsible science and technology - includes Globally Responsible STEM Careers resource.

Environment & Sustainability

Please refer to our “Environment and Sustainability” leaflet.

Green careers: find a graduate job that helps the environment (targetjobs.co.uk)

How to find a job that’s good for you and the planet: A Green Careers Guide

University of Oxford - Careers in Sustainability and the environment

Social Justice, Human Rights, Education, Health & Wellbeing

University of Oxford – Careers with Social Impact

Targetjobs - Careers that make a difference

Targetjobs - Jobs with integrity: the only way is ethics

Human rights careers

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Social Governance & Sustainable Finance

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is when companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders.

Environmental Social Governance (ESG) - Standards for measuring a business's impact on society, the environment, and how transparent and accountable it is. Socially-conscious investors use ESG to screen potential investments.

There are jobs and specific departments in organisations that focus on CSR and EDI, for example

Increasingly aspects, of CSR, ESG and EDI are becoming integrated into roles across the organisation as they become core business practice rather than a separate function.

Acre - Sustainable Finance jobs

UNPRI - Blueprint for Responsible investment – useful video

FTSE4Good Index and The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index – Sustainable indices – stock market indicators made up of listed companies which demonstrate strong ESG practices.

ICSA - Starting a career in governance

Acre –Sustainability & ESG Recruitment consultancy

Social Enterprise - Social enterprises are businesses with a social or environmental purpose. Find out how to set one up, explore the social enterprise directory or find Social Enterprise – Jobs

Researching Graduate Employers

Research employers to understand them more fully. Read their mission statement, organisational values and strategy on their “About us” and “Investor relations” web pages. This research will help you submit a tailored application, help you in interviews, and help you reflect on how well your values and career needs align with the organisations’ values and work environment.

Views on what makes an "ethical" employer vary by individual, but many companies now share their goals, values, policies, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices online. They usually cover the following topics:

Environmental - the environmental impact, direct or indirect, of an organisation’s operations, products or services including those of its suppliers.
Community/Social - the impact of an organisation’s projects, products, services or investments on the community at a local or global level.
Workplace Practices - including respectful treatment of employees in recruitment and selection; diversity, equality and inclusion; work/life balance; professional development and progression; managing redundancies; employment rights.
Marketplace & Business Conduct – responsible behaviour in developing, purchasing, selling and marketing products and services.
Ethical Governance - from board level and throughout an organisation: transparency; risk reporting; effective codes of conduct, codes of ethics and compliance measures.

Source: AGCAS/ Career Ethics How to choose an ethical employer

For some companies, these commitments are fundamental to their ethical brand (E.g. Innocent Drinks and Triodos Bank), whilst other companies recognise the business benefits that CSR bring in terms of attracting the best talent, maintaining customer loyalty and gaining competitive advantage, embracing CSR as good business practice. There are also employee-owned businesses such as John Lewis Partnership involving the workforce in key decision-making, ensuring everyone benefits from the success of the business and Social enterprises which are businesses that trade with a social or environmental purpose.Organisations whose purpose is not to make a profit but provide a public service (the Public sector – funded by taxpayers) or have a charitable aim (the Charity sector) also publicly commit to and report on CSR goals. To ensure credibility and avoid CSR being seen as just a public relations exercise (sometimes referred to as ‘green washing’), transparency and accountability is vital.

Useful Resources

B Corporation - There are currently over 6000 Certified B Corporations in more than 80 countries and over 150 industries. Find a B-Corp employers.

CSR Windo - Employers profiles with information on sustainability, environmental protection, gender, racial, LGBTQ+ or disability equality and inclusion, social mobility or mental wellbeing.

Business in the Community - UK’s largest responsible business network dedicated to building a fairer and greener world. Promotes best business practice.

Ethical Consumer Research Association is an independent, not-for-profit that helps consumers shop ethically. Useful for identifying companies and brands across sectors such as energy, fashion, health and food.

The UK’s best companies to work for list with a focus on employee engagement

Finally

Whilst researching information about employers is useful, do also try to connect directly with graduate employers through attending career events, employer workshops and networking opportunities. You can then ask more questions about their business and work environment and talk directly with current employees.

Don’t forget we are always happy to help you with every aspect of your career planning and development, wherever you are in your journey. If you are unclear about where to start or what to focus on first, just make an appointment with a Careers Consultant via Surrey Pathfinder and we can help you develop a plan for moving forward.

Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion careers resources to find out more about diversity initiatives, employer perspectives and support at Surrey.

If you would like more information, visit MySurrey Help to find answers to the most common questions and details on how to ask us a question if you require more support.