We've evolved

Changing our name and brand from ISEP to to The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP) is a gradual process almost three years in the making, following extensive research, consultation and development.  

On Monday 9 December 2024, at an Extraordinary General Meeting, members voted by Special Resolution in favour of changing the name of the organisation from ISEP to ISEP.

In January 2025, after approval by Companies House (UK Government), we formally changed our legal name.

Later that same month, we began the next stage of member engagement, focused on the rebranding process. This included finalising our purpose and brand positioning in order to bring clarity to the organisations strategic direction and to helping to equip members and the profession with the recognition, standards and credibility they deserve.

We also consulted with members on six options for a fresh new look and feel to our visual brand, which reflected our new identity.

Since January, after a steer from members, we have carried out a thorough rebranding process to reflect our new identity and purpose. This has involved an audit of everywhere the ISEP brand is used (eg. websites, reports, guides, certificates, social media, etc..) and the creative development of the new branding materials to be rolled-out across all aspects of the organisation and in locations where it is used by members, partners and other stakeholders.

We are aiming to launch the new ISEP brand in mid-July 2025.

Following the launch there will be a period of time, perhaps up to one year, when we need to use both names, as people get used to our new identity ad we work through all the touchpoints where our brand is used.

All members will automatically be emailed an updated PDF of their membership certificate under the new ISEP brand (alongside a new LinkedIn badge that they can use on the social networking site) in the week following the rebrand launch on 17 July 2025.

If learners completed a training course on or after 8 January 2025 when ISEP legally changed its name to ISEP (registered at UK Government Companies House), learners will be automatically issued a PDF of their qualification certificate with the new ISEP brand.

If learners completed a training course on or after 8 January 2025 and they want a paper certificate with the new ISEP brand, they will be able to purchase a paper version of their qualification by placing an order after Thursday 17 July (link will be provided here).

If learners completed a training course before 8 January 2025, unfortunately we cannot reissue qualification certificates under the new ISEP name because ISEP was not a legal entity before 8 January 2025. 

All members will automatically be emailed an updated PDF of their membership certificate under the new ISEP brand (alongside a new LinkedIn badge that they can use on the social networking site) in the week following the rebrand launch on 17 July 2025. 

The new ISEP suffixes will undergo a simple transition from IEMA to ISEP, with some variations.  

For example, fellows will simply change their suffix from FIEMA to FISEP. 

GradISEP - Graduate
AISEP - Associate 
PISEP - Practitioner 
MISEP - Full 
FISEP – Fellow 

The new suffixes should be used by members from 17 July. 

There will not be any changes to the process or criteria when applying to become an ISEP member or to advance up the grades.

We already regularly review our membership standards to reflect any changing competencies that are emerging at different membership levels and that will continue. Those changes always have a transition period and all members are notified long in advance.

But there will not be any specific changes driven by changing our name to ISEP or the rebrand.

The change from IEMA to ISEP will NOT change the training courses currently available, or the content of training courses.

The main change will be the switch to the new ISEP name, brand and logo for marketing and other relevant materials, supported by new ISEP Training Brand Guidelines. 

As training centres' certification documents come up for renewal, they will be reissued under the new ISEP brand. However, you have access to a ISEP Training Centre Badge in the brand above to prepare for the launch of ISEP on 17 July 2025. 

The change from ISEP to ISEP will NOT change the training courses currently available or the content of training courses.

However, the work that out members do is broadening all the time and ISEP courses already do embody sustainability at the heart.  

How we structure the content of our training courses into the future will be really important. This may include different training routes, with courses offering a broad base on sustainability and then a more specialised focus on specific areas of training, such as environment or social or impact assessment, etc.. dependent on what a member needs for their work. 

There is already a review of the Sustainability Skills Map underway to make sure our membership standards, professional development, training and support is fit for the future of people working in 2030 and beyond.

Yes - the new name reflects the breadth of our membership base, across all sectors of the economy and all sizes and types of organisation (i.e. people working in the public and private sectors; self-employed as well as those employed in micro, small, medium and large organisations).   

Our membership standards are competency based, and we are agnostic on the size and sector of employers. 

The Impact Assessment expertise amongst our membership is at the very core of our reputation as a professional Institute – and that won’t change.  

One of the key research outcomes of the Future Purpose of IEMA project was the clear steer from members that we needed to embrace a broader spectrum of sustainability in the workplace. With 97% of member agreeing that we should be the “professional body driving standards across the sustainability and environmental profession”.  

However, we want to ensure Impact Assessment professionals will always be paramount among the expertise covered by our membership.  

That is why members suggested we retained the term “environmental” in our new name: The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP). 

Professional institutes ignore their core strengths at their peril. Our traditional membership strengths around Impact Assessment and Environmental Management are key components of our reputation and standing globally.  

A wider purpose for the organisation will always be developed sustainably, ensuring our core strengths remain paramount and any broader offering evolves gradually over time.