Why Decentralisation Matters
Where sustainability sits in an organisation sends a strong signal about how seriously it is taken. Rising regulatory pressures, investor scrutiny, and stakeholder expectations mean that traditional models—where a single team simply adds sustainability to its remit, whether marketing, operations, or procurement—are no longer sufficient for many organisations aiming to deliver meaningful outcomes across their entire operation.
Many organisations have set milestones to create a credible path to long-term sustainability goals, and with these deadlines approaching rapidly, embedding sustainability across every function has become urgent.
What decentralising sustainability means: Instead of relying on one team or function to deliver sustainability, decentralisation spreads responsibility across the organisation. A central sustainability team provides strategy, guidance, governance, and technical expertise, while embedded champions and business partners in different functions translate that strategy into actionable, day-to-day decisions. This ensures sustainability is woven into the business rather than siloed in one team.
How Responsibility is Evolving Across Functions
Decentralising sustainability ensures strategies are translated into operational action, for example:
- Marketing & Communications: Defines purpose, narrative, and brand positioning, and communicates achievements internally and externally. Decentralisation ensures messaging aligns with what teams are delivering on the ground.
- Finance & Legal: Expertise in disclosure, risk management, and compliance is essential. Decentralisation ensures finance and legal insights support delivery across the business.
- Procurement & Supply Chain: Influences suppliers, materials, and sourcing standards, helping meet net zero, ethical sourcing, and circular economy goals. Decentralisation ensures procurement decisions reinforce sustainability consistently across functions.
- Operations & Manufacturing: Translates strategy into tangible actions, from energy efficiency and waste reduction to logistics and resource management. Decentralisation ensures these actions align with organisational priorities and benefit from central guidance.
- HR / People & Culture: Shapes employee behaviour, engagement, and capability. Integrating sustainability into recruitment, performance metrics, and training embeds it into organisational culture and ensures initiatives work in harmony with other functions.
- IT & Digital Functions: Influences energy use, reporting, and digital product design. Their engagement ensures technology decisions support sustainability objectives and complement operational delivery.
Without decentralisation, even the strongest strategies risk remaining theoretical. Real impact occurs only when sustainability is embedded across every function, with each area contributing its expertise in partnership with central strategy and shared organisational goals.
Sustainability as a Cross-Business Function
In some organisations, sustainability operates as a central, horizontal function, partnering with every department while providing strategy, governance, and technical expertise.
A central team—or even one person—cannot drive change alone. Embedding sustainability champions and business partners across departments extends influence, creating a network that drives organisation-wide progress. Many ISEP members in similar roles report feeling isolated, under-resourced, and frustrated when lacking support, slowing their ability to effect change. A decentralised model distributes responsibility and builds capability.
Board-level support is also vital. For example, some companies appoint an ESG or Sustainability Director at the executive level, formally integrating sustainability into strategic decision-making. Combining central expertise, departmental champions, and executive backing embeds sustainability from frontline teams to the boardroom.
From Strategy to Execution
Amelia explained in her most recent role she started as a team of one with no formal strategy. Rather than building a large team immediately, she focused on strong foundations, supported by specialist consultants in carbon, human rights, and governance.
This evolved into a lean but highly effective central team covering:
- Net zero and carbon
- Social value and impact
- Governance, regulation, and disclosure
The team moved to setting direction, ensuring compliance, and providing expert support across the organisation.
The Sustainability Business Partner Programme
The game-changer was the Sustainability Business Partner Programme. One individual from each function was upskilled through the ISEP Foundation Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management, becoming internal champions. This approach:
- Leverages departmental knowledge and culture
- Builds sustainability capability from within
- Creates accountability without adding headcount
Building Confidence and Culture
Decentralisation only works if people feel confident engaging with sustainability.
Amelia invested in:
- Organisation-wide sustainability training
- Targeted sessions for high-impact teams (e.g., procurement, supply chain)
- Ongoing coaching and support
A standout example: the sales team. Initially seeing sustainability as a barrier, they received training, messaging, and tools to integrate sustainability into customer conversations. By year-end, over 3,500 employees had received training, embedding sustainability into business-as-usual decision-making.
From Morality to Materiality
Sustainability is no longer just a moral imperative—it is material to business success.
Today, it is:
- A business and investor risk
- A driver of long-term value
- Central to organisational resilience and growth
Materiality assessments, governance, and performance measures are essential, not optional.
Final Reflections
Organisations are moving beyond strategy and focusing on delivery, but doing this effectively requires thoughtful organisational design.
Decentralising sustainability doesn’t mean losing control. It means structuring teams so a central function provides strategy, governance, and expertise, while champions and business partners translate it into action across departments. This aligns roles, builds capability, and embeds accountability, making sustainability part of everyday decision-making.
As predicted in A Blueprint for Green Workforce Transformation (ISEP, 2022), decentralisation is a strategic necessity, turning sustainability into a shared responsibility that drives measurable impact.
Take the Next Step
Download the Model Organisation toolkit to guide your design and embed sustainability across functions.
