Looking for a network of like-minded sustainability professionals? These 5 communities offer support, growth, and connection for climate-driven leaders.
Sustainability work often happens at the intersection of high expectations and limited support. You’re navigating complex systems, managing competing priorities, and trying to influence without always having the authority to make decisions. It can feel isolating even when you’re surrounded by good intentions.
That’s where community comes in. A strong community for sustainability professionals offers more than connection. It’s a place to reflect with peers, stay sharp in a fast-moving field, and develop the kind of leadership that lasts. Whether you’re looking to grow your influence, build resilience, or simply talk to people who “get it,” the right community can make all the difference.
In this article, we’re sharing five standout communities designed to support sustainability professionals at different stages and in different contexts, from structured training to values-led peer support.
Let’s help you find the one that fits.
Why Join a Sustainability Community?
Sustainability work is about people, and too often, the people leading the charge are doing it alone.
Joining a sustainability leadership network gives you more than a seat at the table. It offers you a place to think out loud, be challenged (gently), and keep growing. Whether you’re navigating strategic decisions, internal politics, or your own energy levels, the right community becomes a steady source of support.
Here’s what you can expect from a good community for sustainability professionals:
- 👥 Peer support for sustainability professionals navigating real-world complexity
- 🧠 Shared learning on emerging frameworks, regulations, and ESG tools
- 🌱 Career development for ESG leaders through leadership practice, not just content
- 💬 A space to build confidence in your voice and clarity in your strategy
- 🤝 Opportunities for collaboration, accountability, and creative partnerships
Having a community is a multiplier. The right one helps you lead with more insight, energy, and impact.
1. HeartWork
Best for: Sustainability professionals seeking peer support, leadership development, and space to reflect
HeartWork is more than a sustainability leadership network; it’s a space for the humans doing the hard work of driving change from the inside out.
Designed for in-house sustainability professionals navigating complexity, politics, and purpose, HeartWork focuses on leadership development for sustainability professionals who often find themselves without formal power but with enormous responsibility.
This invite-only community blends structured learning with candid connection. Through live workshops, small-group mastermind sessions, and an active Slack space, members practice the skills that actually drive impact: influence, emotional intelligence, strategic clarity, and grounded leadership.
What makes HeartWork different is their tone; it’s warm, human, and honest. It’s a space where sustainability professionals don’t have to perform expertise. Instead, they reflect, connect, and grow, together.
If you’re mid-career and feeling stretched between your values and your role, HeartWork offers not just peer support for sustainability but a meaningful space to lead with more courage and less burnout.
2. Association of Sustainability Practitioners (ASP)
Best for: UK-based professionals looking to shape regenerative and systemic approaches
The Association of Sustainability Practitioners (ASP) is a long-standing community grounded in systemic thinking, regenerative practice, and place-based experimentation.
While some networks focus on frameworks and certifications, ASP invites members into deeper inquiry: How do we create thriving futures and not just sustainable ones? What does leadership look like in systems we’re actively trying to transform?
ASP offers online discussions, in-person gatherings, and rich written reflections from its members. It’s an excellent space for practitioners who want to move beyond operational ESG work and explore broader cultural and ecological change.
If you’re interested in the intersection of inner work, community collaboration, and systems transformation, ASP is a compelling network—it’s a diverse, international, multi-discplinary community embracing several generations. They provide each other with the space to safely explore the challenges of a journey through mutual support and helpful connection. While it’s less structured than some other options, the depth of thinking and openness to experimentation make it a unique space for growth and contribution.
3. International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)
Best for: Global professionals looking for credentials, structure, and credibility in the field
If you’re looking to formalize your expertise and advance your career through recognized qualifications, the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is a trusted global option.
ISSP offers one of the most established career development paths for ESG leaders, including certification programs, structured training, and access to a global network of practitioners. It’s a great fit for professionals who want to strengthen their legitimacy, stay current with global sustainability standards, and build a technical foundation across a broad range of topics.
Beyond certifications, ISSP provides a digital hub with forums, webinars, and discussion boards for peer engagement. While it’s less focused on personal leadership or emotional intelligence, it excels in offering professional development for sustainability professionals seeking structure, upskilling, and credibility on their CV.
If your priority is growing within a recognized framework and joining a larger, international sustainability conversation, ISSP delivers solid resources and reach.
4. The Sustainability Circle (TSC)
Best for: Professionals focused on sustainable products, supply chains, and measurable impact
For those working at the intersection of product, operations, and data — The Sustainability Circle (TSC) offers a focused, research-backed community. With roots in the consumer goods and retail industries, TSC brings together companies committed to improving environmental and social performance across supply chains.
This is not your average community group, it’s a B2B sustainability network grounded in science-based metrics, cross-sector collaboration, and implementation tools. Members gain access to deep technical research, best-practice benchmarking, and working groups focused on real-world solutions.
TSC is especially well-suited to professionals leading sustainability initiatives inside complex organisations—whether that’s supplier engagement, packaging innovation, or lifecycle assessment. While it’s less peer-to-peer and more solution-focused, the depth of insight and corporate alignment make it a valuable resource for those driving product and procurement change.
If you’re seeking metrics, tools, and business-led collaboration, TSC is one of the strongest communities in this space.
5. Good Ripple
Best for: Changemakers blending inner work with outer impact
Good Ripple is a newer community for sustainability professionals who believe that systems change starts with self-awareness. Rooted in coaching, co-creation, and emotional intelligence, they offer a blend of personal development and professional alignment.
The community runs regular coaching circles, values-led workshops, and themed conversations, all aimed at helping members explore the inner shifts required to sustain outer change. If you’re drawn to terms like regenerative leadership, nervous system awareness, or purpose-led practice, you’ll feel right at home here.
While it’s less focused on technical skills or frameworks, Good Ripple excels in creating human-first spaces that reconnect changemakers with meaning, energy, and direction. It’s especially supportive for those in transition—career-wise, emotionally, or both.
For anyone craving connection that goes deeper than content, and leadership development that integrates the whole person, Good Ripple is a thoughtful and generous community to explore.
How to Choose the Right Community for You
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to choosing a sustainability leadership network. Each of the communities above offers something distinct; from technical training to inner work, from global reach to intimate dialogue. So how do you choose what’s right for you?
Start by getting clear on what you’re seeking right now:
- Are you looking for career development as an ESG leader — with certifications, credentials, or new opportunities?
- Do you need peer support for sustainability work — a space to talk honestly and feel less alone?
- Are you craving strategic clarity, emotional resilience, or more confidence navigating your role?
- Do you prefer structured tools and frameworks, or reflective conversations and values-driven dialogue?
It may take trying a community or two to find your fit, and that’s okay. Many offer free events, short trials, or open circles where you can get a feel for the space. Give it 30–60 days and then notice how you feel after each interaction.
The right community won’t give you all the answers, but it will give you the space (and support) to ask better questions.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Sustainability work asks a lot of the people doing it. It’s strategic, emotional, and often slow. And yet, many sustainability professionals are trying to carry it all without a map, and without a support system.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Whether you’re looking for connection, clarity, accountability, or career development as a sustainability leader, there’s a community for sustainability professionals out there that can meet you where you are, and help you grow into where you’re going.
No single space will do it all. But each of the communities listed here can offer something valuable. Whether it’s peer learning, emotional resilience, or professional structure.
So if you’ve been holding it together on your own, consider this your invitation to stop.
Look around. Reach out. Try something new.
Start exploring the communities above and see what changes when you stop doing it alone.
FAQs
1. What’s the difference between a sustainability leadership network and a typical professional association?
A sustainability leadership network is usually more focused on personal and strategic growth, not just credentials or industry news. These spaces often provide peer reflection, real-time support, and leadership development that goes beyond job titles. If you’re seeking not just knowledge, but clarity and confidence in your role, a leadership network can offer something deeper.
2. I’m already overwhelmed — how do I make time for a community?
You’re not alone in feeling that way. The truth is, the right peer support for sustainability doesn’t add to your to-do list, it strengthens your ability to show up for what matters. Even one meaningful session a month can reduce burnout, improve decision-making, and remind you that you’re not in this alone.
3. Will joining a community really help my career in sustainability?
Yes, especially if you’re in-house and navigating complex environments. Communities can offer career development for ESG leaders by connecting you with new frameworks, collaborations, and trusted feedback. More importantly, they help you build the inner foundation that supports long-term impact and resilience.