International Society of Sustainability Professionals

What International Society of Sustainability Professionals does

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, that operates as the self-described leading global network for sustainability professionals. ISSP serves individual practitioners and organizations across 124 countries, providing community, training, and credentials through individual and organizational memberships, with enterprise customers including Accenture, Slalom, TAFE NSW, and Destination Canada.

ISSP's core products are individual memberships, organizational memberships priced by annual revenue, a library of 35 professional development courses (live and on-demand), and two credentials—the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) and Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP)—administered through a strategic partnership with Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The technology stack consists of a learning management system, a Member Compass member portal for profile/event/invoice management, a Learning Hub for course delivery, a member-only LinkedIn community, and a job board, with no proprietary AI/ML components.

The business model combines recurring subscription membership dues (with geographic and status-based tiering), one-time course and credential exam fees (including a $350 SEA exam with $175 member discount), advertising sales against a 15K-subscriber newsletter with 40%+ open rate, and tax-deductible donations. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging participation at COP 28, Greenbuild, Sustainable Brands, Reuters ESG Investment, and 17 Rooms at the UN, alongside direct sales outreach for organizational memberships. The organization employs 1-10 staff and is governed by an elected board led by President Chhavi Maggu and Executive Director Elizabeth Dinschel.

Name

International Society of Sustainability Professionals

Legal name

International Society of Sustainability Professionals

Website

https://sustainabilityprofessionals.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISSP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that provides community, training, and credentials to 70K sustainability professionals across 124 countries through individual and organizational memberships, courses, and the SEA/SEP credentials administered with GBCI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Corvallis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Dues: Annual subscription-based individual membership with tiered pricing based on student/retiree status and geographic location (World Bank income classification). Includes member discounts on courses, events, and credential exams.
2. Organizational Membership Dues: Annual subscription-based organizational membership priced by annual revenue in USD. Includes discounts for government entities, academic institutions, and nonprofits at $2,000/year. Limited to 100 included members per organization.
3. Professional Development Courses: Revenue from on-demand and live professional development courses, with member discounts available. Courses cover topics like sustainable procurement, carbon offsetting, career development, and sustainability fundamentals.
4. SEA/SEP Credential Fees: Exam fees and study materials for Sustainability Excellence Associate ($350 exam fee) and Sustainability Excellence Professional credentials. Exam administration managed by GBCI partner.
5. Advertising: Advertising opportunities on website, newsletter (15K subscribers, 40%+ open rate), and social media channels targeting sustainability professionals seeking tools, education, and carbon credits.
6. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted to support the organization's mission as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ISSP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association that sells individual and organizational memberships providing access to a global sustainability community of 70,000+ professionals across 124 countries. Its core offerings include the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) and Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) credentials (developed with GBCI and USGBC), a catalog of 35+ on-demand and live professional development courses, study guides and bundles, monthly webinars, virtual working sessions, a member directory, and a career center/job board.

Product overview

International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) operates as a membership-based professional organization with a platform-plus-services architecture. The core offerings center on individual and organizational memberships that provide access to professional development, credentials, and community networking. Key products include the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) and Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) credentials (managed through partner GBCI), study materials (SEA Study Guide, SEA Study Bundle, Core Competencies and SEA Bundle), and the Sustainability Core Competencies Course. Members access training through Member Compass portal, on-demand courses, webinars, and member networking events. The organization launched nine new professional development courses in 2023 and maintains a library of 35 courses. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with 70K professionals in network across 124 countries, ISSP positions itself as the world's leading network for sustainability professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA): Credential demonstrating an understanding of core sustainability concepts and best practices for emerging sustainability professionals.
• Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP)
• SEA Study Guide

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual subscription providing sustainability professionals with access to professional development courses, member networking, on-demand webinar library, online discussion forum, and discounts on credentials and events.
• Organizational Membership Team-based annual membership providing individual memberships for up to 100 colleagues, professional development access, SEA Study Bundle, organizational member logo, member working sessions, course discounts, and member directory. Annual dues are based on the organization's revenue in USD.
• Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) Credential Globally-recognized credential demonstrating understanding of core sustainability concepts and best practices, designed for emerging sustainability professionals. Exam and registration managed by GBCI.
• Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) Credential Advanced globally-recognized credential demonstrating mastery of current sustainability issues, tools, and systems thinking for developing solutions. Exam and registration managed by GBCI.
• SEA Study Bundle Comprehensive bundle of foundational sustainability training materials combining Core Competencies course content with SEA exam preparation, with $110 savings versus non-member pricing.
• Professional Development Courses Live and on-demand courses covering topics such as sustainable procurement, carbon offsetting, career development, food waste reduction, and personal sustainability for professional growth. Library of 35+ courses as of 2023.
• Sustainability Core Competencies Course 10-part video series equipping teams with core sustainability concepts and learning tracks, designed for individuals new to sustainability or those seeking broader industry understanding.
• Core Competencies and SEA Bundle Most comprehensive bundle of foundational sustainability training combining the Core Competencies course with SEA exam preparation materials, with significant member discount.
• Newsletter Advertising Advertising opportunities on ISSP's website, newsletter (15K subscribers, 40%+ open rate), and social media channels targeting sustainability professionals seeking tools, education, and carbon credits.
• Career Center / Job Board Online job board for sustainability professionals featuring career opportunities and RFP postings, including the recent RFP for Education/Trainer/Lead SEA Content Lead.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36% of members live outside North America with 12% increase since 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGBCI manages the SEA and SEP credential exams and registration process. ISSP serves as the education partner providing study materials and exam preparation courses. This partnership provides foundational training for sustainability professionals globally.
• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration providing foundational training through the Sustainability Excellence credentials. ISSP Executive Director participated in USGBC events including Greenbuild conference.
• Sustainable BrandsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerISSP leadership participates in Sustainable Brands conference and events for industry engagement and thought leadership.
• Reuters EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerISSP participates in Reuters ESG Investment events for industry visibility and member engagement.
• Sustainable Procurement Leadership Council (SPLC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for providing professional development resources and programming related to sustainable procurement.
• UN Climate Change High Level Climate ChampionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISSP participated in COP 28 and collaborated with Climate Champions team for industry engagement. ISSP team member Chhavi Maggu was seconded to Climate Champions team supporting COP28.
• TripleWin AdvisoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped courses for ISSP including Cultivate and Mitigate (food waste reduction), which have been adopted by universities for sustainability education.
• The Natural StepminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarl Henrik Robert, founder of The Natural Step framework, inducted into ISSP Sustainability Hall of Fame. Framework aligned with ISSP educational content.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Net Impact: Net Impact is a professional network for emerging leaders in sustainability and social impact, very similar in mission, membership model, and audience to ISSP. Both serve sustainability professionals seeking community, careers, and credentials.
• IEMA (Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment): IEMA is the UK-based professional body for environmental and sustainability practitioners, offering memberships and credential pathways for working sustainability professionals. It competes with ISSP in the global sustainability-credentialing category, though concentrated geographically in the UK.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): USGBC is both an ISSP partner and a broader-incumbent peer — a larger sustainability organization with credentialing (LEED) and education offerings that touches overlapping audiences in green building and corporate sustainability.
• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): BSR is a large, established sustainability advisory working with global enterprises on ESG strategy, supply chain sustainability, and capacity building — serving the same organizational buyer ISSP targets for its team-wide training memberships.
• Ceres: Ceres is a long-standing sustainability nonprofit coalition mobilizing investors and companies on ESG issues. It addresses the same sustainability professional audience but with advocacy and investor-engagement focus rather than individual credentialing.

Emerging players

• GreenBiz: GreenBiz operates sustainability-focused media, events (GreenBiz 24/25), and research that serve many of the same enterprise sustainability professionals ISSP targets. It is partial overlap — media/events only, no credentials.
• Sustainable Brands: Sustainable Brands runs conferences and a media platform for the sustainable business community and is a current ISSP event partner. Overlapping audience of corporate sustainability practitioners with content/event-driven engagement but no competing credential.
• Climate Reality Project: Climate Reality Project trains and mobilizes climate leaders globally through leadership corps programs and educational content — adjacent to ISSP's sustainability training mission with a narrower climate focus.

Others

• CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project): CDP operates the world's largest environmental disclosure system used by investors and companies. It is ecosystem-relevant to ISSP because CDP-trained sustainability professionals are part of ISSP's audience, but CDP is not a direct membership/credentialing competitor.
• GRI (Global Reporting Initiative): GRI sets the global standards for sustainability reporting used by tens of thousands of organizations. Many ISSP credential-holders work in GRI-aligned reporting roles, making GRI an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competing membership body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-of-sustainability-professionals
• Xx.com/issp_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/sustainabilityprofessionals

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Society of Sustainability Professionals