New and Innovative Leadership: The Evolving Role of the Chief Sustainability Officer

As organizations work to meet ambitious climate goals, navigate complex regulatory landscapes, and manage public pressure, the role of the chief sustainability officer (CSO) position has had to evolve and will continue to into the future. This trend is true for both higher education institutions and industry, as the need for new and innovative sustainability leadership grows in both settings. In a study recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, a team of MIT researchers explore the roles and responsibilities of, and challenges faced by CSOs across higher education and industry, as well as investigating why this traditionally corporate title has recently emerged in a higher education context. The article, co-authored by Leela Velautham, Postdoctoral Researcher; Jeremy Gregory, Executive Director of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium; and Julie Newman, MIT’s Director of Sustainability, draws on findings from interviews with a range of CSOs and highlights the similarities and differences in sustainability management and implementation across the two sectors.

“We hope our findings can inform what the two sectors can learn from each other in terms of strategic decision-making about sustainability, and ultimately facilitate more successful collaborations between the two,” said Velautham.

Through their research, the team found that there are overarching similarities in the challenges and responsibilities, that CSOs face despite whether they work in higher education or industry, such as external engagement and strategic planning to being the proactive voice that is responsible for setting longer term goals and strategies. Both groups of CSOs also focus on managing expectations, such as of students or customers. They also deal with the pressure to accomplish goals quickly, despite often not having direct power or authority, using “soft power” to affect change.

“We found it interesting how similar some of the challenges facing both sets of CSOs were, despite the institutional setting being so different and the CSO role being relatively new in higher education institutions,” added Velautham.

The main differences between the roles included industry CSOs’ involvement in reporting and communications and higher education institution CSOs’ focus on leveraging specific internal stakeholders, such as faculty.

The MCSC hosted a workshop for its member companies on the topic of evolving CSO roles and responsibilities in April 2025. The event featured a panel of industry and higher education CSOs who were all interviewed for the study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. Underscoring many of the themes discussed in the study, the panelists explored what strategic sustainability looks like in the current climate, how to navigate uncertainty, and the importance of cross-sector collaboration for impactful climate action.