Sustainability expert Waite, leader of the Climate Finance Fund, offers a comprehensive overview of environmental, social, and governance initiatives at work.

The author delivers asecond edition of her slim book, first published in 2017, on the importance and practicality of various sustainability measures in all kinds of industries and at various scales. This new edition features new chapters on climate-related careers (involving supply chain, end users, stakeholder relations, and future sustainability) and another on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and how they intersect with climate change and other issues. The book also acknowledges recent changes in office life, including a greater emphasis on remote work. Overall, her definition of sustainable development is an institutional structure that meets “the needs of all generations, present and future, while improving their well-being through social, economic, environmental, and intergenerational efforts.” Waite organizes her overview into what she refers to as the four pillars of sustainability—society, economy, environment, and future generations—and she builds up on a “SURF” Framework, comprised of “Supply Chain” (“the building blocks that constitute a product or help bring about a service”), “User” (the consumer, the customer, the citizen, or the client), “Relations” (“Do employees feel that there is a positive, inclusive work environment?”), and “Future” (the ethically obligation to look out for generations yet to come). Waite alternates between broader observations—backed up by extensive research—and personal stories of people who faced sustainability challenges in their workplace, such as Pia Malmquist, a pediatrician at Stockholm’s Karolinska University Hospital, whose job of caring for patients regularly touched on many aspects of environmental responsibility. The sheer range of Waite’s book is a marvel, as she covers sustainability’s history, economic feasibility, ethics, and the practicality of specific tools, such as printing presses using vegetable-based inks and chlorine-free paper. She also insightfully touches on the ways that the climate crisis has exacerbated social inequalities. Her narrative drive and remarkable talent for concision pulls these topics together into readable chapters that never feel overcrowded, and may convince even the most skeptical readers.

An impressively detailed and knowledgeable primer on environmental, social, and governance issues in the workplace.

Waite (Sustainable Water Resources in the Built Environment, 2010) details the ways every worker can strive for sustainability.

In the foreword, the author states that the thesis of the book is that “sustainability can be incorporated into every imaginable career.” She then reacquaints readers with three traditional pillars of sustainability (society, economy, and environment), and tacks on a fourth: the consideration of future generations. From those, she builds her framework for promoting sustainability in the workplace, using the acronym “SURF”: “Supply chain,” “User,” “Relations,” and “Future.” “Supply chain” refers to all the “building blocks” of a product or service, right down to “the pen that consultants use to conduct their work”; “User” refers to how the consumer uses a product or service; “Relations” represents the morale and health of various stakeholders, including employees and people who live in the area of production; and “Future” stands for the company’s overall impact and progress. The author is an engineer with multiple degrees, including a master’s from the University of Cambridge, and parts of the book are written in a rather academic style. This suits the intended audience of students, but may prove too dense for casual readers. However, all will benefit from the more accessible interviews with professionals around the world, about how they’ve committed to sustainability; for instance, a Swedish doctor tells of how increased outpatient care decreased the hospital’s use of unsustainable materials. True to its thesis, the book covers a wide range of professional fields, including technology, health care, law, finance, education, and entertainment. Each chapter contains an outline of resources and concrete steps. Additionally, the author provides precise citations and sources. That said, one question that students may ask is how one can successfully advocate for change from an entry-level position, which the book doesn’t directly address.

A wide-ranging book that will inspire young professionals to focus on sustainability.