Three years ago…

“Jia Xin, what is sustainability?”

“What do you do in the sustainability department?”

“Wow, it seems like a noble job!”

Today…

“Jia Xin, how do I land a job in the ESG and sustainability fields?”

“Is your company hiring?”

“There’s another sustainability event in the next two weeks. Are you going too?”

I’m shocked by the number of people flooding into the ESG and sustainability fields in recent years. They come from all sorts of backgrounds: manufacturing, engineering, human resources, finance, economics, accounting, conservation, environmental science, etc. Well, if you look into the puzzle pieces that make up the words ESG and SUSTAINABILITY, they actually cover all facets of a business. So, it makes sense, right?

Now, I wonder, why do you want to work in the ESG and sustainability fields?

I created a poll last week on LinkedIn, asking the same question. The result showed that 70% of the respondents had the same reason as mine: to save the world!

I started my career in the ESG and sustainability fields for that reason, and reality is not kind to me. Let me share my story with you.

***

In 2017, my friends and family asked me why I wanted to study environmental science and management. I told them because I wanted to land a job in the environmental sector and save the world! I had this idea because I started volunteering with charitable organisations when I was young, and I felt content whenever I was in such an environment. When I was in university, I also thought about working for an NGO or social enterprise. I wanted to feel good or perhaps, look good.

In 2022, I managed to join the sustainability department of a manufacturing company because the opportunity knocked. I was very excited, as I thought I could create an impact and change how a business operates to improve its environmental sustainability and social responsibility. I thought I could change the management’s decision because what I was pushing was for the good. The reality is that they only cared about the bottom line. The tipping point that made me decide to take a leave was when the sustainability department became a one-man team. Don’t be surprised. There are a lot of job openings out there for people with experience in the ESG and sustainability field to fill. People come and go for many reasons. Do expect a huge movement in the sustainability department of most companies.

In 2023, I joined a consulting firm because I thought I could influence a company if I were a consultant. People like to listen to the words of someone who is external to their company, right? Haha. Well, reality hit me again!

Businesses just want to meet the bare minimum requirements set by the regulators. Most of them don’t care about what I wrote in their sustainability reports. The only question they would ask me is, “Is this required by Bursa Malaysia?” I didn’t feel any satisfaction in my job and started to question my career in the ESG and sustainability fields. I felt cheated. I felt powerless. I felt disheartened.

How could I save the world by writing reports? Is ESG and sustainability just a scam? A company can write anything they want in the report, but there is no “police” to check whether they really did it. Why couldn’t they just do it for the Earth? Why couldn’t they save the world with me? Why couldn’t I change their mindset? I did my best, but when the environment and the people I dealt with didn’t see the point or show the support, I decided to leave.

I was trying to change others’ mindsets. Ah, this is the cause of the suffering I was experiencing. I thought I could save the world because I thought I could change others and influence them to do good too. This thinking has been eating up my self-confidence because reality never works that way. The truth is, I can’t change others. I can only do what is within my control, but the rest is up to them.

In August 2023, I decided to take a rest and went to where my heart felt the fullest—the forest. Living in the forest for two weeks with minimal access to electricity made me realise the things that I still care about—the people who suffered from this inequality. I felt grateful for what I had, and it fueled my heart to keep fighting, not for the world but for the people.

In September 2023, I joined Bernard Business Consulting because of my life coach who guided me to discover the uncomfortable truth about myself and the world. I learn to accept the world as it is but I can take control of my own life. My mission now is very simple: to know myself and help others. That’s being sustainable for myself. The rapid development in this field sometimes makes me out of breath, but I just need to keep that little hope that I treasure dearly to push me forward. I can only change the system when I am in the system. Isn’t it? Keep going, man.

***

A lot of people who are like the younger me wanted to pursue a career in the ESG and sustainability fields because they have the same thinking: I want to save the world!

Now, knowing that reality works this way, are you sure you want to work in the ESG and sustainability fields?

Love,
Jia Xin