Our Professional members are held to the highest standards while they abide by our professional code of conduct. Our graded Professional memberships, from Graduate Membership (GradIEMA) through to our Chartered Environmentalist status (CEnv) and Fellow Membership (FIEMA), are a great way to show employers and the rest of the world exactly where you are on your career journey and what level of knowledge and skill you possess. You will regularly see a requirement for an IEMA professional membership on job applications as they are recognised by employers as a great way to ensure you have what they are looking for.

For 20 years, we have been ensuring that people working on the front line in environmental management and sustainability have the right knowledge, competencies, skills, and confidence to do a professional job. We do this by providing resources, tools, support and guidance along with high-quality formal training to meet the needs of our members from their first steps on the career ladder, right to the very top. By doing this we raise the bar for professionalism in sustainability.

We need a diverse range of solutions to tackle climate change and this can only happen when we have a diverse workforce. IEMA is dedicated to improving the diversity of talent entering our profession and improving systems and processes to make every workplace more inclusive. That’s why we started the Diverse Sustainability Initiative, a collaboration to break down systemic barriers to entry and progression within our profession.

Over the last few years, business and government have started to recognise the requirement for knowledge on the environment and sustainability across all professions. Whether you are a marketer, accountant, or human resources professional, the way we all do business is changing. Our Affiliate level membership offers those with an interest in environment and sustainability an opportunity to connect into the agenda, develop professionally and network with like-minded people.

Our members are a diverse group and work in everything from business and industry and environmental consultancies to local government and academia. But, what they have in common is a passion to make a real difference. A real impact. Together, as a community of environment and sustainability professionals and affiliated professionals, and as individuals in their homes and workplaces.

Our specialist registers are a great way to showcase your specific skillset to potential clients. We hold internationally recognised registers for Environmental Auditors, Environmental Impact Assessment Practitioners and Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Lead Assessors.

Sustainable businesses are more resilient, more competitive and better prepared for what’s to come, both in terms of legislative changes and our rapidly changing climate. Our corporate partners span all industries and each one is at a different part on their sustainability journey. They are connected by a desire to change and improve how they operate by developing internal strategies and increasing sustainability knowledge across the whole organisation through IEMA certified workplace training. We provide support to our corporate partners in both areas.

The climate emergency has no borders, and it does not exist within just one industry. It requires an urgent change to how we all do business. We encourage our corporate partners to work collaboratively to solve challenges and share wins by providing networking opportunities through events and webinars.

Professional development is central to remaining ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainability. We work with training providers all over the globe to deliver a multitude of courses from specific role enhancers developed by professionals to the IEMA Certificate and Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management.

We want to ensure that graduates leaving environmental programmes have the right knowledge, skills and tools to deliver value in a global economy. We work with university partners to develop their curriculum against our Sustainability Skills Map so that students graduate with the expertise and understanding they need to secure a job in environment and sustainability, and ultimately lead change. Students studying on our accredited courses get free IEMA membership while they study and the ability to move up to Graduate level membership when they complete their course, giving them the professionally recognised GradIEMA suffix, which signifies that they are part of the next generation of sustainability leaders and enabling them to fast track an application to Practitioner once they have gained sufficient experience.

Think global, act local. The Regional Networks lead IEMA’s voice and member engagement across the world. They champion the work of local members and create the partnerships needed to support the shift to a sustainable economy. We support our regional network steering groups to recruit volunteers and to plan, deliver and review a programme of online and face-to-face events, which provide great opportunities for building peer networks and continuing professional development.

Find out more about our regional networks here. 

Working with members in different countries, we support the development of localised networks that really deliver for our members across the globe. World networks currently exist in:

1. Australia 
2. Europe
3. Hong Kong
4. India
5. Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
6. New Zealand
7. Republic of Ireland
8. Trinidad and Tobago
9. West Africa

Find out more here. 

Influencing the development of government policy, legislation, regulations and standards is critical in ensuring more equitable outcomes on the environment and sustainability. Drawing on the insights and knowledge of our members, we produce policy reports and recommendations that we present to government with the aim of improving the policymaking process. We also participate in Government consultations and Parliamentary select committee inquiries, ensuring that IEMA’s voice is heard by key decision-makers. 

Our policy work also stretches beyond the UK, with activities geared at influencing relevant international standards related to the environment and wider sustainability agenda a key part of the programme. We also work closely with international organisations, like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to drive international action on tackling climate challenges.

To support our members in their understanding of emerging policy and regulatory issues that will impact them in the workplace, we publish analysis of the latest government announcements and legislative developments.

Our practice work is also focused on developing cutting-edge guidance that IEMA members use in their day-to-day working lives, including in areas such as impact assessment, environmental auditing and environmental management.

There are seven IEMA member steering groups and networks that are currently engaged in producing webinars and a range of written content that explores issues and challenges across the following thematic areas:

• Circular economy
• Climate change and energy
• Biodiversity and natural capital
• Impact assessment
• Environmental management
• Sustainable finance
• Social sustainability

IEMA is a global organisation that supports individual members in over 100 countries. We work with IEMA corporate partners who operate across the world and a network of training partners in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

We know that we need to effect positive change in every country of the world as the climate has no borders. We need to work together, collaboratively across societies, businesses and governments if we are going to ensure the planet survives and is fit for future generations.

Supporting the important work of our members and partners to drive change within their business and local governments, IEMA’s Policy Team work across committees that influence and shape global policy, global standards and practice development.

Martin Baxter leads work in the development of national and international standards on environmental management, including his role as Chair of the ISO Environmental Management Systems Committee and Head of UK Delegation to ISO on environmental management. 

Green skills are required in every job role in every sector and industry, from accounting to zoology, administrative and support services to wholesale and retail trade. This is why IEMA’s individual members and corporate partners span numerous sectors, industries and professions.

Our individual professional members have a work-role that is centred on the environment or sustainability. This could be in any sector such as construction, manufacturing, education or retail. We do have many Professional members that work within businesses that operate in the Environmental Services sector. Whereas our individual Affiliated members have a work-role that is centred on a different profession, such as accounting or marketing, who have an interest in integrating sustainability practices into their work.

Our corporate partners usually employ Professional and/or Affiliated members, and work in varying sectors from public service to construction, manufacturing and food production.