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307 - ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management

The IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management provides the core knowledge and skills needed to improve sustainability practices in your organisation.

What is the ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management?

The ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management helps professionals move beyond environmental awareness and build the capability needed to influence environmental performance, improve operational outcomes, and make sustainability work in reality.

Because sustainability rarely fails in ambition.

It fails in operational execution.

This qualification builds on the essentials of environmental management, waste management, and core sustainability principles in a way that equips you to make clear, defensible choices in your role. Whether you're taking on environmental responsibilities for the first time or formalising experience you've already gained, ISEP Training ensures you understand not just what good practice looks like, but why it matters.

You won’t simply “learn environmental topics”. You’ll develop the competence to navigate sustainability challenges with confidence, balancing operational realities, commercial pressures, and stakeholder expectations.

The course includes 12 months of membership with ISEP. After completing the Certificate, you can progress to Practitioner level membership, benefiting from membership of a professional body and a global network of sustainability professionals.

What this means for your organisation:

  • More informed environmental decision-making across teams

  • Improved environmental performance through better management of resources, waste and impacts

  • Greater confidence managing environmental risks and opportunities

  • Stronger integration of sustainability into day-to-day business operations

  • Improved credibility with clients, stakeholders and supply chain partners

  • Greater confidence that environmental decisions and practices would stand up to scrutiny

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Benefits for Learners:

  • Develop the capability to oversee environmental performance across an organisation

  • Gain confidence influencing sustainability and environmental decisions

  • Strengthen your understanding of environmental management systems and governance

  • Identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency and optimise resource use

  • Build knowledge that supports progression to ISEP Practitioner Membership

Benefits for Employers:

  • Reduce exposure when environmental and sustainability decisions are investigated.

  • Enhance employee capability to support risk management and sustainability strategies.

  • Stronger internal competence, reducing reliance on external consultants.

  • Better operational performance through reduced incidents, waste, and inefficiencies.

  • Evidence of commitment to workforce development and continual improvement.

Student Approved 

Phoenix is rated 5 stars on Trustpilot and supports more than 12,000 learners each year in developing new health, safety and environmental capabilities.

Student Support 

We pride ourselves on offering the best study support in the industry. From our thriving Facebook student community to direct access to our team of experts and top-tier learning materials, we go above and beyond to ensure you have everything you need to succeed in your studies. When you choose Phoenix, you’re never alone on your journey.

The Phoenix Pass Pledge 

Every Phoenix ISEP course entitles you to continue studying free of charge if you fail to meet the required standard in examinations. 

Accredited Partner 

Phoenix Health and Safety is an ISEP Approved Partner. This means our ISEP course materials, tutors, and learning environments are all quality-assured and stamped with excellence. 

The ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management is designed for anyone who needs a solid, trusted foundation in environmental and sustainability responsibilities, including:

  • New or aspiring Environmental Officers

  • Health and Safety professionals expanding into environmental responsibilities

  • Operational managers responsible for compliance, waste streams, and site performance

  • Sustainability champions tasked with driving environmental improvements

  • Anyone who needs to make informed decisions around environmental impact and resource use

You don’t need a technical background, just a role where environmental judgement matters.

Learners also need a foundational understanding of environmental management and sustainability, which they can gain from courses such as the ISEP Foundation Certificate.

The duration of the ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management depends on the method of study.

  • When studied in the classroom, in-house or through virtual classroom learning, the course duration is 15 days.

  • When studied through e-Learning, we recommend spending 120 hours on the course. Students have access to the e-Learning course for 12 months from date of purchase.

Our classroom course timings are 09:00-17:00 Monday - Friday.

The ISEP Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management consists of 8 modules.

1. Introduction to Health and Safety and Environmental Management 

  • Core principles 

  • Risk vs hazard 

  • Sustainability and organisational responsibilities 

2. Legal Framework and Compliance 

  • Key health, safety and environmental laws 

  • Employer and employee duties 

  • Enforcement and penalties 

3. Risk Assessment and Control Measures 

  • Hazard identification 

  • Risk evaluation 

  • Hierarchy of controls 

4. Environmental Management Essentials 

  • Waste, emissions, pollution control 

  • Environmental impact assessments 

  • Resource efficiency 

5. Incident Reporting and Investigation 

  • Root cause analysis 

  • Corrective and preventive actions 

  • Trend analysis 

6. Performance Measurement 

  • KPIs, audits and inspections 

  • Leading and lagging indicators 

  • Data-driven decision making 

7. Integrated Management Systems 

  • ISO 45001, 14001 and 9001 fundamentals 

  • Documentation and procedural controls 

  • Continuous improvement cycles 

8. Practical Application & Case Studies 

  • Workplace scenarios 

  • Good practice models 

  • Improvement planning 

By the end of the course, learners will have the skills and understanding needed to:

  • Understand fundamental principles of health and safety and environmental management. 

  • Recognise legal requirements and organisational responsibilities. 

  • Carry out basic risk assessments and environmental impact assessments. 

  • Support the implementation of safety and environmental controls. 

  • Understand incident reporting, monitoring, and performance improvement processes. 

  • Contribute to an integrated management system (IMS). 

  • Apply practical techniques to improve operational efficiency and reduce risk. 

The ISEP Certificate is assessed through three knowledge-based assignments and one which is competence-based. They test the learner's ability to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the course within the workplace, so the course can have real-world impact and application as soon as it's completed.

On successful completion of the assessment, learners receive a certificate, as well as details on how to join ISEP as a Practitioner Member, earning your PISEP professional suffix and the other benefits that come with membership.

Please note: All course materials and certificates will be sent via post. There will be an additional charge if booking outside of the UK. We will contact you with the delivery charge once booking has been made. 

Successful completion of the ISEP Certificate can support progression into more senior environmental, sustainability and HSE roles.

It can also support progression towards ISEP Practitioner Membership, recognising your ability to apply environmental management and sustainability principles within operational environments.

After completing the ISEP Certificate, many learners look to expand their knowledge into the health and safety sector. This can further a compliance-focused skillset and opens the door to many key roles within organisations, such as HSE Officer.

To build these skills, we recommend learners study: