RECONSIDERED’S IMPACT UPSKILLING HUB

100+ of the best online sustainability and social impact courses, trainings & leadership programs in one place

If you’ve been meaning to level up your core sustainability leadership capabilities but haven’t been sure where to start, you’re in the right place. We’ve collected the best online course recommendations from our community and pored over user reviews from hundreds of programs for this list of top picks from well-regarded training academies and independent educators. Now you can spend less time researching and more time upskilling on the topics that’ll help you take your impact forward.

How To Navigate

We’ve categorized the Impact Upskilling Hub by topic area, so it’s easy for you to navigate. You can click on each category to jump down to the relevant section and you’re also welcome to “search” this page by keyword using 'Ctrl+F' (or 'Command+F' on Mac) if there’s a specific course you’re looking for.

CATEGORIES

Career Development | Circular Economy | Climate | General ESG/CSR | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) | Human Rights | Leadership | SDGs | Social Innovation | Sustainability Communications | Sustainable Fashion | Sustainable Finance | Sustainability Reporting

Career Development

FEATURED

✅ Design Your Climate Career Cohort — Voiz Academy (All Levels, Online Cohort). This eight-week online cohort co-designed with Sustainable Career Pathways’ Trish Kenlon helps participants prepare for landing a climate job and expand their network. Change Hub Member Discount: 10% off.

✅ Job Search Course and Coaching — Careers for Social Impact (All Levels, On-demand). This self-paced course includes all of Careers for Social Impact’s proven job search content, with six video modules and 40+ tools, templates and guides on topics from creating your job search strategy and telling your career story to applying, interviewing and negotiating. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

✅ Take Ownership of Your Career — Careers for Social Impact (Intermediate, Online Cohort). In this small, six-week group coaching program, participants create an intentional vision and plan for their career that aligns with their priorities and purpose. Whether you’re considering their next career step or thinking about their longer term goals, you’ll build the skills to take greater ownership of your career and find more meaning, satisfaction and impact in your work. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

Circular Economy

FEATURED

✅ Circular Economy 6 Week Sprint — The UnSchool (All Levels, On-demand). This six-week, self-paced course taught by Dr. Leyla Acaroglu guides students through all the core parts of the circular economy in short, 20-min-a-day sprints while giving them practical tips on how to (immediately) apply lessons learned. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Activate the Circular Economy, Circulab Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This course helps participants articulate and understand how to activate the business benefits of the circular economy.

  • Circular Economy, Parsons School of Design via 42courses (On-demand). All Levels. With a curriculum guided by professionals working at companies like Patagonia, Vinted, Olio, Queen of Raw and Terracycle, this course teaches students how to reuse, repair and recycle existing products so that they last longer, contributing to waste reduction.

  • Circular Economy - Sustainable Materials Management, Lund University via Coursera (On-demand). Beginner. Through exploring how common materials can be used more sustainably, this free online course helps students understand the circular economy in practice and better understand how to contribute to a more circular society.

  • Circular Economy & Sustainability Strategies, Cambridge Judge Business School (Online Cohort). Executive. This online course offers participants an in-depth look into how to champion more sustainable growth models in their organizations and make the business case for their implementation.

  • Circular Economy: The Big Idea, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation via FutureLearn (On-demand). All Levels. This three-week course helps students understand the origins of the circular economy, the limitations of the linear economy and best practices for (thoughtfully) transitioning.

  • Circular Economy: Transition for Future Sustainability, MIT Professional Education (Online Cohort). All Levels. This online course gives participants a global context and a comprehensive introduction into the circular economy through real-world examples.

  • Circular Economy Manager (Advanced), Circular Economy Alliance (On-demand). Intermediate. This course curriculum for intermediate learners takes a more in-depth look at key circular economy concepts and best practices.

  • Circular Economy Masterclass, University of Exeter Business School (Online Cohort). Intermediate. This interactive program helps participants understand circular economy principles and implement them in their organizations.

  • Circular Economy Professional (Foundational), Circular Economy Alliance (On-demand). Beginner. This curated course bundle offers an insider look on the “pillars” of the circular economy to jumpstart students’ learning.

  • Circular Economy Specialist (High Mastery), Circular Economy Alliance (On-demand). Executive. Circular Economy Alliance’s highest tier certification, this course gives participants the knowledge to become specialists in the circular economy.

  • Embedding Circularity, Impact Hub (On-demand). All Levels. For social entrepreneurs and the organizations supporting them, this course offers an overview of the circular economy and practical tips for implementing circular design principles in their operations.

  • Fundamentals of Circular Economy, Arizona State University (On-demand). Beginner. For those just starting to look into the circular economy, this course is a quick, beginner-friendly overview of key concepts.

  • Master Circular Design, Circulab Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This online course helps participants revisit their product development by leveraging and mastering circular design.

  • Practical Circularity Coalition, The Untangling Circularity Podcast (Online Cohort). All Levels. This eight-week, multi-module, collaborative workshop is designed for anyone trying to enable circularity in their organization. It empowers participants with practical circular economy strategies, helps them connect with like-minded peers and equips them to lead the way in sustainable innovation.

  • The Circular Economy, Dr Gordana Kierans via Udemy (On-demand). Beginner. Wondering what exactly *is* the circular economy? This online course created by circularity consultant Dr Gordana Kierans breaks it all down.

Climate

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero Emissions, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership via GetSmarter (Online cohort). All Levels. This online program gives participants a comprehensive understanding of how to reduce the business risks of climate change and explore how to implement successful low carbon company initiatives.

  • Climate Change: Transforming your Organisation for Sustainability Microcredential, The Open University (On-demand). All Levels. This online course gives participants tools to understand how they can help their companies drive a more sustainable response to the climate crisis.

  • Climate Change Leadership, Cornell University (Online Cohort). All Levels. This online course gives an overview of climate change science while also helping participants understand the range of business climate risks.

  • Climate Change Risk in Finance, University of Edinburgh Business School (Online Cohort). All Levels. This course gives professionals tools to understand climate data so they can make better financial decisions.

  • Climate Innovation in Corporations, Terra.do (Online Cohort). All Levels. Taught by #OpenDoorClimate creator Daniel Hill (and former Reconsidered Coffee Chat host!), this course gives professionals tools to understand how they can advance new climate solutions in their companies. 

  • Corporate Climate Change Risk Management, Yale School of Management via GetSmarter (Online Cohort). Executive. This virtual cohort dives into the science of climate change and offers participants practical strategies to help their companies contribute to a low-carbon economy.

  • ESG and Climate Change, Wharton via Coursera (On-demand). All Levels. This online program offers an overview of climate-related business risks and how climate disclosures and ESG initiatives can play a role in managing them.

  • Online Certificate on Carbon Reduction and Net Zero Strategies, Sustainability Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This virtual course offers sustainability and climate professionals practical tools on how to implement carbon reduction strategies in their companies. 

  • Setting Science-Based Targets, UN Global Compact Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This online course gives guidance on setting science-based targets to help achieve global net-zero goals.

  • The Net-Zero Standard, UN Global Compact Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This 20-minute course offers “the world's first framework for corporate net-zero target setting in line with climate science” so businesses can have a shared understanding of net-zero.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Applied DEI Strategies, Brown University (Online Cohort). All Levels. This six-week course equips students with practical tools to help them develop DEI-focused initiatives that lead to organizational success.

  • Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace, ESSEC Business School via Coursera (On-demand). Beginner. This free online course explores how participants can examine their perceptions so that they can tap into all their coworkers’ potential to build a truly inclusive and diverse workplace.

  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Cornell University (On-demand). All Levels. This program aims to go beyond a compliance-only approach to help participants build supportive and engaging workplaces. It offers learners an opportunity to investigate their unconscious biases and explore practical DEI strategies.

  • Diversity and Inclusion Certification Course, HR University (On-demand). All Levels. This course offers participants strategies to build a successful diverse and inclusive company culture from the inside out.

  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program, American Management Association (In-person or Online Cohort). All Levels. This three-day certificate program helps participants ensure DEI is a part of their organization’s culture and business strategy.

  • Unconscious Bias, Microsoft (On-demand). Beginner. This four-module course offers participants the opportunity to reflect on and actively disrupt their own biases.

General ESG/CSR

FEATURED

✅ 3 Dimensions of Sustainability in Business 4 Week Sprint — The UnSchool (All Levels, On-demand). A four-week, self-paced online program designed to facilitate a transformation in business practices through assessment-based and action-oriented strategies to enhance sustainability. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off. 

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Building Board Expertise on Sustainability, Michigan Ross (Online Cohort). Executive. Tailored to board members and executives, this online course outlines why and how sustainability should guide company organizational strategy.

  • Business Case for Corporate Sustainability, Julia Mariasova via Udemy (On-demand). All Levels. This virtual course taught by management consultant Julia Mariasova comprehensively explores what corporate sustainability means in practice through theoretical overviews and case studies.

  • Business Strategies for a Better World, Wharton via Coursera (On-demand). All Levels. This course offers practical, actionable tools for driving social impact through business.

  • Business Sustainability Management, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership via Coursera (On-demand). All Levels. This virtual, self-paced course gives an overview of the sustainability challenges companies face and lays out what participants can actually do about them.

  • Business Sustainability Strategy, MIT Sloan School of Management via GetSmarter (On-demand). Executive. This online program focuses on giving professionals the tools they need to debunk the misconception that ESG initiatives are bad for business and successfully navigate the tensions that can come with getting company leadership on board. Plus, you’ll be matched with a Success Adviser to help keep you on track and receive a certificate of course completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

  • Corporate Sustainability, NYU Stern (On-demand). All Levels. Taught by Professor Tensie Whelan, this program dives into the key environmental and social issues affecting business today and helps students build the skills needed to be corporate sustainability leaders.

  • Corporate Sustainability Management: Risk, Profit, and Purpose, Yale School of Management via GetSmarter. Executive. Through case studies and industry expert insights, this online course breaks down the most important parts of a corporate sustainability action plan and gives participants practical tools to implement their own in their organizations.

  • Diploma in Business Sustainability, Institute of Sustainability Studies (On-demand). All Levels.  The modules in this university credit-rated program cover topics like sustainable finance, DEI and green marketing to give students a wide-ranging and up-to-date understanding of sustainability best practices.

  • Diploma on Corporate Sustainability: Foundation Course, Sustainability Academy (On-demand). All levels. Beginners and seasoned executives can find value by going “back to the basics” in this foundational course that drives home key CSR concepts and action plans for implementing sustainability in organizations.

  • Impact Strategy, Impact Institute (On-demand). All Levels. his course gives participants an introduction to impact measurement, valuation, reporting and management and how to use them to build impact-driven sustainability strategies in their organizations.

  • Introduction to ESG, Corporate Finance Institute (On-demand). All Levels. This online course introduces the ESG framework and its benefits to company risk management.

  • Principles of ESG and Sustainability for Business, Arizona State University (On-demand). All Levels. This online course provides a comprehensive overview of key ESG concepts and their real-world applications.

  • Strategies for Sustainability, Stanford School of Engineering and Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (On-demand). All Levels. With guidance from global sustainability leaders like Kate Brandt (Chief Sustainability Officer, Google) and Adam Lowry (Co-Founder, Method), this virtual course helps students understand how positive impact can help a business’ bottom line.

  • Strategy and Sustainability, IESE Business School via Coursera (On-demand). Beginner. This online course provides an introduction into why sustainability initiatives are “must-haves” for businesses.

  • Sustainable Business Strategy, Harvard Business School (On-demand). Beginner. In this online, self-paced course from Harvard Business School, participants will learn how they as individuals can help businesses thrive while solving major global challenges like climate change, income inequality and social injustice.

  • Sustainability Certificate, UCLA Extension (Online Cohort or In-person, Los Angeles). All Levels. For early and mid-career professionals, this program explores sustainability from a range of perspectives, offering an overview of sustainable business best practices and tools for real-world application.

  • Sustainability Strategies: Develop Initiatives to Transform Your Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business (Online Cohort). Executive. This online cohort will help participants make the "business case" for sustainability initiatives while zooming in on innovative and proactive approaches to driving change.

  • The Future of Sustainable Business: Enterprise and the Environment, Oxford University Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment (On-demand). All Levels. This short online course delivers a practical curriculum that helps participants do their part in addressing global challenges through sustainability.

Human Rights

OTHER PROGRAMS

Leadership

FEATURED

✅ Sustainability Change Agent Accelerator — Reconsidered (All Levels, Online Cohort). Reconsidered’s eight-week signature program is designed to help corporate responsibility and sustainability professionals become more powerful agents of change. Our next cohort is now open for registration and will run from October-December 2024. Change Hub Member Discount: 30% off.

✅ Live Authentically Coaching Program — Chosen Directions (All Levels, Online Cohort). A 12-week coaching experience for those who want to align their life to what they value most, with particular relevance to sustainability leaders who want to up-level their personal sustainability and impact professionals who are experiencing burnout and questioning what to do next. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

✅ Magicmind Leadership Cohort — Girls Club Collective (All Levels, Online Cohort). A 12-month dedicated space for women changemakers to expand their communities and meaningfully connect with each other through collective problem solving, participant pairings and one-on-one coaching. Either the Change Agent or the Entrepreneur cohort will include five months of magicmind support, after which participants will be onboarded into the broader GCC community for six months of ongoing mutual support. Interested? Be sure to drop a note we sent you! Change Hub Member Discount: $200 off and bonus 1:1 coaching session with Girls Club Collective founder and executive coach Lis Best.

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Advocating for Climate Policy in the Workplace, Climate Voice and Terra.do (Online Cohort). All Levels. This course helps professionals understand how to drive climate action in their workplaces.

  • Conscious Leadership Lab Policy, Leading from Wholeness (On-demand). All Levels. Created by HR leader and Stanford University Senior Lecturer Carley Hauck, this course offers a community to empower leaders with the skills and courage to navigate ambiguity, sustain trust and re-envision what’s possible for businesses and the planet.

  • Corporate Sustainability Leadership Accelerator, Terra.do (Online Cohort). All Levels. This online program helps participants understand, take on and thrive in corporate sustainability roles.

  • Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership, Harvard University (Online Cohort). Executive. This virtual, executive-level course equips sustainability leaders with the tools to address environmental and human health challenges across all sectors.

  • Impact Leaders Incubator, Caroline Ouwerkerk (Online Cohort). All Levels. This 12-week program is designed to bring together women from all social impact sectors to hone their leadership skills.

  • Positive Workplace Activism — The Undercover Activist (All Levels, Online Cohort). This program helps professionals drive social impact by changing their companies from within.

  • Reimagining Leadership — Sister Seasons (All Levels, Online Cohort). An online leadership circle led by Sister Seasons founder Rebecca Magee to help women and non-binary changemakers explore new models for leadership rooted in understanding nature and its cycles.

  • Sustainable Leadership Support Program, Regenerous (Online Cohort). Executive. Through leadership curriculum and highly customized 1:1 executive coaching, this program led by Regenerous co-founder and former Apple sustainability director Chris Gaither helps corporate sustainability leaders successfully navigate the unique challenges of their work.

SDGs

OTHER PROGRAMS

Social Innovation

FEATURED

✅ Disruptive Design Methodology Masterclass — The UnSchool (All Levels, On-demand). This 12-part series provides an in-depth understanding of how to use Disruptive Design Method to drive positive social and environmental impact. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

✅ Systems Thinking — The UnSchool (All Levels, On-demand). This five-part program taught by Dr. Leyla Acaroglu helps students shift their perspective to understand how social, industrial and environmental systems interact. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • AI for Good Specialization, DeepLearning.AI (On-demand). All Levels. This online course teaches students how to leverage AI for social impact initiatives, and offers a framework for them to build their own projects.

  • Data for Social Impact, Washington University in St. Louis (On-demand). All Levels. This online, beginner-friendly course offers an overview of how to leverage data to drive social impact.

  • Introduction to Human-Centered Design, IDEO.org (On-demand). Beginner. Using IDEO.org’s 4-step method, this course helps participants understand human-centered design and build their own innovative projects to help address real world challenges.

  • Leveraging Data and AI in Sustainability, Terra.do (Online Cohort). All Levels. This online course helps students understand how to use data and AI to make progress on sustainability initiatives.

  • Social Entrepreneurship, London School of Economics and Political Science (On-demand). All Levels. This course guides students on how to launch and maintain a social enterprise of their own and measure its impact.

  • Social Impact Analysis, Acumen Academy (On-demand). All Levels. This course offers students a framework to measure their organization or initiative’s social impact.

  • Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators, University of Pennsylvania via Coursera (On-demand). Beginner. This course offers an overview of the key social entrepreneurship concepts and teaches students how they can build their own enterprises to drive social impact. Students who complete the course are also eligible for the Global Social Impact House, an in-person program with additional tools to help participants scale their ventures.

  • The Good People, Skill of the Modern Age (On-demand). All Levels. This virtual, interactive course gives participants theoretical frameworks and practical guidance on how to innovate for social impact.

Sustainability Communications

FEATURED

✅ The New Rules of Sustainability Communications — Reconsidered (All Levels, On-demand). A self-paced online training designed to help sustainability professionals and communicators understand emerging green claims regulations and share sustainability initiatives with confidence. Change Hub Member Discount: 20% off.

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • CIPR Specialist Diploma in Sustainability Communications, Oxford College of Marketing (On-demand or Online Cohort). All Levels. This program equips professionals with the knowledge and skills to lead sustainability communications in their organizations.

  • Greenwash Watch, Creatives for Climate (On-demand or Online Cohort). All Levels. This course helps participants spot greenwashing and improve the credibility of their sustainability communications.

  • Sustainability Communication Strategies, London School of Economics and Political Science (On-demand). All Levels. This online course offers students practical tools to effectively navigate sustainability communications.

Sustainable Fashion

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Colonial Legacies in Fashion Supply Chains - An Intro, Lavinia Muth (Online Cohort). All Levels. This virtual, interactive workshop explores historical injustices in the fashion industry.

  • Fashion and Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World, University of the Arts London (Online Cohort). All Levels. This online course introduces students to the material sourcing process for luxury fashion and helps them understand how they can drive sustainable innovation in the fashion industry.

  • Sustainable Fashion, Copenhagen Business School via Coursera (On-demand). Beginner. This online course offers a comprehensive introduction into sustainable fashion concepts and helps students understand the challenges that can come with building a sustainable fashion brand.

  • Sustainable Fashion Design, University of the Arts London (Online Cohort). All Levels. This course explores sustainable fashion design concepts and how learners can implement them in practice.

  • Sustainability in the Fashion Industry, Plan A (On-demand). All Levels. This free, self-paced course explores how sustainability initiatives help businesses and what participants can do to support in implementing them.

  • Sustainable Sourcing for Fashion, University of the Arts London (Online Cohort). All Levels. This course provides an overview of how to navigate supply chain information systems for responsible sourcing in the fashion industry.

Sustainable Finance

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Introduction to Sustainable Finance, UN CC:Learn (On-demand). Beginner. This interactive course offers an overview of key sustainable finance concepts.

  • Principles of Sustainable Finance, Erasmus University Rotterdam via Coursera (On-demand). All Levels. This course provides an overview of sustainable banking and asset management and explores how sustainable finance is a tool in the sustainability transition.

Sustainability Reporting

OTHER PROGRAMS

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