Investment analysis
CFA Institute’s Sustainable Investing Certificate, then its Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate.
Aimed at investment professionals.ESG certification · qualifications for people
Where can I get an ESG certificate in the UK?
The main ESG certificates in the UK come from CFA Institute (the Sustainable Investing Certificate), ACCA (a Professional Diploma in Sustainability), ISEP, formerly IEMA, and executive-education programmes such as Oxford Saïd’s.
Which one fits depends on the job: investing, reporting, finance or environmental management.
No UK law requires any of them.
Which one
Which ESG certificate fits which job?
Investing points to CFA, preparing reports to ACCA or Oxford, environmental management to ISEP.
The CFA certificate teaches how ESG factors enter investment decisions; it is the one people usually mean by “the ESG exam”.
For someone preparing a company’s reports against UK SRS, ACCA’s reporting certificate covers the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards that UK SRS endorses (ACCA).
ISEP’s two certificates lead to its Associate and Practitioner membership grades (ISEP).
What the roles involve and pay is on ESG manager and sustainability consultant salary.
Your job
Preparing reports
ACCA’s Certificate in Sustainability Reporting or full diploma; Oxford Saïd’s programme.
UK SRS and IFRS S1 and S2 in the syllabus.Environmental management
ISEP’s Foundation Certificate, then its Certificate.
Routes to AISEP and PISEP membership.CFA Institute · ACCA · Oxford Saïd · ISEP
Compare
Which ESG certificates can you take?
Eight qualifications from four awarding bodies, filtered by purpose.
Purpose
Showing 8 of 8
| Qualification | Awarded by | Covers | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Investing Certificate (formerly the Certificate in ESG Investing) | CFA Institute | ESG factors in investment decisions; regulatory and reporting frameworks | Renamed 8 April 2025; developed by CFA UK |
| Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate | CFA Institute | Climate in financial analysis and portfolio strategy | Advanced; assumes valuation knowledge |
| Professional Diploma in Sustainability | ACCA | Four certificates: frameworks and ethics, strategy and management, reporting, assurance | About 60 hours; no specific entry requirements |
| Certificate in Sustainability Reporting | ACCA | Preparing reports; the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards; framework interactions | One of the diploma’s four |
| Certificate in Sustainability for Finance (Cert SF) | ACCA | Sustainability, climate risk and ESG metrics for finance professionals | Five courses |
| Oxford Sustainability Reporting and ESG Data Management Programme | Saïd Business School, with AICPA & CIMA | TCFD, ISSB and ESRS; ESG data; assurance readiness | Online, six modules, eight weeks |
| Foundation Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management | ISEP (formerly IEMA) | An introduction for people starting out or changing career | Leads to Associate membership (AISEP) |
| Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management | ISEP (formerly IEMA) | Environmental management and assessment tools for operational roles | Leads to Practitioner membership (PISEP) |
Read on each owner’s site on 21 October 2026.
Prices and dates are the owners’ and change, so none are given here.
The ESG exam
Who sets the ESG exam?
CFA Institute, for the certificate that was called the Certificate in ESG Investing until 8 April 2025.
CFA Institute renamed the certificate because, in its words, ESG investing “has, at times, had varied meanings in different markets” (CFA Institute).
The curriculum, exam and policies did not change, and certificates already awarded carry the new name.
CFA UK developed it and sold it to CFA Institute in 2021 (CFA UK).
Awarding bodiesExplore
Awarding bodies
CFA Institute
Sets the Sustainable Investing Certificate exam; the certificate was developed by CFA UK.
Awarding bodies
Saïd Business School
Runs an executive-education programme, not a professional qualification.
Companies
Can a company be ESG certified?
Not under one UK scheme; companies hold ratings and certifications with their own owners.
“ESG certification” for a company usually means a rating or a management-system certificate, not a qualification.
The common ones are covered on EcoVadis ratings, Sedex SMETA audits and sustainability assurance.
None of them is required by UK law, and none replaces a statutory disclosure.
Choose the certificate by the job, because no UK law asks for any of them.
- 8 April 2025
The CFA ESG certificate became the Sustainable Investing Certificate
Same curriculum, same exam. - Four certificates
ACCA’s Professional Diploma in Sustainability includes reporting and assurance
About 60 hours in total. - AISEP · PISEP
ISEP’s two certificates lead to its membership grades
ISEP was formerly IEMA. - No licence
UK law requires no ESG qualification
Employers may ask for one.
Frequently asked
ESG certification, answered
Where can I get an ESG certificate in the UK?
The main awarding bodies are CFA Institute (the Sustainable Investing Certificate, for investment professionals), ACCA (the Professional Diploma in Sustainability and its four certificates, and the Certificate in Sustainability for Finance), ISEP, formerly IEMA (the Foundation Certificate and the Certificate in Sustainability and Environmental Management), and executive-education programmes such as Oxford Saïd’s Sustainability Reporting and ESG Data Management Programme.
Who can give the ESG exam?
The “ESG exam” usually means CFA Institute’s exam for what was the Certificate in ESG Investing, renamed the Sustainable Investing Certificate on 8 April 2025.
CFA Institute sets it; it was developed by CFA UK, which sold it to CFA Institute in 2021.
Other bodies, such as ACCA and ISEP, assess their own certificates.
What happened to the CFA ESG certificate?
CFA Institute renamed the Certificate in ESG Investing the Sustainable Investing Certificate on 8 April 2025.
The curriculum did not change, and certificates already awarded were updated to the new name.
Is an ESG certificate required to work in ESG in the UK?
No. No UK law requires an ESG qualification to prepare ESG reports or advise on them.
Employers and clients may ask for one, and some regulated roles need their own qualifications, but none is an ESG licence.
Which ESG certificate is best for sustainability reporting?
For preparing reports, the reporting-focused options are ACCA’s Certificate in Sustainability Reporting (part of its Professional Diploma, covering the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards) and Oxford Saïd’s programme, which covers TCFD, ISSB and ESRS.
The CFA certificate is aimed at investment analysis, and ISEP’s certificates at environmental management practice.
Can a company get ESG certified?
Not under any single UK scheme.
Companies obtain ratings and certifications such as an EcoVadis rating, ISO 14001 for environmental management or B Corp, each with its own owner and criteria. That is a different question from a person’s qualification.
Sources
Primary sources
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
Checked against 10 sources fromCFA InstituteCFA UKACCASaïd Business School, University of OxfordISEPDepartment for Business and Trade
- CFA InstituteCertificate in ESG Investing — name change
Renamed the Sustainable Investing Certificate on 8 April 2025, curriculum unchanged.
- CFA InstituteSustainable investing programs
The Sustainable Investing Certificate and the Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing Certificate.
- CFA UKAnnual Report & Financial Statements 2025
CFA UK developed the certificate and sold it to CFA Institute in 2021.
- ACCASustainability certificates (Professional Diploma in Sustainability)
Four certificates, about 60 hours in total.
- ACCAQualifications at a glance
No specific entry requirements for the diploma.
- ACCACertificate in Sustainability for Finance (Cert SF)
Five courses for finance professionals.
- Saïd Business School, University of OxfordOxford Sustainability Reporting and ESG Data Management Programme
Online, six modules over eight weeks, designed with AICPA & CIMA.
- ISEPTraining courses
Foundation Certificate (AISEP) and Certificate (PISEP); ISEP was formerly IEMA.
- Department for Business and TradeUK Sustainability Reporting Standards
The standards the reporting courses teach towards.
- Financial Conduct AuthorityPS26/19
UK SRS on comply or explain for five listing categories from 2027.
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