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What is Environmental Consulting?

Environmental consulting is the provision of expert knowledge for a fee to help managers comply with eco regulations. Companies hire an environmental consultant when they need an external expert opinion on decisions.

An environmental business consultant is an experienced professional who uses their understanding of environmental policy, sustainability practices, and health and safety guidelines to provide effective solutions for businesses and construction companies.

A consulting agency is a company that has expertise in certain areas of environmental legislation and provides its clients with advice on these areas. The agency considers a set of business issues and their interaction identifies problem areas, and suggests how to fix these problems.

In fact, consulting services are provided by outsourced experts and analysts. They are needed by companies that do not have specialized employees on the team and do not have time to look for these specialists. And also for those who require an outside view, not distorted by work in the state.

What does an environmental consultant do?

Environmental consultant companies perform a variety of tasks to ensure businesses adhere to sustainable practices. Here are some examples of the responsibilities of an environmental consultant:

● Meet with clients to determine their needs.
● Take tours of workplaces, construction sites, and energy or manufacturing plants to assess working conditions and environmental factors.
● Make recommendations on construction projects based on potential environmental risks.
● Review environmental impact reports, helping guide decision-making.
● Help clients obtain environmental permits to carry out construction projects as directed.
● Help clients respond to environmental incidents such as pollution spills and other situations requiring cleanup projects.
● Keep in touch with previous clients frequently to provide additional referrals as required.
● Supervise a team of employees that the client entrusts with environmental activities in their company.
● Read scientific reports and environmental studies to expand knowledge of local ecosystems, environmental practices, and available technologies.

Consulting companies with a focus on the environment cover many topics, among which the following are the most common:

● water;
● waste;
● noise pollution;
● environmental assessment;
● energy.

All these topics are handled by a technical specialist who works with the client to provide the most beneficial solution for the company. In addition, they are looking for the best solution for the environment and society. The environmental consultant is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining various environmental management systems. They highlight theoretical and practical aspects.

Why is environmental consulting important these days?

Today, the environmental consulting sector has become very important. The development of environmental legislation that has been in Spain in recent decades, has forced companies to calculate the environmental impact associated with their activities and compliance with environmental legislation. As a result of these changes in legislation, performance levels have had to be adapted and consequently, the demand for environmental professionals is on the rise.

Therefore, the importance of an ecology and environment consultant cannot be overestimated.

The main function of an environmental engineer consultant is to advise on issues such as the adaptation of the company's activities to environmental legislation. This way, you will be able to do things right without getting in trouble with the law and improve the company's image. 

The company's image has its own environmental point of view, which also helps to increase sales.

How to Choose the Right Environment Consulting Company

When choosing an environmental consulting company, we recommend that you pay attention to the following criteria:

 1. Cost, terms of project implementation, and volume of services rendered

Of course, the cost of consulting services worries customers not least. When comparing the cost of services of various consulting companies, it is necessary to take into account whether the prices are inclusive of VAT and how the travel and accommodation costs of the consultant are paid. 

Speaking about the project implementation period, it is necessary to clarify what period the environmental consulting company implies. Sometimes we can talk about the time required by the company only for the development of documentation, without taking into account the time for staff training and implementation of documentation. 

When analyzing the volume of services provided, it is advisable to estimate the number of man-days of the consultant's work on this project and the nature of the services provided.

 2. Experience

It is advisable to find out the general experience of the consulting company, the experience of consulting according to the declared standard, and the experience of working with organizations of a similar profile or specifics. 

 3. Staff of consultants

It makes sense to estimate the number of full-time and external consultants. A firm with numerous in-house consultants is preferred. Estimating the average age of in-house consultants is not meaningful at this stage, as a specific consultant will then be selected.

 4. Current projects

You should familiarize yourself with the list of current projects of the consulting environment company, preferably with an indication of the stage of each of them being performed. An open reference list of a consulting company, published on the Internet or in periodicals, is also welcome. 

You need to find out if the environmental consultant agency had clients of a similar profile, and if so, request feedback. 

 5. Completed projects

Information about how many former clients continued to use the services of this ecology consulting company may also be of interest for analysis.

 6. The offered range of services

The wide range of services that an ecology consultant can offer its clients speaks of the constant professional development of specialists and serious methodological work in the company. 

Sometimes consulting companies offer some kind of support for the certification process as an additional service, and the number of certification bodies for which this service is valid is immediately specified.