As discussions about environmental responsibility and sustainability have become increasingly mainstream, the growing understanding of the looming impacts of climate change is putting pressure on businesses to prioritize and implement sustainable practices. Business leaders know that efforts to minimize negative impacts and perhaps even turn them into positive impacts are imperative—both as a responsibility and in response to consumer demands—but this is uncharted territory for most, making it challenging to know where to begin.

Within the last decade, and especially in the last few years, companies have seen an increasing need to address new sustainability and climate topics affecting (or affected by) their businesses, without having the in-house resources or expertise to tackle them. Some companies have responded by developing new sustainability roles, but many still need additional support and find themselves seeking external guidance from sustainability professionals, such as those at Positive Scenarios Consulting (PSC). 

The women-owned company, founded by University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) alum Brittany Szczepanik (MS/MEng '17), alongside her business partner Diana Bach (MEng ’15), a graduate of the U-M College of Engineering where Szczepanik also received a dual degree, works with a wide range of clients in evaluating their impacts and recommending sustainability efforts that drive change and mitigate the climate crisis. 

"As engineers, Diana and I both rely on data to guide decision-making,” says Szczepanik. “This focus on data isn’t always present in our industry. As the industry continues to mature, we feel it is important to remain grounded in what the current data is telling us, be transparent about gaps and limitations and focus as much as possible on areas that make the most impact.”  

Szczepanik and Bach worked together for several years in sustainability consulting before founding PSC. Throughout this time, both were unified in their approach to providing high-quality climate action work founded in science. By launching their own firm, they felt they could do more to accelerate right-sized, targeted and positive change.  

They chose February 2, 2022, as their official launch date and, with laptops as their only assets, they got to work on building a client base. "It was scary, but also felt completely natural and comfortable,” says Szczepanik. "We both had solid networks and a strong reputation, and we also had connections who were willing to make referrals.” 

In two short years, they have worked with dozens of companies ranging in size and complexity— from tech start-ups to Fortune 100 companies—and from a variety of industries such as food and agriculture, retail, manufacturing, apparel and consumer goods. Among their client base are brands like Carhartt, Dell, Conagra Brands and Beyond Meat. They’ve also worked with service industries and investors who needed help evaluating companies’ potential climate impacts in their due diligence process.

PSC works with clients on a wide range of sustainability projects, but a typical engagement involves measuring emissions, setting up science-based or net zero emission reduction targets, developing a roadmap to work toward these goals and then helping clients figure out how to implement changes that can make meaningful climate progress. “Ninety percent of our work is focused on corporate sustainability and, in particular, relating to greenhouse gas emissions,” says Szczepanik. 

She adds that this work often isn’t one-and-done, and can lead to ongoing engagements. "Our focus is on providing quality and implementable deliverables, so we’ve gained a high level of trust and, as a result, we’re often working in multi-year partnerships. We’re not just handing people a report and moving on, but we’re working with our clients to get things done along the way. Many of our clients consider us as part of their internal sustainability team.”

Szczepanik and Bach both say they have seen a significant shift in the last five years, with companies now more eager than ever to put resources into sustainability efforts. Szczepanik says that she no longer has to convince anyone of the value of working toward sustainability. "Nobody is asking about the return on investment anymore. That’s a big change, the business case is there, or stakeholder pressure so high, there is no convincing at this point, and that has enabled change so quickly,” says Szczepanik.

Bach adds that sustainability efforts in the private sector weren’t being funded in the way they are today and that this is part of the reason why their business has grown so quickly. "This space is growing at an exponential rate, so there is a lot of demand for the work that we do, especially since the expertise in this arena is limited in availability,” says Bach. “We’re in a unique position because while our team is new, in many ways we have as much experience as long-established firms since everything in this industry has changed so much in the last five to seven years.”

With such rapid growth in the industry, the PSC team is focused on continuing to deliver a high-quality product to their clients, even if that means delaying or turning down work or hiring new staff to grow the company. "We are authentic and maintain integrity in whatever we do,” says Bach. Szczepanik adds, "We don’t upsell or lead people on, and we’ve become partners to our clients where they feel comfortable coming back to us with new needs and they refer us to their contacts in the industry with similar needs. The primary focus of the company isn’t on making money but on our people and our work.”

Attracting and maintaining top-notch employees who are treated well and can have a healthy work-life balance is a core value of the company. They have implemented a 32-hour work week and offer their employees the flexibility and space they need to complete quality work while attending to their personal needs. “It’s hard for anyone to constantly deliver their best if they are working all the time,” Szczepanik says. "The climate crisis is urgent, but we also need to make sure that sustainability professionals are taking care of themselves and not getting burnt out.” 

Among PSC’s team are two additional SEAS grads, Hannah Fetner (MS ’21) and Anna Norman (MS ’23, MBA ’23). Szczepanik says that her experience at SEAS makes it easy to hire more SEAS students because she knows their education has prepared them to be ready for this work and that they will have been exposed to the same influential experiences she had during her studies.

"I am a career switcher—I went from being an English teacher to pursuing a dual degree at SEAS in Sustainable Systems and Integrative Systems + Design from the College of Engineering,” says Szczepanik. "My SEAS classmates and instructors created an atmosphere of collaboration and provided me with priceless experiences. The diversity of thought and experiences I had were so valuable, and I gained perspectives and insights that gave me a holistic view of what my future clients would be dealing with and navigating, I know that I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now had I not studied at SEAS.”

Moving forward, PSC hopes to continue focusing on high-impact projects with companies dedicated to combating climate change. "There is so much to do that it can sometimes feel overwhelming, but I am encouraged every day by my team, our clients, and our peers. We are truly dedicated to mitigating the climate crisis together. The urgency is palpable. Although there can be a lot of doom and gloom [in the climate change] dialogue, I choose to remain positive,” says Szczepanik.