Which one is for you
Pick by the work you do
GPM's certification line covers two kinds of professional. Project, program and portfolio managers who have to deliver sustainability through their projects take the CSPP first and move to the CSPMs and CSPMx as their work grows. Sustainability professionals whose work sits in any business function take the CSF and CSP, which have no project management requirement. All five stand on the same standards: the P5 Standard for impact, the Practice Guide for method and the GPM Sustainability Competence Standard for what a competent professional can be trusted to do.
PMI-GPM · issued by PMI · exam
CSPP, Certified Sustainable Project Professional
For project leaders who make sustainability part of delivery. Built on the P5 Standard; two bundles, 100 or 145 questions; renewed every three years with 30 PDUs.
PMI-GPM · administered by GPM · competence
CSPMs, Certified Sustainable Project Manager, Specialist
For project and program managers delivering sustainability through moderately complex projects. Ten units, evidence from your own projects, assessor interview. USD 1,299.
PMI-GPM · administered by GPM · competence
CSPMx, Certified Sustainable Project Manager, Expert
For senior project, program and portfolio leaders of highly complex, sustainability-driven work. Ten units at the leadership level. USD 1,499.
GPM · any business function · competence
CSF, Certified Sustainability Fundamentals
For people who carry out sustainability work in any role: coordinators, analysts, procurement, operations, HR, facilities, finance. Five units. No project management requirement. USD 1,299.
GPM · any business function · competence
CSP, Certified Sustainability Professional
For people who lead sustainability in an organization: sustainability and ESG managers and directors, functional leaders, public-sector programme leads, consultants. Eight units. USD 1,499.
Side by side
The five certifications compared
| CSPP | CSPMs | CSPMx | CSF | CSP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Project leaders adding sustainability to delivery | Project and program managers, moderate complexity | Senior project, program and portfolio leaders | People who carry out sustainability work in any function | People who lead sustainability in an organization |
| Ownership | PMI-GPM, issued by PMI | PMI-GPM, administered by GPM | PMI-GPM, administered by GPM | GPM | GPM |
| Assessment | Proctored exam, 100 or 145 questions | Evidence portfolio and assessor interview, ten units | Evidence portfolio and assessor interview, ten units at leadership level | Evidence portfolio and assessor interview, five units | Evidence portfolio and assessor interview, eight units |
| Entry | Secondary diploma, or an active PM certification for the shorter path | Real project work to evidence | Senior, highly complex work to evidence | Real sustainability work to evidence | Leadership of sustainability work to evidence |
| Standard | P5 Standard, Practice Guide, PRiSM | Competence Standard, P5 Standard | Competence Standard, P5 Standard | Competence Standard, P5 for Business Practice | Competence Standard, P5 for Business Practice |
| Valid for | 3 years, 30 PDUs, in your PMI account | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Fee | Set by PMI (bundle with course) | USD 1,299 | USD 1,499 | USD 1,299 | USD 1,499 |
| Where | pmi.org | GPM learning portal | GPM learning portal | GPM learning portal | GPM learning portal |
Two ways to be assessed
An exam, or evidence of the work
The CSPP is an exam. It suits the moment when a professional needs to show they know the standard, and PMI's infrastructure delivers it at Pearson VUE centres and online worldwide. The other four are competence-based. A candidate enrols on GPM's learning portal free of charge, reads every unit, element and performance criterion of the Competence Standard, and then submits evidence from their own work against each criterion: policies written, assessments run, plans, reports, decisions and measured results. A practising GPM assessor reviews the portfolio and meets the candidate online to probe it. The process is aligned with ISO 17024, the international standard for bodies certifying persons.
| Exam-based certificate | GPM competence-based certification | |
|---|---|---|
| What it proves | That you can recall a body of knowledge on the day of the test. | That you have done the work, with results, to a published performance standard. |
| How it is assessed | Multiple choice, timed. | Evidence portfolio reviewed by a practising assessor, then a one-to-one competence interview. |
| The standard behind it | A syllabus or exam content outline. | The GPM Sustainability Competence Standard: units, elements and performance criteria you can read before you apply. |
| Process discipline | Varies. | Aligned with ISO 17024, the international standard for bodies certifying persons. |
| What an employer learns | That you studied. | What you can be trusted to do on Monday. |
One standard behind them
What the certifications are measured against
Competence
The GPM Sustainability Competence Standard, Version 2.1
Ten competence units with elements and evidence-based performance criteria. A PMI-GPM publication written by GPM; the basis of the CSF, CSP, CSPMs and CSPMx and of the CSPP exam content.
Impact
The P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management, Version 4.0
52 impact elements across People, Planet and Prosperity, scored against a baseline with thresholds that trigger decisions. The core of the CSPP exam and of every project-level portfolio.
Method
The Practice Guide and PRiSM
How a project team applies the P5 Standard from Discovery to Delivery, with the Sustainability Management Plan as the running record.
Typical paths
Where people start and where they go
Project professionals
CSPP, then CSPMs, then CSPMx
A PMP or CAPM holder takes the Bundle for Practitioners, earns the CSPP, delivers projects under the P5 Standard, then submits that work for the CSPMs. Portfolio and PMO leaders continue to the CSPMx.
Sustainability professionals
CSF, then CSP
A coordinator or analyst certifies at the CSF level; the units are a subset of the CSP, so the evidence carries forward when they step up to lead the work.
Organizations
Team training and PSM3
Teams train together through GPM or an Accredited Training Partner, individuals certify, and the organization measures its own maturity with PSM3.
Teachers and trainers
Accredited Training Partners
Organizations that deliver GPM's IACET-accredited courses in their regions and languages, including CSPP preparation.
Verification
Every certification can be checked
GPM keeps a public certification registry. Anyone can search it by name; every record shows the certification, its number, the dates and whether it is active. Holders can add the certification to LinkedIn with a verification link, or print a registry record as a PDF. CSPP holders are listed in PMI's certification registry, and GPM sends the transferred GPM-b records to PMI in weekly batches. Search the registry.
Questions
Frequently asked
Which GPM certification should I start with?
If you manage projects and hold a PMI or similar certification, start with the CSPP and add the CSPMs once you have delivered sustainability-driven projects. If you are new to project management, the CSPP Bundle teaches the essentials and the sustainability content together. If you do sustainability work outside project management, in procurement, operations, HR, finance or a sustainability office, start with the CSF or, if you lead the work, the CSP.
Is the CSPP a GPM certification or a PMI certification?
Both, in a precise way: it is a PMI-GPM certification. GPM created it in 2013 as the GPM-b and wrote the P5 Standard it is built on; since June 2026 PMI issues and administers it through the PMI-GPM joint venture. You apply, sit the exam and renew in your PMI account. GPM does not sell the CSPP.
What is the difference between exam-based and competence-based?
The CSPP tests knowledge of the standard in a proctored exam. The CSF, CSP, CSPMs and CSPMx assess what you have done: you submit evidence from your own work against each performance criterion of the GPM Sustainability Competence Standard and then discuss it with an assessor. There is no exam. The process is aligned with ISO 17024, the international standard for bodies that certify persons.
How long are the certifications valid?
The CSPP follows PMI's cycle: three years, renewed by reporting 30 PDUs in your PMI account. GPM's competence-based certifications are valid for five years from the date of award; renewal is arranged with GPM's certification team ahead of the expiry date.
Do I need experience?
For the CSPP Bundle, only a secondary diploma; the Bundle for Practitioners asks for an active project management certification or a relevant master's degree. The competence-based certifications need real work to point to: the CSF and CSPMs at the level of someone who carries out the work, the CSP and CSPMx at the level of someone who leads it.
What do they cost?
The CSF and CSPMs assessments are USD 1,299 and the CSP and CSPMx are USD 1,499, each a single fee with a monthly plan available and free enrolment on the portal so you can read every criterion before paying. CSPP pricing, including member pricing, is published by PMI on the two bundle pages.
How do I verify that someone holds a GPM certification?
Search the public certification registry by name, or open the verification link carried by the holder's LinkedIn record or PDF certificate. The registry shows the certification, its number, the dates and whether it is active. CSPP holders are verified in PMI's registry.
What happened to the GPM-b?
The Green Project Manager, Basic became the CSPP on 5 June 2026. Active GPM-b holders transfer at no cost through the registry-merge form and a PMI opt-in; expired holders can arrange a renewal exam with GPM; the GPM-b exam remains available to new candidates through 31 December 2026.
Page updated 5 September 2026. GPM fees in US dollars; CSPP pricing on pmi.org.
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