Is this for you
Sustainability is now part of every project brief
Project sponsors, regulators, investors and customers now ask what a project does to people, the planet and long-term prosperity, and they expect the answer in the plan, the decisions and the reports. The CSPP is for the people who have to produce that answer: project and program managers, PMO and portfolio leads, and the practitioners on their teams. It gives you the P5 Standard as a working lens, PRiSM as a delivery method, and the Sustainability Management Plan as the document that ties intent to results.
It is a PMI-GPM certification. The Project Management Institute issues it and runs the exam; GPM wrote the standards it is built on and builds the course content. The badge carries both names, and the certification sits in your PMI account beside a PMP or CAPM.
Certified practitioners
You hold a PMP, CAPM, PgMP, PfMP or another recognized project management certification
Twelve hours of preparation and a 100-question exam add sustainability to what you already know. The course hours count as PDUs toward the certification you hold.
New to the profession
You are starting out or changing careers
The full bundle teaches project management essentials and sustainability together: 20 hours of preparation and a 145-question exam, with a secondary diploma as the only entry requirement.
PMO and portfolio leads
You set the method and the gates
The CSPP gives you and your teams one vocabulary for impact, thresholds and reporting, so sustainability stops being a separate workstream.
GPM-b holders
You earned the original
Your certification carries forward to the CSPP at no cost. The steps are below.
Why now
The gap between sustainability strategy and delivery is measured
PMI and GPM's 2026 research, Executing Sustainability Strategy, surveyed sustainability executives, PMO leaders and project professionals and found that the problem is execution. Organizations have the strategies; they lack the people who can carry them through projects.
42 pt
confidence gap: 85 percent of sustainability executives are confident their strategy will land, 43 percent of PMO leaders agree
59%
of organizations say sustainability positions them for long-term success but have not embedded it in projects
1 in 5
project professionals feel extremely confident delivering sustainability outcomes today
2x
projects that integrate sustainability are nearly twice as likely to meet their goals
Those numbers are the case for the CSPP in one line: the profession needs a shared, examinable standard for how sustainability enters a project, and the CSPP is the certification that tests it. Read about the research on the PMI-GPM page.
What the exam covers
Six domains, weighted for the path you take
The exam content outline is built on the P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management, the Practice Guide and PRiSM. The practitioner exam covers five domains; the full bundle adds a sixth on project management considerations and shifts the weights toward method.
| Domain | Practitioners (100 questions) | Full bundle (145 questions) |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations of sustainable project work | 18% | 12% |
| PRiSM, Projects integrating Sustainable Methods, life cycle approach | 18% | 23% |
| The P5 Standard: sustainability and impact analysis | 36% | 24% |
| Developing a Sustainability Management Plan | 18% | 12% |
| ESG and sustainability reporting, governance and project communications | 11% | 7% |
| Project management considerations | Not examined | 23% |
In practice that means you learn to run a P5 Impact Analysis across the standard's 52 elements in People, Planet and Prosperity, to score impact and read thresholds as decision triggers, to build a Sustainability Management Plan that survives an audit, and to connect project reporting to GRI, ISSB and the SDGs. Download the exam content outline (PDF, PMI). The standards themselves are free: the P5 Standard, the Practice Guide and the Reporting Guide.
Two ways in
Pick the bundle that matches where you are
Bundle for Practitioners
12-hour course plus a 100-question exam
For holders of an active CAPM, PMP, PgMP or PfMP, an active certification from another recognized project management body, or a master's degree with a concentration in project or program management. 120 minutes, five domains. Explore on PMI.
CSPP Bundle
20-hour course plus a 145-question exam
For anyone with a secondary diploma (high school, GED or the equivalent). 175 minutes with a ten-minute break, six domains including project management considerations. Explore on PMI.
Prefer a classroom?
GPM and PMI Authorized Training Partners
Instructor-led preparation in your region and language, delivered by partners who teach GPM's material. Find one near you.
The exam
What to expect on the day
| Practitioners | Full bundle | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 100 (85 scored, 15 pretest) | 145 (130 scored, 15 pretest) |
| Time | 120 minutes | 175 minutes, one ten-minute break |
| Domains | 1 to 5 | 1 to 6 |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test centre, or online with remote proctoring | Pearson VUE test centre, or online with remote proctoring |
| Language | English | English |
| Attempts | Up to three within a one-year eligibility period | Up to three within a one-year eligibility period |
Questions are scenario-based. They ask what a project manager should do with a P5 score, a threshold breach, a sponsor's request or a reporting deadline, so the preparation course is spent applying the standard rather than memorizing it.
Keeping it active
Three years, 30 PDUs, all in your PMI account
Like every PMI certification, the CSPP is renewed every three years by reporting 30 PDUs. You claim and track them in your PMI account, alongside any other PMI certification you hold, and PDUs earned through GPM events, courses and publications count. The 12 hours of the practitioner preparation course also count as PDUs toward a PMP, PgMP, PfMP or CAPM you already hold, so the bundle pays back part of its time on day one.
GPM's own certifications, the CSF, CSP, CSPMs and CSPMx, are valid for five years and are renewed with GPM. See the certification overview.
Holding a GPM-b
Your certification carries forward
The Green Project Manager, Basic (GPM-b) was the first sustainability certification for project professionals when GPM launched it in 2013. On 5 June 2026 it became the CSPP. Nobody starts over; the path depends on your status.
Active GPM-b: complete the registry-merge form
A short form so GPM can match your record. Start the registry-merge form.
GPM sends your record to PMI
GPM sends batch updates to PMI every week, and your GPM-b is added to your PMI profile.
Accept the no-cost opt-in at PMI
Once the GPM-b appears on your profile, click the opt-in to receive the CSPP. No exam, no additional training.
Expired GPM-b: email the certification board
Keep your certificate on hand and
Where GPM fits
The standard, the method and the path beyond the exam
GPM is the sustainability organization advancing regenerative practices worldwide, and the creator of the P5 Standard, PRiSM and the CSPP certification. Since April 2025 it writes the standards and builds the courses for the PMI-GPM joint venture, which now publishes the P5 Standard, the Practice Guide, the Sponsorship and Reporting Guides and the Competence Standard as PMI-GPM publications. PMI issues the CSPP; GPM administers the rest of the certification line.
Next step
CSPMs, Certified Sustainable Project Manager, Specialist
Competence-based: evidence from your own projects, assessed against the Sustainability Competence Standard. The natural step after the CSPP.
Senior practitioners
CSPMx, Certified Sustainable Project Manager, Expert
For leaders of highly complex, sustainability-driven programs and portfolios.
Beyond projects
CSF and CSP for sustainability professionals
GPM's certifications for sustainability work in any business function, in procurement, operations, HR, finance and the sustainability office.
Community
GPM Ambassadors
The practitioner network: events, the P5 Impact Analysis tool, guides and a directory of certified professionals worldwide.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is the CSPP?
The Certified Sustainable Project Professional (CSPP) is the PMI-GPM certification for project professionals who deliver sustainability through their projects. It is exam-based, built on the P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management and the Practice Guide, issued by the Project Management Institute, and renewed on PMI's three-year cycle. It began life in 2013 as GPM's GPM-b, the first sustainability certification for project professionals, and became the CSPP on 5 June 2026.
Who issues the CSPP?
PMI issues and administers it as a PMI-GPM certification. GPM wrote the P5 Standard and the Practice Guide the exam is built on and develops the exam preparation course content. You apply, sit the exam, hold the certification and report PDUs in your PMI account.
Do I need a PMI certification to apply?
No. There are two paths. The Bundle for Practitioners is for people who hold an active CAPM, PMP, PgMP or PfMP, an active certification from another recognized project management body, or a master's degree with a concentration in project or program management; it pairs a 12-hour course with a 100-question exam. The CSPP Bundle needs only a secondary diploma and pairs a 20-hour course with a 145-question exam that adds a project management domain.
How long is the exam and where do I take it?
Practitioners sit 100 questions in 120 minutes; the full bundle exam is 145 questions in 175 minutes with a ten-minute break. Both are delivered at a Pearson VUE test centre or online with remote proctoring, in English. You have up to three attempts within a one-year eligibility period.
What does it cost?
PMI publishes current pricing, including member pricing, on the two bundle pages. Each bundle includes the exam preparation course and the exam. GPM does not sell the CSPP.
How do I keep it active?
Like every PMI certification, the CSPP is renewed every three years by reporting 30 PDUs in your PMI account. The 12 hours of the practitioner course also count as PDUs toward a PMP or other PMI certification you already hold.
I hold a GPM-b. What happens to it?
It carries forward. If your GPM-b is active, complete the short registry-merge form, GPM sends the record to PMI in its weekly batch, and once it appears on your PMI profile you accept a no-cost opt-in to receive the CSPP, with no exam and no extra training. If your GPM-b has expired, email
Is the CSPP a project management certification?
Yes. It is for people who run projects and programs, whatever their industry, and it assumes project management knowledge or teaches the essentials in the full bundle. Sustainability professionals who do not manage projects should look at GPM's CSF and CSP certifications, which assess sustainability competence in any business function.
How does the CSPP relate to GPM's CSPMs and CSPMx?
All three sit on the same competence line. The CSPP proves knowledge of the standard by exam. The CSPMs and CSPMx are PMI-GPM certifications administered by GPM that assess evidence from your own projects against the Sustainability Competence Standard through a portfolio and an assessor interview. Many people hold the CSPP first and move to the CSPMs once they have delivered sustainability-driven projects.
Page updated 5 September 2026. Exam details from PMI's 2026 exam content outline; pricing on pmi.org.
GPM®, Green Project Management® and Sustainable Project Management® are registered trademarks of GPM Ltd. PRiSM™, P5™, CSPP™, CSPMs™, CSPMx™, CSP™, CSF™, GPM360°™ and PSM3™ are trademarks of GPM Global and, where applicable, PMI-GPM. PMI and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute.
PMI-GPM · Certification
The CSPP is a PMI-GPM certification issued by the Project Management Institute and built on GPM's P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management. Choose your path on PMI or find a training partner.