The name
What Sustainable Project Management® means
Sustainable Project Management® is the registered service mark of GPM Ltd. for the training and certifications GPM has offered since July 2011. It identifies GPM as the source. Under this name GPM sells a project delivery method, training courses, organizational and project assessments, and professional certifications, all built on standards that GPM wrote and maintains with the Project Management Institute through the PMI-GPM joint venture.
When GPM refers to the subject in general, it says sustainability in project management. Sustainable Project Management® is the name of what GPM offers in that subject, the same way a named method or a named certification belongs to the organization that publishes it.
Under the mark
What GPM offers as Sustainable Project Management®
Method
PRiSM™
PRojects integrating Sustainable Methods. The P5 Impact Analysis and the Sustainability Management Plan at every gate.
Training
Courses and eLearning
IACET accredited, delivered by GPM and Accredited Training Partners worldwide.
Assessment
PSM3™, OSEM, GPM360°™
Portfolio, enterprise and single-project assessment against GPM's standards.
Certifications
CSPP™, CSF™, CSP™, CSPMs™, CSPMx™
Assessed against the GPM Sustainability Competence Standard. The CSPP is delivered through the PMI platform.
The Sustainable Project Management® method is PRiSM, PRojects integrating Sustainable Methods, GPM's project delivery method. PRiSM adds the P5 Impact Analysis and the Sustainability Management Plan to a conventional lifecycle so that impacts on People, Planet and Prosperity are identified, scored and managed at every gate. It has been published since 2011 and is the delivery method behind the PMI GPM Practice Guide for Sustainability in Project Management, Fourth Edition (2026).
Sustainable Project Management® training is delivered by GPM and by its Accredited Training Partners worldwide. Courses are IACET accredited and prepare candidates for GPM's certifications.
Sustainable Project Management® assessments measure organizations and projects against GPM's standards: PSM3™ for portfolios, programs and projects, OSEM for the enterprise, and GPM360°™ for the verification of a single project.
Sustainable Project Management® certifications are the CSPP™ (Certified Sustainable Project Professional, formerly the GPM-b™, established 2013), the CSF™, the CSP™, and the competence-based CSPMs™ and CSPMx™. Every certification is assessed against the GPM Sustainability Competence Standard, and the CSPP is delivered through the PMI certification platform.
The standards underneath
Two standards GPM wrote
Everything sold under the mark is built on two standards GPM wrote. The PMI GPM P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management, Version 4.0 (2026), organizes sustainability impact into 52 elements across People, Planet and Prosperity and crosswalks each to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, GRI, TCFD and the ISSB standards. The GPM Sustainability Competence Standard, Version 2.1, defines the performance criteria a practitioner must demonstrate. Both are free to download. The Practice Guide, published with PMI, is the operational companion that makes the P5 Standard executable in a project.
Record of use
Since 2009, incorporated 2011, in commerce since July 2011
GPM began in 2009 as a think tank of practitioners in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with the P5 framework and the Sustainability Management Plan toolkit. GPM was incorporated in April 2011, launched its certification program in June 2011, and has used Sustainable Project Management® in commerce continuously since July 12, 2011. The dated publication and recognition record, with third-party sources, is on the Provenance page.
Who uses it
Professionals, organizations, governments and universities
Thousands of certified professionals in more than 100 countries hold a Sustainable Project Management® certification. Organizations, government agencies and universities use the method, the training and the assessments, and GPM's Accredited Training Partners deliver the courses worldwide.
Questions and answers
About the name and what stands behind it
Is Sustainable Project Management® a certification?
It is the name of GPM's family of offerings. The certifications sold under it are the CSPP, CSF, CSP, CSPMs and CSPMx. The method is PRiSM, and the assessments are PSM3, OSEM and GPM360°.
Which standard does it follow?
The PMI GPM P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management, Version 4.0, for impact, and the GPM Sustainability Competence Standard, Version 2.1, for practitioner competence. GPM wrote both.
How long has GPM used the name?
In commerce since July 12, 2011, continuously. The mark was registered with the USPTO on May 12, 2026 (Reg. No. 8,255,819).
Can a training company use the name?
Only GPM's Accredited Training Partners may deliver courses under the Sustainable Project Management® name, under the terms of the Accredited Training Partner program and the GPM Use of Intellectual Property Policy.
How does GPM refer to the subject in general?
As sustainability in project management, or sustainability in projects. Sustainable Project Management® is reserved for what GPM offers.
Trademark notice
SUSTAINABLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT® is a registered service mark of GPM Ltd. (USPTO Reg. No. 8,255,819, registered May 12, 2026; International Class 41, business training in the field of professional development and project management). First use in commerce July 12, 2011. GPM®, Green Project Management® and Sustainable Project Management® are registered trademarks of GPM Ltd. PRiSM™, P5™, PSM3™, GPM360°™, GPM-b™, CSPP™, CSF™, CSP™, CSPMs™ and CSPMx™ are trademarks of GPM Ltd.
Updated September 2026.