Sustainability Internships
Sustainability internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience working alongside working sustainability practitioners, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Roles across {{top_industries_phrase}} are active now, with Aramark, Lincoln Electric, and Workwear Outfitters among the employers posting roles now.
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Workwear Outfitters has a strong legacy of building innovative and authentic market-right products and is a leading supplier of work apparel and footwear for diverse occupations in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, oil and gas, utilities, government, food services, telecommunications, hospitality, and many more. Workwear Outfitters is based in Nashville, Tennessee with more than 5,500 employees in facilities spanning the globe.
Brands under the Workwear Outfitters umbrella include Red Kap®, Bulwark®, Image Authority®, Kodiak®, Terra®, Liberty ®, Work Authority®, Workrite® Fire Service, Chef Designs®, Horace Small®, CritiCore®, and OOBE®. Workwear Outfitters is also the exclusive licensee for Dickies® apparel in the B2B channel.
Our Purpose: “We champion and empower workers who make our world work better”
What You Will Do as an Intern – Innovation & Sustainability
We are seeking a motivated intern to support our Innovation and Sustainability functional areas. This role will contribute to product-related initiatives, regulatory tracking, supplier engagement, and internal communications. The intern will work closely with cross-functional teams to help drive forward our innovation pipeline and sustainability goals.
How You Will Make a Difference:
Innovation:
Conduct research and benchmarking of emerging technologies and materials.
Support documentation and organization of innovation pipeline activities.
Assist in preparing presentations and internal communications.
Participate in brainstorming sessions and track idea development.
Organization/Maintenance of materials and technologies library
Sustainability:
Contribute to regulatory tracking and mapping efforts (e.g., SB 261, EU GPSR, DPP).
Assist with supplier engagement and adoption of sustainability tools like Higg.
Organize and maintain sustainability documentation.
Support internal briefings and cross-functional coordination on ESG topics.
Skills for Success:
High School Graduate
0-1 Years of Related Professional Experience
Academic background in sustainability, environmental science, product development, or innovation management, or related functional area
Strong organizational, time management, and communication skills.
Interest in regulatory compliance and pragmatic sustainability approaches.
Ability to work with cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities.
Strong Technical Skills (M365: Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Basic to intermediate skills in AI (CoPilot), Smartsheet or similar Project Management platforms is a bonus!
Deliverables:
Weekly status updates and task tracking.
Contributions to internal briefings and supplier communications.
Support materials for innovation and sustainability meetings.
Candidates must be onsite in Nashville.
Workwear Outfitters has a strong legacy of building innovative and authentic market-right products and is a leading supplier of work apparel and footwear for diverse occupations in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, oil and gas, utilities, government, food services, telecommunications, hospitality, and many more. Workwear Outfitters is based in Nashville, Tennessee with more than 5,500 employees in facilities spanning the globe.
Brands under the Workwear Outfitters umbrella include Red Kap®, Bulwark®, Image Authority®, Kodiak®, Terra®, Liberty ®, Work Authority®, Workrite® Fire Service, Chef Designs®, Horace Small®, CritiCore®, and OOBE®. Workwear Outfitters is also the exclusive licensee for Dickies® apparel in the B2B channel.
Our Purpose: “We champion and empower workers who make our world work better”
What You Will Do as an Intern – Innovation & Sustainability
We are seeking a motivated intern to support our Innovation and Sustainability functional areas. This role will contribute to product-related initiatives, regulatory tracking, supplier engagement, and internal communications. The intern will work closely with cross-functional teams to help drive forward our innovation pipeline and sustainability goals.
How You Will Make a Difference:
Innovation:
Conduct research and benchmarking of emerging technologies and materials.
Support documentation and organization of innovation pipeline activities.
Assist in preparing presentations and internal communications.
Participate in brainstorming sessions and track idea development.
Organization/Maintenance of materials and technologies library
Sustainability:
Contribute to regulatory tracking and mapping efforts (e.g., SB 261, EU GPSR, DPP).
Assist with supplier engagement and adoption of sustainability tools like Higg.
Organize and maintain sustainability documentation.
Support internal briefings and cross-functional coordination on ESG topics.
Skills for Success:
High School Graduate
0-1 Years of Related Professional Experience
Academic background in sustainability, environmental science, product development, or innovation management, or related functional area
Strong organizational, time management, and communication skills.
Interest in regulatory compliance and pragmatic sustainability approaches.
Ability to work with cross-functional teams and manage multiple priorities.
Strong Technical Skills (M365: Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Basic to intermediate skills in AI (CoPilot), Smartsheet or similar Project Management platforms is a bonus!
Deliverables:
Weekly status updates and task tracking.
Contributions to internal briefings and supplier communications.
Support materials for innovation and sustainability meetings.
Candidates must be onsite in Nashville.
Sustainability Internship Market
Who's Hiring
Tips for Your Sustainability Internship Search
Apply in the fall for summer roles
Large employers with structured sustainability cohorts open applications the preceding fall and close them well before the new year. Smaller companies and co-ops post closer to their start dates. Map out your target timeline in September and submit to structured programs first, then work through rolling openings as they appear.
Build project evidence before you apply
Hiring teams reviewing sustainability interns expect limited work history and look for documented projects instead. Publish an environmental analysis, complete a lifecycle assessment case study, or build a sustainability dashboard with real data. Name the tools you used, GIS software, emissions calculators, Excel models, and link the work so reviewers can assess it directly.
Work your campus network and apply directly
Campus career fairs surface structured programs tied to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. Apply directly to companies running smaller cohorts alongside campus activity, that combination widens the pool you reach and puts you in front of recruiters through more than one channel.
Practice the sustainability intern screen out loud
Many sustainability intern interviews include a case scenario on environmental trade-offs, a data interpretation exercise, or a policy analysis prompt. Practice answering out loud, explaining your reasoning as you go, interviewers weigh how you think through ambiguous problems as much as the final answer you land on. Run through two or three practice scenarios before your first real screen.
Target structured rotational programs early
Large companies in energy, manufacturing, and consumer goods run rotational sustainability internship programs designed to train people new to the field. These programs recruit in the fall, fill faster than individual team openings, and give broader exposure than a single-placement role. Identify the programs that fit your background and apply in the first wave.
Set your work-type filter before you start
On-site roles are 33% of the sustainability internships listed here. Decide what you can commit to before you start searching, then filter by location and work type on Migrate Mate so you are not sorting through roles you cannot take. Applying only to realistic matches saves time and keeps your focus on the openings worth pursuing.
Sustainability Internships: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a sustainability internship?
Lead with coursework, personal projects, and a portfolio rather than work history, hiring teams expect limited experience at the intern level. For sustainability candidates, the concrete artifact that gives recruiters something to assess is a documented project showing environmental analysis, lifecycle assessments, or sustainability reporting work. Combine direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.
Can a sustainability internship turn into a full-time job?
Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it is performance on real project work, the team's open headcount at the end of the summer, and how early you signal interest in returning. Position yourself by delivering on your assigned scope and asking about full-time timelines before your internship ends, without treating the offer as a given.
When should I apply for sustainability internships?
Earlier than most students expect. Large employers with structured cohort programs recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often closing applications before the new year. Smaller companies, nonprofits, and co-op programs post closer to their start dates, so openings appear year-round. Checking listings consistently and applying as soon as a role fits your profile gives you the best chance across both timelines.
Are sustainability internships paid?
Most professional sustainability internships in the United States are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, and listings show it where the employer discloses it. Nonprofit and government internships are more likely to be unpaid or stipend-based than private-sector roles. Reviewing each listing for compensation details before applying helps you prioritize accordingly.
What should a sustainability internship resume include?
Lead with projects, not work history. Include two or three complete, documented projects that show the tools you used and where the work can be reviewed, for sustainability candidates, that means published environmental analyses, case studies, sustainability audit reports, or linked data visualization work. Add relevant coursework in environmental science, policy, or data analysis. Keep the resume to one page.
Are there remote sustainability internships?
Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 67% of the sustainability internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast because they attract applicants from across the country, so apply early and filter by work type to see them before positions close.
What is a sustainability rotational internship?
A sustainability rotational internship places you across two or more teams, often covering areas like corporate environmental reporting, supply chain sustainability, and energy management, within a single program cycle. These programs are designed for people new to the field and give broader exposure than a single-team placement. They recruit early, competition is high, and most programs run application windows in the fall for summer starts.
Can international students get sustainability internships?
Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.
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