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Environmental Sustainability Coordinator

Primark • United Kingdom • Added on Jul 31, 2026
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This coordinator role is a central gear in managing the technical environmental performance of a vast global supply chain. You will be responsible for the day-to-day administration and monitoring of critical sustainability programs, focusing specifically on biodiversity, chemical management, and water stewardship. Your time will be spent tracking supplier data, ensuring adherence to manufacturing standards, and keeping various internal teams aligned on progress.

Working for a high-volume retailer like Primark means your oversight of chemical inventories and wastewater standards has a massive ripple effect across the fashion industry. By enforcing the Primark Cares strategy, you ensure that affordable fashion does not come at the cost of ecosystem health, directly contributing to the decarbonization and detoxification of global textile manufacturing.

This suits someone who is highly analytical and organized, perhaps a recent graduate or early-career professional with a foundational grasp of environmental science. You should thrive in fast-paced environments where data management and clear communication are the primary tools for driving change.

Job FAQs

What are the main missions and responsibilities of this role?

The core of this role involves monitoring and evaluating supplier performance against strict environmental KPIs. You will be the primary point of contact for tracking chemical inventories and ensuring conformity with Restricted Substances Lists (MRSL), which is vital for maintaining product safety and environmental integrity. Beyond data tracking, you will assist in the execution of the broader Primark Cares strategy. This involves translating high-level sustainability goals into operational reality by assisting with training sessions, managing corrective action processes for non-compliant facilities, and coordinating communications between external stakeholders and internal business units.

Key learning opportunities for this job

A candidate in this position will gain deep technical expertise in chemical management and water stewardship within the textile industry. You will learn how to apply global standards such as ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) in a commercial setting, providing a strong foundation for a career in sustainable procurement. Additionally, you will sharpen your data visualization and analytics skills. Working with tools like Tableau or Power BI to report on sustainability metrics will teach you how to turn complex datasets into actionable insights for senior leadership and external reporting bodies.

How does the ideal candidate look like (experience, skills)?

The ideal profile is a detail-oriented project coordinator with a basic but solid understanding of environmental sustainability principles. While you don't need decades of experience, you must be comfortable handling large spreadsheets and using Excel at an advanced level to manage supplier data. Soft skills are equally important; Primark looks for a proactive self-starter who can work autonomously. Being able to communicate technical environmental requirements to non-technical internal teams or diverse global suppliers is a key attribute for success in this role.

Advice to stand out and make a successful application

To stand out, demonstrate a clear understanding of the interconnectedness of water, chemicals, and biodiversity in the fashion supply chain. Researching the Primark Cares strategy specifically regarding 'detox' and 'circularity' will allow you to speak more knowledgeably during the interview process. Highlight any experience you have with data management software like Tableau or Power BI. Primark values candidates who can not only collect data but also help visualize it to drive business decisions. Showing a 'solutions-focused' mindset rather than just a compliance-checking one will differentiate you.

What aspects of the company's sustainability is this role likely to focus on?

The role is heavily weighted toward pollution prevention and resource conservation. You will likely focus on ensuring that factories in the supply chain are not discharging harmful chemicals into local waterways, which directly protects regional biodiversity. There is also a significant focus on governance and transparency. By managing the MRSL conformity and wastewater standards, you are helping the company meet increasingly strict international legislative requirements and voluntary industry initiatives.

What are the main challenges someone in this role might face?

The most significant challenge will be the scale and complexity of the supply chain. Managing data and compliance for hundreds of suppliers across different geographies requires extreme attention to detail and the ability to handle repetitive, high-stakes reporting tasks without losing accuracy. Additionally, because this is a fast-paced retail environment, you may face the challenge of balancing long-term sustainability goals with immediate commercial pressures. Influencing suppliers to adopt better practices within a 12-month fixed-term window requires persistence and strong relationship-building skills.

How could a typical day look like for someone in this position?

Your morning might begin with analyzing chemical inventory reports from factories in Asia, flagging any discrepancies in MRSL compliance. You would then move into a coordination meeting with Environmental Managers to discuss progress on water stewardship targets. In the afternoon, you could be drafting training materials for suppliers or updating a dashboard in Power BI to reflect the latest quarterly KPIs. Much of your day is spent as a bridge between data and action, ensuring that information flows smoothly between technical experts and operational teams.

What are the opportunities for professional growth and development in this role?

Although this is a 12-month fixed-term contract, it offers high visibility within a 130-strong sustainability team. Success in this role could lead to permanent positions within Primark's environmental or ethical trade departments, which are growing as the brand ramps up its sustainability commitments. The role provides excellent cross-functional exposure, allowing you to build a network across retail operations, procurement, and external NGOs. This holistic view of a global retailer’s footprint is a powerful asset for any future career moves in the ESG space.

The main stakeholders you might be interacting with

You will frequently interact with Supply Chain Partners and Facility Managers to oversee compliance and corrective actions. These relationships are critical for ensuring that environmental standards are actually implemented on the factory floor. Internally, you will work closely with Environmental Managers and the Ethical Trade team. You will also provide data and insights to the communications and reporting teams to help them articulate Primark’s sustainability progress to the public and regulatory bodies.

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