Project management authority Project Management Institute (PMI) has signed an agreement to establish a new joint venture (JV) with Green Project Management (GPM), a pioneer in sustainable and regenerative project management.

Under the terms of the agreement, the assets developed by GPM to support project professionals with sustainable project management will be transferred to the new JV, in which PMI now owns a majority stake.

These assets include standards, guides, tools, frameworks, learning and certifications.

GPM will retain its research and advisory activities and a minority stake in the JV for at least the next five years. It will also actively contribute to the new venture’s thought leadership and content.

PMI says the new JV comes at a “pivotal moment.”

While regulatory signals continue to evolve, PMI says the imperative for sustainable environmental, social and economic development remains, adding that, for project professionals, this represents a “powerful opportunity” to drive positive impact.

Even beyond projects focused explicitly on sustainable transformation, PMI research shows that any project that is aligned to social good is nearly twice as likely to succeed, yet only 22% of projects today meet that standard, it notes.

PMI says this highlights a significant opportunity for the new venture to provide a clear, actionable roadmap for implementing sustainability effectively across sectors.

Project professionals are uniquely positioned to harness their skills and leadership to embed sustainability into every stage of the project lifecycle, and to lead the way in delivering meaningful, lasting change, it notes.

“Sustainability transformation is one of the biggest challenges of our time — and it won’t happen without projects. This JV is about placing project professionals at the center of that transformation,” says PMI president and CEO Pierre Le Manh.

“With GPM’s certifications, learning programmes, and standards now brought into a JV fully integrated into the PMI organisation, we are in a strong position to help our community turn good intentions into meaningful, measurable action – across industries and on a global scale – by leveraging PMI’s ecosystem of professionals, corporate partners, academic institutions, training organisations and governments.

“Our goal is to make sustainability practical at the project level and to equip professionals and organisations to lead their own sustainability journeys toward a more resilient and prosperous future,” says Le Manh.

Through this JV, PMI says it will integrate GPM’s sustainability-driven certifications, frameworks, and tools –  including the GPM P5 Standard for Sustainability in Project Management and the Sustainability Competence Standard – into its learning ecosystem and global community platforms.

PMI explains that these resources provide clear, actionable guidance for professionals seeking to assess, measure and continuously improve the sustainability performance of their projects.

“Sustainability is not a luxury for Africa, it is essential to our growth, resilience, and future.

“The JV empowers project professionals across Africa to lead transformative change, embedding sustainability into every project and unlocking solutions that serve both people and the planet,” says PMI sub-Saharan Africa MD George Asamani.

PMI says it has built a strong relationship with GPM over the years.

Since 2022, PMI has offered GPM’s Sustainable Project Management (GPM-b) certification course to its global community, and GPM content has been integrated into PMI Infinity, PMI’s AI-powered knowledge platform.

PMI says this new collaboration marks a significant step forward, enabling both organisations to deepen their impact and advance their shared mission of “elevating the world” through projects.

“The future of project management must move beyond delivering outputs,” says GPM founder Joel Carboni.

“Projects must play a critical role in generating prosperity, restoring ecosystems, and building more equitable communities. This JV brings us closer to making sustainability and regeneration core to the profession.”