Why Sustainability Office?

I founded Sustainability Office because I saw a need for a different kind of sustainability support - expert, practical and closely involved in implementation.

Organisations often know that they need to become more sustainable, but the path from ambition to action is not always clear. Sometimes they need a strategy. Sometimes they need someone to turn an idea into a project. Sometimes they need to bring stakeholders together, develop a new product or communicate their sustainability work credibly.

Sustainability Office is built to support that entire journey.

My role is to bring the expertise, structure and hands-on support needed to move your project forward.

Have a sustainability project you would like us to work on?

Let's talk!

Sustainability Office principles

Professional and collaborative relations with clients

A small number of high-value projects

High-quality service delivered within agreed deadlines

Creative thinking, innovative approaches and practical solutions

Stella Hrvatin

Founder & sustainable development consultant

While many people enter this space from general backgrounds, my path is built on specialized formal education in sustainable development. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Development & International Relations, a second Bachelor’s in Business Management, and a Master’s degree in Leadership for Sustainability from Malmö University. This ensures I have a holistic approach to sustainability challenges and that I have both strategic vision and deliver practical solutions.

My corporate experience spans major clients, including from sectors such as aviation, marine transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, packaging, food and beverage and trading. I played a key role in creating the first ESRS-aligned sustainability reports in Croatia and has delivered numerous ESG strategies.

I founded Sustainability Office in 2025 positioning it as an external sustainability partner providing both strategic advice and practical implementation support. I use my corporate experience to support SMEs through their sustainability transformation – helping them build future-ready ESG strategies, implement effective sustainability management systems, and publish high-quality sustainability reports aligned with global standards.

Sustainable tourism has always been a topic close to my heart.

When working with public and private organizations my approach combines strategic thinking with hands-on project delivery. Depending on the challenge, this can mean developing a sustainability strategy, mapping local resources, designing a sustainable tourism experience, coordinating stakeholders, developing a pilot project, supporting implementation or creating a communication campaign.

I particularly enjoy working on challenges where there is no ready-made solution - bringing together research, strategic thinking, stakeholder perspectives, creativity and my experience to develop something that works in a specific place or organisation.

Let's connect

Sustainable tourism as a space for change

A significant part of my work focuses on sustainable tourism and destination development.

I am interested in how destinations can move beyond simply attracting more visitors and instead create tourism that is better connected to local people, places, culture and resources. This includes developing experiences around local heritage and food, supporting less-visited areas, engaging communities and creating tourism opportunities that generate value throughout the year.

I have been involved in several international projects focused on sustainable tourism development where we tackled overtourism challenges, lack of benefits for local communities and irresponsible use of natural and cultural resources. I supported the strategic objectives of People Powered Tourism, GUSTI and SOCRAT project by developing strategies, engaging stakeholders, mapping resources, co-creating sustainable tourism experiences, planning and delivering communication and organizing events.

Formal education

2021-2022

Master's Degree
Malmo University, Sweden

Master of Arts in Leadership for Sustainability
Master thesis: The implementation of strategic CSR in small and medium-sized enterprises through leadership, communication, and decision-making processes : A qualitative study within the hotel industry

2019-2022

Bachelor's Degree
University of Rijeka, Croatia

Bachelor in Business Management, Summa cum Laude
Final thesis: The Role of Leaders in Implementing a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy

2018-2021

Bachelor's Degree
Libertas International University, Croatia

Bachelor in Sustainable Development and International Relations, Rector's award for the Best Student of the Generation

Final thesis: Implementation of Environmental Management Systems in Croatian Hotels

Research work

Alongside consulting, I have worked on multiple research project related to sustainable tourism and sustainable business. Topics I worked on include Albergo Diffuso as a sustainable business model, rural tourism, sustainability leadership, strategic corporate social responsibility, environmental management systems, employee satisfaction and sustainability reporting.

Academic papers

Hrvatin, Stella, Ana Markuz, and Ivana Miklosevic. "Project Manager's Social Responsibility: Ensuring Work-Life Balance and Equal Opportunity in Project Teams." Economic and Social Development, International Scientific Conference on Economic and Social Development. Vol. 81. 2022.
Hrvatin, Stella, Ana Markuz, and Ivana Miklošević. "Analysis and evaluation of albergo diffuso as sustainable business model: Case study of ‘Ražnjevića dvori’." Oeconomica Jadertina 12.2 (2022): 22-35.
Hrvatin, Stella, Ana Markuz, and Marko Jurakić. "Potential for implementation of albergo diffuso concept as sustainable business model in rural areas of Republic of Croatia." (2023): 253-266. 3. međunarodna znanstveno-stručna konferencija za razvoj ruralnog turizma RRT 2022. Sveti Martin na Muri.
ŠLOGAR, HELENA, and STELLA HRVATIN. "Stavovi menadžera hrvatskih hotela prema sustavima upravljanja okolišem: percipirane koristi i prepreke." Oeconomica Jadertina 13.2 (2023): 69-86.
Hrvatin, Stella, Ivana Miklošević, and Ana Markuz. "Zadovoljstvo radnim mjestom u ugostiteljskom sektoru: generacijske razlike." Acta economica et turistica 9.2 (2023): 163-187.
Šlogar, Helena, Bojan Morić Milovanović, and Stella Hrvatin. "Does the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and subjective financial firm performance have an inverted U-shape? Evidence from Southeast European SMEs." Administrative sciences 13.2 (2023): 26.

Professional papers

Markota Vukić, N. i Hrvatin S. (2022). Uredba o taksonomiji EU – izvještavanje ključnih pokazatelja uspješnosti i održiva ulaganja. RRiF, 5, str. 45-50.

Markota Vukić, N. i Hrvatin S. (2022). Promjene u korporativnom izvještavanju o održivosti (CSRD). RRIF, 11, str. 65 - 69

Hrvatin, S. (2023). Sadržaj izvještaja o održivosti prema načelu dvostruke materijalnosti. RRIF, 10, str. 42-47.

Predavanja

Izrada plana dekarbonizacije - kolegij Energetska tranzicija u prometnom sektoru, Tehnički fakultet, Rijeka, listopad 2025

Iskustvo MSP-a u klimatskoj tranziciji - predavanje i panel rasprava na konferenciji Inspira Lider, LAG Terra Liburna, studeni 2025
„SA SUSTAINABILITY NA TI!: održivo poslovanje štiti prihod i smanjuje rizik” - predavanje za poduzetnike u Hubbaziji, Grad Opatija, ožujak 2026
BLUNEW accelerator "How to develop a sustainable development strategy" - training and mentoring support for participating teams