2024 is the first time (since the year 2000) that the United Nations (UN) has held three Conference of the Parties (COP) conventions within the same year. These being the Rio Conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertification.
Combine the “Triple COP Year” with the UK’s Labour party’s green growth plans to create 650,000 “high quality” jobs and the need for employees skilled in and sighted on sustainability has never been greater. Green skills are defined by the UN as ‘the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.”
According to a report launched during Green Careers week (4 - 9 November 2024), 53% of teachers stated they don’t know enough to inform young people about green careers opportunities, thus limiting the development of a green workforce.
A recent study by Simply Sustainable found that 90% of survey respondents indicated that they expected overall company expenditure for sustainability to increase by between 5-10% over the next year. Recent analysis by PwC found that over 75% of companies are linking Executive remuneration to at least one sustainability-related KPI.
Advertisements for sustainability-focused roles are growing nearly twice as fast as the number of workers with the skillset needed to undertake them. According to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2023, only one in eight people currently have skills relevant to helping mitigate the climate crisis. The report also highlighted that women are at a particular disadvantage.
“Trillions of dollars are being invested every year and will be for the foreseeable future. The efforts around climate are increasing exponentially. With all of that effort comes a lot of hiring.”
Allen Blue, Co-Founder of LinkedIn (when speaking to the World Economic Forum (WEF) about the opportunity that green skills and roles represent).
The WEF estimates that 395 million jobs could be created if companies shifted to a nature-positive economic model by 2030. The report also highlights that implementing nature-positive policies could open the door for £7.5 trillion worth of business opportunities. The study profiles the new roles that many companies would seek to hire. Examples included Biodiversity Specialists, Eco-friendly Procurement Managers and Sustainability Communications Specialists.
On 30 October 2024, the Science-Based Targets Network (SBTN) announced that GSK, Kering (the luxury fashion group) and Holcim (a building materials producer) had become the first companies to set verified Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN). A milestone achievement as the framework had been in development for many years. A quick internet search highlights the wide range of additional sustainability-focused roles that these organisations are (unsurprisingly) currently hiring for.
Engaging employees on sustainability
Training employees on socially responsible practices now needs to be an integral part of an organisation’s CSR strategy. Investing in learning and development demonstrates to employees, partners, clients and stakeholders a strong commitment to helping to create a more sustainable and ethical future. Companies are now expected to play an increasingly significant role in making the world a better place.
Edie's Sustainable Business Tracker survey found that 42% of business leaders said that engaging their staff is the biggest hurdle to implementing their sustainability strategies. As a result, 83% made staff engagement on sustainability a top priority in 2024.
In 2017, UP established our own focus on working in the sustainability, CSR, and non-profit areas and launched UP FOR GOOD. UP FOR GOOD believes in a bright future where good business is a combination of commercially successful business, and ultimately being socially responsible.
How to up-skill employees on sustainability
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Continuously review your sustainability strategy and ensure it's embedded in the 'fabric' of your company
Communicate your company's sustainability strategy to your employees - an obvious point, but one that is often overlooked. Embed your values and principles into the company's policies, processes and systems.
Ensure your strategy is regularly revisited to align to the latest developments in your sector and mandatory reporting requirements (if applicable) and relay the relevant updates to employees.
In a previous blog, we addressed the impact of sustainability on the workplace. By adopting a culture of innovation and sustainability, companies can often attract talented individuals committed to making a positive impact on society and the planet.
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Develop a sustainability-focused team
Having an in-house team focused on achieving your company’s socially responsible business targets will help enable sustainability to become an integral part of company culture. This tangible demonstration of your company’s on-going commitments could also make your company more appealing to prospective employees, especially Gen Z (who often seek brands with longstanding commitments to sustainability).
Global finance giant JP Morgan established a new ‘green group’ to coordinate and inform its work around the green economy and related infrastructure investment. According to its 2023 Annual Report, the group will feed into all established industry groups (including real estate, energy and agriculture) – and includes hundreds of employees committed to these efforts.
In-house teams can subsequently work with HR and L&D teams to conduct internal training and commission third-party training most relevant to their company’s sector, size and employee requirements.
Many in-house CSR teams also showcase their company’s commitment to sustainable practices via external platforms including podcasts and newsletters.
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Provide bespoke CSR-focused training and development
Regardless of whether employees are leaders or managers, graduates or interns, training should be encouraged and offered to people at all levels. Ideally, training should be bespoke to best meet the needs of your different teams.
Employees will undoubtedly benefit from even simply understanding the climate “speak”. Especially as media coverage of greenwashing continues to increase (with many companies being penalised for stating over-embellished credentials or making vanity pledges). It’s vital that members of your organisation are able to clearly articulate your sustainability commitments.
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Consult the experts
Even if your company has a dedicated sustainability-focused team, it’s often beneficial to seek external and impartial guidance. External consultants can support organisations in developing, revising or improving their approach to sustainability and can provide invaluable recommendations and advice.
Third parties can also provide invaluable guidance on new reporting requirements. For example, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a new reporting framework that the EU has implemented (superseding the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD)). The CSRD aims to provide a more comprehensive picture of a company’s sustainability performance.
Notable sustainability-related hires now also make the headlines. One example being the recent rehiring of Sarah Kapnick by JP Morgan. Kapnick is Chief Scientist for National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and will rejoin the banking giant as Global Head of Climate Advisory.
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Offer "green" apprenticeships
Apprenticeships align closely to many areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (a key area of sustainability), especially as they often contribute to economic and community development.
Apprenticeships help to promote Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the workplace. EDI is an essential aspect of effective people management and, ultimately, part of a credible sustainability strategy.
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Empower employees
Create opportunities for employees to participate in and lead on sustainability practices. A socially responsible business works best if everyone is involved or consulted. It shouldn’t be a top-down approach - employees might practice eco-friendly measures in their personal lives that could be adopted organisation-wide and subsequently amplified via the company's internal communications channels.
Contact UP to learn how we could make your company more socially responsible.