Macro Shift
Sustainability Mindset
For others, it’s a new way of working as a rapidly growing number of companies set ambitious sustainability targets — and they will need everyone engaged to make them happen. It means new job skills and a mindset shift.
These added responsibilities for sustainability goals require big changes in work processes and culture. The workplace can help by being designed to reflect sustainability choices and bring a wide range of people together to tackle new, complex challenges.
Net zero. Circular economy. Embodied carbon. For some employees, these terms are just part of the job.
In the last year, the number of companies setting science-based carbon reduction targets jumped 102%, now representing nearly 40% of the global economy, according to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These strategic choices are creating new jobs and will require some new skills for existing ones. Leaders are finding they need to expand learning and engage all functions across the organization to reach these goals. They are focused on building a culture that taps into sustainability teams’ expertise and involves everyone to accelerate collective action. Leaders also understand they need to work with partners who can help them design a sustainable, flexible and resilient work environment.
Engaging All Employees in Sustainability Goals
The number of companies setting science-based carbon reduction targets doubled in the last year.“People have always wanted to do the right thing, they just didn’t know how. We’ve created a pathway where we can see progress. We break a large goal into small steps which helps people wrap their minds around how to get there. This pathway is about progress, not pledges. For companies like us that make products, we want everyone, not just the sustainability team, to influence our targets. We refer to this strategic pillar as pervasive sustainability.”
+300
Companies setting science-based carbon reduction targets now represent nearly 40% of the global economy (SBTi).
2x
New rules and regulations such as the EU’s 2024 anti-greenwashing law are just one reason more companies there are focused on sustainability issues.
A Sharp Rise in Sustainability Goals
Signals suggest organizations will continue placing greater emphasis on sustainability ahead.
million
jobs
“Green collar” (sustainability-related) roles are expected to add 300 million jobs by 2050
(Deloitte 2022)
Logitech’s Sustainability Pathway
Prakash Arunkundrum, Logitech COO
According to LinkedIn, the role of sustainability manager is the fastest growing job in the UK and Germany. It ranks third in Spain. And three of the top 10 fastest-growing jobs in the US are sustainability-related.
What are science-based targets?
Asia
North America
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) tracks companies making climate commitments. SBTi works with organizations around the world, including Steelcase, to identify how much and how quickly they need to reduce carbon emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change.
Of all validated science-based carbon reduction targets, Europe has the most with Asia second and North America third (the remaining 6% is distributed among other parts of the world. Source: SBTi). 53%27%New Skills Needed
14%Europe
“We put sustainable actions and circularity at the center of what we do. Our recent partnership with Steelcase to remake 900 of our chairs for a workplace design project demonstrates our will and ambition. This new kind of circular service will benefit our group and can also lead other companies to decrease their carbon footprint.”
CapGemini’s Power of Community
Guillaume Ancel, Real Estate Senior Manager
Leaders are discovering they must build a culture that taps into sustainability teams’ expertise and involves everyone to meet ambitious climate goals. Companies are wading into new territory — for example, designing new circular business models. Leaders need to hire for new roles, amp up learning and engage existing employees at a deeper level. Leaders will expect their workplace to reflect these values, help people come together to build new capabilities and spur critical innovation.
Reaching a net-zero future will require a learning culture.
There’s not a clear, repeatable roadmap every organization can use. In fact, net-zero strategies rely on future innovations in technology, infrastructure and materials science that don’t exist yet. New uses for sustainable materials and advancements in carbon capture technology are just a few reasons there is a need for constant learning. Understanding the science and creating innovative solutions requires upskilling or reskilling for both leaders and employees. It’s a culture shift for some organizations that will need to embed life-long learning into the fabric of work. Creating places for group and individual learning is essential to make this shift. Leaders must set a clear vision to drive collective action toward shared sustainability goals.
Product development needs to understand sustainability targets. But so do people working in human resources who may have to hire for new skills and procurement who vet suppliers. Clarity around sustainability ensures everyone moves in the same direction.
Transparency lets leaders, teams and individuals navigate new sustainability choices and priorities, and take action toward a shared vision for the future. When strategies and goals are aligned and prioritized at the highest level, leaders across the company can bring people together to figure out new ways to tackle these goals. Creating leadership spaces that are visible and accessible to employees, where leaders can display key goals and choices the organization has made, can encourage the adoption of new behaviors and priorities.
Encourage shared ownership and distributed decision-making by helping people identify where they can take action and innovate.
Each team engages in its own meaningful way and everything is interconnected. Operations may find ways to reduce waste while finance teams set budgets for carbon reduction efforts. People will engage more deeply when given choice and control over aspects of their work, and when new goals are connected to opportunities for growth and development.
Teams working on sustainability goals shift from working in silos to engaging cross-functionally.
The development of cross-functional networks promotes information sharing and helps employees develop the skills they need to engage — like big-picture thinking and creative problem-solving. Individuals and teams should be encouraged to bring outside voices in at different stages of their work. The workplace can be designed with shared collaboration and informal social spaces that encourage people to connect with others outside of their own teams. The workplace can also help build transparency between teams by providing places where information can be more persistent by posting content on markerboards, digital displays, etc.
Change is hard — especially when it comes alongside many other big changes all at once. It will be important for leaders to bring people together to celebrate what’s working and provide feedback along the journey. Complex issues like sustainability cannot be solved by any one person, team or organization. Designing the workplace to foster community can help people learn faster from one another and feel a sense of shared accountability to make progress on these ambitious goals and make a difference in the world.
Contributors:Rebecca Charbauski, Senior Editor, Work Better magazine; Julia Kehoe, Climate Strategy Consultant; Mary Ellen Mika, Director, Sustainability; Aileen Strickland-McGee, Director, Impact, People + Planet
Cultivating a culture of sustainability
The workplace should reflect an organization’s sustainability choices.
It is the most visible artifact of an organization’s culture. When the office reflects a company’s sustainability commitments, employees can see values on display. Leaders should seek out partners who deeply understand these commitments and have similar ambitious environmental goals, such as a net-zero commitment. These partnerships can deliver sustainable products and solutions created to reduce carbon emissions by using more sustainable materials, designing for end-of-use and building in flexibility so spaces can adapt.
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