The expectations placed on companies regarding sustainability are high. Those who want to meet them need employees who understand all aspects of ESG. In this article, you'll learn how ESG training determines economic success.
ESG is on everyone's lips. The acronym stands for Environment, Social, and Governance. More and more stakeholders, including investors and customers, are taking these three aspects of sustainability into account when choosing a company. Job applicants are doing the same. Employees increasingly want to work for organisations that have a positive impact on society. Those who fail to take responsibility for their actions forgo significant competitive advantages.
And reporting on sustainable practices is also evolving from a voluntary to a mandatory exercise. While currently only large companies in the European Union are required to publish sustainability reports, this group of companies will be progressively expanded over the coming years. Reason enough to engage with the new requirements now and benefit from their advantages.
Employees are also putting sustainability on their agenda
Achieving the set sustainability goals requires the support of employees. They have the necessary knowledge when it comes to reducing emissions in production processes, implementing recycling programmes, or taking energy-efficient measures. They are the ones who know all the cogs in the machine and can establish a culture of responsibility within the company.
And they want to be involved. According to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), 80% of the workforce wants to actively participate in implementing climate protection measures at work. Employees are therefore motivated to pitch in. What's missing is comprehensive knowledge in the area of sustainability. That requires ESG training. Because only when the workforce understands all aspects of ESG can they ask the right questions and make their knowledge from their daily work useful for the company.
Do you work in human resources? In our white paper on the topic, we show you the opportunities that embedding ESG into your HR activities brings!
No transformation without ESG training
Such questions might be: Why does the clothing industry cause 10 percent of global CO2 emissions, and what does that have to do with the pair of jeans I'm wearing? Why do 85 percent of textiles end up in landfills or get incinerated, when most of them could be reused? How does the circular economy work, what alternative forms of energy generation exist, and how can CO2 emissions along the supply chain be reduced?
However, ESG no longer stops at such ecological considerations but permeates every area of business. Social aspects and considerations of good corporate governance must also be an integral part of every sustainability strategy. ESG demands a comprehensive view of sustainability — always with a focus on people.
Because consumers look very closely at the conditions under which goods are produced. Employees want companies that are aware of their social responsibility and engage intensively with indicators such as diversity and inclusion, human rights, or occupational health. And investors increasingly support companies with strong governance that have solid structures for managing climate risks and transparently report on climate-related information.
Stakeholders are therefore holding companies accountable on the topic of sustainability. In doing so, organisations must take all aspects of ESG into account. This requires the support of the workforce and their comprehensive knowledge in the area of ESG.
Employees as a sustainability asset
Employees should therefore be at the heart of every sustainability strategy. They have long put ESG on their agenda — alongside investors and consumers. Companies that recognise this and invest in the ESG training of their employees unlock the potential of their most important asset in the area of sustainability. Because they empower the workforce to ask the right questions, identify paths of change, and follow them through to the end as committed Climate Rangers.
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