Sustainability targets can only be achieved if people are engaged and informed

Many companies have stepped up their commitment to sustainability over the past years. Coming to the end of 2024, close to 10,000 companies have committed to a science-based emissions reduction target through the Science-based Target Initiative. Moreover, companies worth US$67 trillion (over 66% of global market capitalization) disclosed through CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) in 2023¹, demonstrating the breadth of corporate engagement in sustainability.  

As companies work to integrate this into their business strategy, two things have become very clear. Firstly, defining a sustainability strategy and setting targets is only the first step. Now focus needs to shift to execution to bridge the gap between commitment and action. Secondly, companies can only implement their sustainability strategy in a meaningful way if many people in the business are engaged and take responsibility for sustainability. In other words, sustainability is everyone’s job. 

As part of involving people across the business in the execution of the sustainability strategy, many companies have started providing training. Training is used to increase understanding of the topic of sustainability, but also to communicate implications to the business, the company’s sustainability strategy, and employees’ individual roles in delivering it. This can be designed in many ways, including a wide variety of learning approaches, and different focus topics. In deciding how to develop training, organisations often grapple with a perceived dilemma: balancing scalability and affordability of training, or ensuring content is highly relevant and impactful. This tension, however, is not insurmountable. 

The case for relevance: Driving impact through context 

Training that resonates with employees’ day-to-day roles is often more impactful. When sustainability concepts are embedded in a company’s specific operations and strategic goals, employees can clearly see their role in advancing these objectives. This contextualisation drives engagement, increasing the likelihood of the training translating into behavioral change and measurable impact. However, developing such bespoke content can be resource-intensive, often limiting its feasibility for large organisations with constrained budgets or tight timelines. 

The case for scale: Accessibility across the organisation

Making sustainability training available for everyone in the organisation ensures that foundational knowledge is widely disseminated, creating a shared understanding of key concepts. Training solutions that are easily accessible for all employees facilitate rapid deployment, reaching employees regardless of geography or role. This broad accessibility is cost-efficient and effective for introducing sustainability at an organisational level. Yet, generalised content may fail to resonate with specific teams or individuals. It may also lack the specific details and calls to action companies need to translate the new knowledge into daily practices.  

The false trade-off: Achieving both reach and impact

Despite this apparent trade-off, we believe that organisations do not need to choose between scale and relevance. A well-designed approach to sustainability training can harmonise both. Short learning sessions of 3-5 minutes provide flexibility, scalability, and adaptability. Such ‘snackable’ learning sessions can be more easily integrated into people’s routines, over coffee, on the train or between meetings, for example. They can also be the building blocks of tailored learning journeys that are combined to meet the needs of the specific employee. Such a learning journey can be designed by both the company and the employee so that organisational goals are met, along with the interests and developmental goals of the individual. Short learning sessions can also be made more relevant by adding company-specific examples and messages.  

To further enhance the relevance and impact of corporate training, these short learning sessions are combined with other approaches, such as in person targeted training sessions, live online learning and importantly, regular briefs and updates at board level. 

A solution for today’s needs

The path forward lies in combining scale and relevance. Companies can get started through the following five steps: 

1. Define the key learning goals and sustainability knowledge for everyone in the organisation. 
2. Develop ‘snackable’ learning sessions of fundamental sustainability knowledge. Embed into these, or in separate sessions, company specific examples and messages. 
3. Curate learning journeys for specific roles or teams based on a combination of the learning sessions that are most relevant to them. Allow each employee to choose additional short training sessions to make the learning journey highly tailored and personal. 
4. Supplement the short learning sessions with online and in-person training to facilitate learning styles and reinforce learning objectives.  
5. Measure progress and capture feedback to continue to improve the training and capacity for integrating sustainability into business practices. 

To talk to one of our experts about the importance of sustainability training by requesting a callback today.

Author: Lorna James, Senior Consultant, Simply Sustainable

1. https://www.cdp.net/en/articles/companies/record-23-000-companies-disclose-environmental-impact-through-cdp-with-urgency-for-action-clear-in-wake-of-unprecedented-global-temperatures