Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’

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Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ within business strategies. For companies seeking to thrive and achieve long-term success, it’s an integral element - influencing everything from talent acquisition to employee retention, logistics, and sales growth. 

Is having a strong sustainability strategy key to attracting top talent in 2025 and beyond? The short answer is yes! If you’re a company wanting to retain a competitive edge, then prioritising eco-friendly policies not only drives positive environmental impact but also positions you as an employer of choice.

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Firstly, let’s not gloss over the fact that reducing your business’s environmental impact is, quite simply, the right thing to do. The reasons are stark. Scientists warn that one million species face extinction - many within decades. Globally, we are using more resources than the planet can renew each year. However, sustainability is not just a moral imperative but a strategic business advantage too. 

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Being clear on key sustainability strategies has never been more important. The modern workforce, made up of Millennials and Gen Z, is increasingly seeking more from employers than just competitive salaries. According to Deloitte Insights’ 2023 Global Millennial and Gen Z Survey, 40% prefer to work for companies that have strong sustainability credentials. For these candidates, it truly matters to have a values-led employer that can communicate integrity and a strong ethical vision. 

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While there’s been a steady shift towards sustainability over the years, the process has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced everyone to reassess their priorities. The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report, ‘The Belief-Driven Employee’, found that higher wages are no longer a sufficient incentive. More than three-quarters of respondents said they now have higher expectations of employers. 

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Beyond attracting new talent, environmental initiatives play a crucial role in enhancing employee engagement and improving staff retention too. Providing a shared sense of purpose and ‘mission’ can create a deeper connection with the company and increase job satisfaction. Not only does taking active steps to tackle the climate crisis help to ease eco-anxiety, but many green policies value remote or hybrid working, which can help to reduce employee stress too. All of this makes the business a more desirable place to work. 

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But it’s not just good for candidates, it makes fundamental business sense too. Social responsibility can enhance a company’s reputation; making it more attractive to customers, partners, and investors. According to research by the WWF, the number of online searches for sustainable products increased by 71% between 2016 and 2021. Today’s consumers value companies that are ‘doing good’ for people and the planet. 

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Consumers and employees have expectations for businesses to be carrying out sustainable action. But it’s not always that simple. Mike Barry, sustainable business transformation agent and the person behind Marks & Spencer’s ground-breaking Plan A, explains: “Consistently people say they want to work for and buy from a business that does the right, sustainable thing, yet this aspiration rarely becomes a reality because it’s super hard to do. Walk into a big supermarket containing 10000s of products. You are managing a budget, you are time-pressed, not an expert and suddenly you are expected to look at dozens of different labels (recyclability, salt content, carbon and water footprints, deforestation-free, UPF and, and…) and make choices even as 'greenwashing' gnaws at the back of your mind. It's all simply too much for people to compute and act upon at the point of purchase however much the devastation of Los Angeles or Valencia is etched in their minds.” 

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He continues, “The future is about simplification, Imagine, soonish, doing that shop online. You buy 50 products each week. The algorithm asks you - high, medium or low carbon? You say medium. A split second later, back comes the answer - seven of your products bust the medium carbon budget and, crucially, here are seven credible alternatives. It’s just one example of how to tap into this latent desire to do the right thing by making things easy to do. The 'winners’ in the future marketplace are not just exemplars of sustainability performance but also at helping their employees/customers get involved easily.”

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For the full article, get a copy of the recent edition of Untapped

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Mike Barry is a sustainable business transformation agent, committed to helping businesses big and small, new and established, to prepare for and succeed in the great sustainability disruption that will wash through the economy in the 2020s. He focuses on the practicality and reality of ‘getting sustainability done’ across companies, value chains and sectors. He’s the co-founder of Planeatry Alliance that is helping companies transform the food system by linking their work on human health and sustainability. Mike was, until 2019, Director of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, spearheading its ground-breaking Plan A (because there is no Plan B for the one planet we have) sustainability program. He co-chaired the Consumer Goods Forum’s sustainability work bringing the world’s largest retailers and fast-moving consumer goods brands together to work on issues such as deforestation, plastics and forced labour. He is a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a Trustee at Blueprint for Better Business.‍<<Source: Untapped interview, website: www.mikebarryeco.earth>>

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