Category: Sustainability

Do you care about climate change?

Post author By k2admin
Post date July 3, 2023
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Would you like a job that contributes to helping to improve the environment?

According to LinkedIn demand for so-called “green talent” has risen dramatically and now accounts for 33% of all job postings and demand may even be outstripping supply.

“The LinkedIn 2023 Global Green Skills Report shows that the share of green talent across 48 countries grew by an average of 12.3% between 2022 and 2023, but the proportion of job postings requiring at least one green skill was up by 22.4%. “

PWC (Price Waterhouse Cooper) has estimated that approximately 25% of UK workers are intending to move jobs in the next year.

But how do you gain experience needed for “green jobs” when it is a relatively new market?

According to PWC “solar consultant, energy auditor and waste management specialist are roles in the UK that are growing quickly and are less difficult to break into for those with no green experience”.

However, you need to be clear where your interests and strengths would be most likely to be useful.

It is also a good idea to look for any funding for training and development relevant to what you hope to do.

If your current employer does not have a budget for career development in sustainability or green initiatives, perhaps you could suggest it, since ultimately it will only be beneficial to the company’s reputation.

Above all, starting conversations with colleagues and managers about the concepts of sustainability and highlighting your own areas of interest can only be good for your reputation.

Sustainability

Could your business become part of a circular economy?

Post author By k2admin
Post date June 13, 2023
No Comments on Could your business become part of a circular economy?

The circular economy aims to break the link between economic activity and using up the earth’s resources.

This may involve reusing, repairing, and sharing materials and products.

Amsterdam has become the first city in the world to trial the idea after announcing its intentions in 2020. Within seven years it hopes to have halved its use of new raw materials.

The fashion industry is one obvious candidate, where instead of consuming endless new raw materials, disposing of perfectly acceptable clothes, they are recycled.

The component parts of mobile phones, electronics and the raw materials used in construction are other obvious examples.

At the moment, committing to being part of a circular economy can be more costly than sourcing raw materials, but the hope is that as the movement goes this will change with obvious benefits to the environment and the planet.

It may take some state aid to kickstart the movement, particularly for start-up businesses.

However, if the idea becomes more widespread it is hoped that costs will come down and the resulting products will no longer be only for the richer end of the market.

Employees Sustainability

How can business sustainability help with recruitment?

Post author By k2admin
Post date November 29, 2022
No Comments on How can business sustainability help with recruitment?

The Harvard Business School definition of business sustainability is twofold.

It says there are two things that should be measured for business sustainability. They are the effect a business has on the environment, and the effect a business has on society, with the goal of sustainable practice being to have a positive impact on at least one of those areas.

At the moment businesses are reporting difficulty in recruiting suitable candidates so anything that can help to increase applications is important.

This is where sustainability comes in.

Adobe recently surveyed its US workforce and found that almost a third of people said they would only work for an employer that prioritised sustainability

About a third of employees thought it would boost productivity rates (35 percent), position their company as a leader (31 percent), and open more opportunities for innovation (37 percent).

Forty-three percent thought it would improve workplace culture.

Albeit this is just a snapshot of employee attitudes in one business in the US, there is no reason to suppose that they do not apply to candidates elsewhere.

But it is not enough to just talk the talk. A business must be able to demonstrate its commitment to and active initiatives to make itself sustainable.