More than three-quarters of workers are unhappy with their bosses’ lack of climate action (77%) and more than half (52%) think their employers are likely to ‘greenwash’ on purpose or by accident, finds a report from AimHi Earth, a climate and sustainability training organisation.
The report also reveals employees’ lack of confidence about understanding and talking about the climate and nature crisis, and about being able to have a positive impact on the climate crisis. More than half (55%) of the 1,727 professionals surveyed acknowledge they only have a surface-level knowledge of sustainability. Some are sceptical – 53% don’t believe sustainability is crucial to the long-term viability of their company, while 88% don’t believe that sustainability is critical for their department.
More than two-thirds (70%) believe their individual actions at work can’t have an impact on reducing emissions and protecting nature, while 93% of employees don’t know how to apply their company’s sustainability strategy to their work. Seventy-eight per cent lack confidence about communicating their company’s sustainability strategy.
However, the report highlights that training is a tried-and-tested way to show employees that they can make a difference at work.
AimHi Earth was set up to accelerate the global spread of climate and sustainability knowledge and skills. The organisation’s live and online training is used by companies like Sky, CapGemini and Universal, as well as institutions like the British Olympic Association. AimHi Earth’s research has found that its training also results in noteworthy individual behaviour changes, so far driving a halving (down 51%) of many employee-related Scope 3 (travel between work and home) emissions.
Changes measured several months following training programmes with AimHi Earth, and were surprisingly simple and widespread. Almost all non-vegan employees made changes to their diets (89%), nearly half changed their energy providers (47%) and nearly a third moved their bank accounts, investments or pensions to more sustainable locations (31%). The report highlighted a number of widespread misconceptions including that 63% still see actions like recycling and carbon offsetting as of higher priority than switching energy suppliers, reducing animal products at work and reallocating financial investments and accounts.
Matthew Shribman, chief scientist and co-founder at AimHi Earth, said: “We all want a liveable future, with fresh air, clean water and healthyfood on the table. So yes, it’s alarming that so many employees lack faith in their employers’ efforts to combat the climate and nature emergency.
“However, we’re now seeing rapidly growing demand for extensive climate and sustainability training from forward-thinking leaders. With the climate and nature emergency accelerating, these leaders understand that this kind of training is no longer a nice-to-have.
“Our data shows that our programmes rapidly upskill and activate professionals, to the extent that they change their own lives. Who better to transform organisations and systems than people who’ve transformed themselves?”