Looking for a planet-friendly employer? We've got you covered
It’s no secret... today, there are a lot of job seekers who prefer to work at sustainable companies. Some would even accept a pay cut to work for an organisation that puts sustainability at the forefront. But why are these companies so appealing? And who are they? We dive into 5 companies doing an incredible job of engaging a planet-friendly workforce.
It’s simple: today, job seekers are more willing to commit to an organisation that shares their values. We also know that when an organisation genuinely cares about society and the planet, they tend to care about their employees as-well.
With climate change being the number 1 challenge faced by our generation, who wouldn't feel proud to work for an organisation admired for their sustainability action? Even small changes, such as recycling, can boost employee morale. Employees become more satisfied with their jobs, and businesses flourish as well. It’s a win-win-win for employees, companies and the planet.
To celebrate this, and to provide a little inspiration, we’ve listed 5 companies who are running great initiatives to boost sustainability at work.
PATAGONIA, (perhaps a slightly obvious one!), the outdoor clothing company born in California, truly has sustainability as one of its core values. New hires are immersed into a sustainable lifestyle, from farm retreats to company events like Zero Waste Week. Employees learn and work together to go zero waste and reduce energy footprint in their departments - learning tools to live more sustainably at home too. Patagonia also recently launched the “Time to Vote” campaign. It’s a nonpartisan movement where companies commit to giving their employees time off to vote in the US (the country has the lowest voter participation among high-income countries).
CISCO (the communications giant), creates awareness amongst employees about sustainability through education. The company, listed as one of the most sustainable corporations by Corporate Knights this year, sets up educational activities and training sessions for their employees. Workers are encouraged to engage in their sustainability programs, such as the Cisco Green Team Network, which has taken over 20,000 actions since it started in 2016. The global network so far succeeded in eliminating paper cups from their offices in India, Europe and the US (a great place to start!). They also developed an urban farm in Belgium and a community garden and composting receptacles to sort waste in cafeterias in California.
WWF, instead, has been pragmatic in implementing sustainable policies to minimise the organisation’s impact. The company set a strict carbon budget each year and adopted a sustainable travel policy. Since 2000, WWF monitors air travel closely, with employees only taking essential flights. The organisation also implemented cycling facilities, public transport loans and even moved their HQ to increase train commuting! The new WWF UK office, the Living Planet Centre, is also efficiently managed, partly solar-powered and with no air conditioning. Recycled rainwater and grey-water (from sinks and showers) are used for flushing toilets and watering the plants in the building. Not bad, right?
BEN & JERRY’S ice cream company truly goes the extra mile by inspiring and motivating people (employees and customers) to ask for radical changes for climate justice. This summer, they joined the Climate Coalition - a movement born to ask politicians to act against climate change. Ben & Jerry’s signed their letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in June and shared it on their website for their customers to sign it too! To improve their own company’s sustainability, Ben & Jerry’s partner with the farmers that produce milk and cream and install technologies that reduce methane emissions and soil health, along with recently launching vegan alternatives. They are committed to reducing their emissions and using 100% renewable energy by 2025.
MCKINSEY (the consulting powerhouse) has been carbon neutral since 2018, and is committed to reducing emissions and offsetting all remaining emissions by investing in carbon-reduction projects. The company uses 95% renewable electricity and half of their building spaces have achieved green-building certifications. In their offices, local Green Teams launched over 300 environmental initiatives to reduce the company’s environmental footprint and build awareness about sustainability. Some examples? The Amsterdam office recycles coffee grounds to grow mushrooms which are then served at lunch (!). They also generate honey for the office from the rooftop and collect lunch waste for feeding animals. Oh, they also eliminated plastic water bottles from the office. Great job guys!
Summary
With sustainability here to stay, there are a huge amount of companies revolutionising their business models and keeping an eye on their carbon emissions. Businesses can really do something to improve their environmental impact and employees and customers are certainly looking for companies to match their values!
Are they doing it out of the kindness of their hearts? Not necessarily! We’ve seen that products marketed as sustainable grew 5.6 times faster than those that were not last year, and that 70% of millennials said if a company had a strong sustainability plan, it would affect their decision to stay long term.
Wondering how you can boost sustainability amongst your colleagues? Capture for Teams has got your back! We've developed software to help build and engage a planet-friendly workforce; complete with planet-friendly commitments, leaderboards, and live tracking of emissions saved through collective awesomeness. Any questions or comments, feel free to join the discussions via our Instagram channel @thecaptureapp or say hi to the team via email at hello@thecapture.club