5 ways to activate employees on organizational sustainability goals

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Trellis or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Companies can make employee sustainability engagement more effective by connecting activities directly to organizational goals, rather than relying on isolated initiatives such as recycling campaigns
• Sustainability leaders from McCormick, Trane Technologies, Prologis and Waymo share five practical approaches to building participation across teams

🔭 The context: Research from sustainability consultancy Kite Insights found that more than 80% of employees want to take action on climate change at work
• Yet engagement can lose relevance when it focuses on activities disconnected from business priorities
• Recommended strategies include holding dedicated sustainability events, securing CEO participation, linking goals to compensation, organizing targeted team meetings and connecting sustainability to social issues such as food access and women’s rights

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Engaging employees in material business priorities can help organizations advance emissions reductions and sustainable procurement
• Connecting individual responsibilities to measurable sustainability goals may also help embed environmental action into everyday business decisions

⏭️ What’s next: Companies should measure whether engagement translates into broader participation and action
• Options include adding sustainability questions to employee surveys, tracking how often sustainability teams contribute to other departments’ projects, and assessing whether goals meet SMART criteria
• Organizations are urged to rethink approaches that reach only employees already knowledgeable about sustainability

💬 One quote: “We need to think about both.” — The article’s broader message emphasizes balancing sustainability’s business relevance with meaningful engagement

📈 One stat: More than 80% — The share of employees who want to take action on climate change at work, according to research from Kite Insights cited in the article

Subscribe to our free newsletters to never miss a beat in sustainability.

The world needs sustainability knowledge. At illuminem, no interest group or shareholder can influence our work. Thank you for supporting our mission to make high-quality and independent sustainability information free for all. Every contribution helps. Thank you for donating today.