Sustainability pros join jobless ranks as ESG priorities shift

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🗞️ Driving the news: Companies across sectors, including Southwest Airlines and S&P Global, are cutting sustainability roles as corporate priorities shift and cost-cutting measures intensify
Southwest has laid off key members of its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) team and plans to sell Saffire Renewables, a biofuel startup it acquired just last year
• Meanwhile, S&P Global has downsized its Sustainable1 division, integrating it into its Commodity Insights business

🔭 The context: Job cuts in sustainability, ESG, and corporate responsibility come amid broader corporate restructuring, with 221,812 layoffs recorded in early 2025—a 33% increase from last year
• Tech, finance, and aviation firms, including Amazon, Boeing, BlackRock, and Wells Fargo, have also reduced sustainability teams
• Southwest’s move raises concerns about its commitment to achieving 10% SAF usage by 2030, a pledge it made in 2024

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The reduction of sustainability roles signals a corporate retreat from ESG commitments, potentially slowing climate action in industries like aviation and finance
• Sustainable aviation fuel, seen as critical to decarbonizing air travel, may face setbacks if airlines scale back investments
• The trend reflects growing political and economic pressures that challenge long-term sustainability goals

⏭️ What's next: Southwest will release an update on its sustainability metrics in spring 2025, which may clarify whether it remains committed to its SAF targets
• More companies may restructure or scale back ESG efforts, especially as AI automation changes how sustainability data is processed
• The long-term impact on corporate climate commitments will depend on investor and regulatory responses to these strategy shifts

💬 One quote: “Sustainability has become polarized in some jurisdictions, most notably in the United States, causing setbacks in certain areas.” — Piyush Gupta, outgoing CEO of DBS (referencing broader ESG challenges)

📈 One stat: Layoffs in early 2025 surged 33% compared to last year, reaching 221,812 job cuts, with sustainability teams increasingly affected

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