“Ten years ago, no one would mention it. Now we’re asked in almost every interview, ‘What’s your sustainability policy?’”

👆That’s a quote from one of the many seasoned business leaders I’ve spoken with over the past year. He wasn’t the only one to state something along these lines.

Our research at Glad identified four key reasons businesses are motivated to address their negative environmental impact, with employee demand being one of them.

This aligns with current trends. According to a recent Deloitte report, 54% of companies report feeling pressure from employees to act on climate change. In a survey conducted by PwC, 69% of workers stated that they believe companies must take action to reduce their environmental impact.

As a more climate-aware and environmentally focused generation joins the workforce, they are actively seeking roles that align with their values.

For companies trying to attract these new workers, merely providing a recycling bin and reusable cups in the office is no longer sufficient. While these initiatives are still necessary, they have become baseline expectations.

For a generation that has grown up witnessing the impact of climate change, and who implicitly understand that they will have to live with worsening effects unless we take drastic action, the demand is clear: companies must do more than the minimum.

To truly stand out, businesses need to demonstrate their commitment to our planet and show a willingness to invest effort into measurable, meaningful changes that will deliver continuous impact for years to come.

A good starting point would be to conduct a comprehensive audit of the business’s carbon footprint, analysing scopes one, two, and three, and implementing plans to reduce emissions to zero within a reasonable timeframe.

An even better approach would be to commit to going beyond the bare minimum of achieving net zero by dedicating efforts to eliminate the legacy emissions of the business and contribute to the global effort of addressing environmental impact.

The Glad Pollution Removal Plan is designed to facilitate this process, with an added twist:

In addition to helping forward-thinking businesses clean up the legacy pollution mess, it also engages their employees in the process. The plan enables a business to make a monthly contribution towards pollution removal on behalf of employees, which they can track in their own personal live Impact Records. This allows employees to see how much pollution has been removed as a direct result of their employment. In doing so, businesses not only enhance their environmental impact but also foster a sense of purpose and engagement among their employees.

Join us today, and together we can make your employees and our planet glad 🌍.