CSRD, Climate, and Upskilling

2024 is the first full year of reporting for the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD) in the EU. We wrote recently about the first full year of reporting on CSRD and what exactly this entails. With over 1,000 individual data points, companies are looking for ways they can produce the reports requested in machine readable format.

We mentioned software products being one tool towards this. The benefit is that, once they have the data uploaded, they can generate multiple reports for different uses – integrated company reports, customer questionnaires or ESG frameworks around the world.   

However, the downside is that the underlying data still needs to be collected. This means companies need to understand what applies to them, where they are in their journey, where to source the data points, and what actions will take them towards where they need to be.  

This requires that team members from multiple different departments understand what is being asked, where to find the correct information and how to create an action plan. For this to work, it needs to be part of company culture. In much the same way that Health and Safety is everyone’s responsibility, sustainability is everyone’s business as well.  

Recruitment Shortfall 

With consultancy being an expensive option, and with the reporting taking place year on year, many organisations are looking to recruit sustainability specialists to action top level policy and take care of the reporting. Global demand for green skills grew by 11.6% between 2023 and 2024, according to LinkedIn’s Global Climate Talent Stocktake , which is based on analysis of job postings and job descriptions on the global professional networking site. Green talent is greatest demand in the UK, where 13% of roles require at least one green skill. Other northern European countries Ireland, Norway and Switzerland also had double digit numbers.  

However, analysis of the skills listed on personal profiles in the same period found that there is a significant talent gap to fill those green jobs. Based on current trends, this is set to widen over the coming years.  

Global demand for green talent grew twice as quickly as supply between 2023 and 2024. Job seekers with green titles enjoy a 54.6% higher hiring rate than the workforce overall.  

With such a disparity between supply and demand, companies are going to have to pay increasingly highly for green talent in the market compared to overall recruitment… unless they can find an alternative.   

Upskilling the existing workforce is a more viable option. It ensures climate and sustainability actions are aligned with existing procedures, which causes less disruption. It also allows all policies and procedures to be understood by the whole business, increasing effectiveness.  

Purpose, Belonging and Teamwork 

Certified Sustainability Skills for the Workforce Training is offered to all new starters at Techbuyer. We also offer certified courses in Net Zero and a Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management. As a sustainable IT solutions provider, it makes sense for us to all understand the basics. However, the benefits of upskilling also extend into company culture, staff attraction and retention, and measurable improvements in energy and materials usage. 

Over the past years, we have reduced the amount we print by over 30%. We have consolidated our facilities and reduced our electricity usage significantly per head. We have processed equipment that saved 31,356,147kg CO2e. Much of the reason we are able to do this is because everyone in the business understands what we are doing, why it’s important, and how it fits into our wider aims. It has streamlined our approach and allowed everyone to get behind it.  

We have also extended the same training to our stakeholder and customer network with external training sessions. These bring together leaders from across public and private sector to give them the tools they need to enact positive change. They also provide an open forum for sharing ideas and challenges, and forming connections that enable them to develop a partner network.  

Joining the Movement 

Techbuyer joined other corporate members of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment in signing an open letter to ministers ahead of COP28. It called for more ambitious and strategic action on green education, jobs and skills. One year on and the same group of companies is preparing for a Green Skills Campaign at and around COP29.  

Interestingly, analysts from LinkedIn are arriving at similar conclusions:  

“Every climate goal around the world, every commitment made, is at risk if we don’t have a workforce that can deliver the change we urgently need. The economic opportunity is there, and a promising skills-based pathway exists. This year is an inflection point for our planet—and for workers—as countries and companies write new climate commitments; they must include explicit investments in the green workforce.”— Sue Duke, VP of Public Policy and Economic Graph, LinkedIn.  

If your company wants to be part of this, please get in touch here. 

Techbuyer has been an accredited Sustainability Skills Training Centre since 2021,  offering Pathways to Net Zero, Sustainability Skills for the Workforce and Foundation in Environmental Management courses. More information on Techbuyer’s IEMA certified Training Academy is available here.