IEMA Sustainability Training

Sustainability is getting a lot of press these days, within the political sphere as well as in the business world. However, as we see some turning their backs on environmental best practice, sustainability conversations are rife with opportunities and urgency.  

The argument of how much we really need sustainability seems to be appearing more and more frequently on our news channels, yet, in Europe, it is gaining more and more prominence, and rightly so – we have one world and neglecting it will only cause further pressures in the immediate and long-term future.  

This is why sustainability training is becoming a necessity for businesses globally. Understanding the issues, opportunities and risks that face your business, and considering your current environmental impact, is essential for continued growth in a world that is becoming increasingly concerned with sustainability.  

Sustainability Training | Why is it Important  

Having recently undertaken my Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management course from IEMA, spreading the importance of training and what it can do for companies is at the forefront of my mind.  

Understanding the legislation and requirements that businesses face and being able to handle the task of reporting are quickly becoming necessities to businesses around the world.  

Similarly, pressures from customers and suppliers to be able to answer questions about your environmental impact are growing. Many companies, who may need to report on their own impact, are requesting information from their supply chain as a prerequisite for partnerships and deals. This means that business opportunities themselves are now often coming down to sustainability knowledge and management.  

All the way back in 2020, HP UK commented on the fact that deals were being won and lost based on sustainability, and within our own business, we’ve been asked to supply our environmental measurements, as well as to attain certain accreditations in order to win deals.  

And this makes sense – it's not the actions of the individual that make the biggest impact in our sustainability journey, it’s the work of large organisations and governments, and so we can only expect demand to grow.  

How Can Companies Grow Sustainability Understanding? 

One of the most thought-of, and most used, methods for instilling sustainable best practice within a company is to have, or hire, a dedicated sustainability team. Furthermore, the head of this team is often found to report directly into upper management, or to be part of upper management itself. 

In 2024, it was reported that 56% of the world’s largest companies have a dedicated member of their board or leadership team responsible for sustainability matters. This allows you to encourage sustainable business practice in core company decisions.  

This having been said, only 17% of companies were reported to have a chief sustainability officer in 2024, and only 23% had a dedicated sustainability lead. We predict to see these numbers grow as demand for sustainability within the business world grows.  

Developing dedicated sustainability teams with the knowledge and tools to handle the coming pressures and legislation is essential, however, widespread adoption of sustainable measures, and the development of some of the most inventive interventions, comes from a company-wide interest and understanding.  

This is where sustainability training can really benefit an organisation. There are courses available that meet the demands and skill sets of all company personnel, from workforce training sessions to more advanced and specialised courses. By engaging staff across the board, you can develop a more comprehensive sustainability agenda, taking into account the needs of the business as a whole and exploring a wider variety of environmental interventions.  

At Techbuyer, whilst we have a dedicated sustainability team, we also offer sustainability training across our business. This has led to some of our core developments in areas that may have otherwise gone unexplored.  

How to Spread Sustainability in Your Business? 

Most companies, however, understand the why of sustainability – it is the how that causes problems. Spending money on sustainability training for your wider team may seem like a luxury, however, as interest in environmental impact grows, so does the pool of inventive solutions designed to engage more and more people. It is also worth mentioning that good sustainability practice pays back in reduced operating costs, higher staff engagement leading to less expensive staff turnover and increased brand awareness.  

An opportunity that we explore at Techbuyer, and one that has proven beneficial to our customers, is to work sustainability training into our contracts with customers as an added benefit of working with our company.  

This means that, with our close partners or companies looking to explore sustainable development, we can offer free training sessions alongside their service contracts and orders that they place with us, where possible. This ensures that our customers are able to spread sustainability amongst their workforce and grow their own understanding, simply by using the services and products we offer.  

In this instance, sustainability training becomes an appealing offer and something that the company itself doesn’t need to invest a lot of money in. They can reap the rewards of a workforce trained in sustainable business development and grow their own understanding of what environmental best practice looks like for them.  

Techbuyer’s IEMA Sustainability Training  

Interested in exploring sustainability training for your organisation?  

Whether you’re looking for advanced level training, or a more entry level course, we deliver sessions for professionals in any industry. Our IEMA accredited sustainability training for the workforce can be worked into any large contracts or orders that you may be working with us on and a member of our sales team can offer more details on this opportunity.  

Learn more about our training sessions in more detail here.