Employer Webinar: Sustainability – Is your organisation future-ready?

In a world where environmental issues are dominating global discussions, business leaders are asking themselves: “How can my organisation tackle environmental challenges and what steps do I need to take to make a positive impact?”

In this webinar, host Ayo Sokale (BBC Bitesize), explores the complexities of this question with Dr Victoria Hands, Director of Sustainability at The Open University and Amie Kumar, ESG consultant.

Understand your ‘Why?’

Whether you are a small independent or a huge multi-faceted business, everyone has a part to play in future-proofing our planet, but beyond this, what other benefits can businesses derive from conducting themselves in a greener way?

Whether it’s partners, investors or customers asking the question, there is an opportunity for businesses to demonstrate a commitment to sustainable initiatives and build confidence amongst stakeholders.

Organisations have the opportunity to move from a reactive approach to a proactive approach.
Amie Kumar
ESG Consultant

This webinar explores why sustainability has a key part to play in the longevity of your business and how tackling green issues can create value.

Turning conversation into action

What are the barriers preventing businesses from shifting from conversations about sustainability to actionable change? The speakers explained that SMEs often have limited financial resources which can make it difficult to obtain external support whilst larger corporations are likely dealing with vast supply chains, making it a complex process. The need to upskill the workforce in this area is becoming essential as pressure mounts from all directions.

Panellists discussed how skills, complexity and financial challenges can be overcome and what resources are available for businesses to access.

Developing a plan

How can businesses create a robust plan that uniquely aligns with their strategic goals? This webinar discusses overwhelming amount of information out there, and simply understanding where to start can be the biggest struggle.

According to the report published by the Open University ‘Educate, Measure, Speak up: How businesses can get ahead with ESG’, only 8% of businesses surveyed had a fully realised ESG strategy and 77% considered themselves at the very start of their journey or have not yet begun.

Our speakers will discuss developing a plan, ESG frameworks and how to pick the right one and share some examples of initiatives at The Open University which are shaping its sustainability strategy.

Rising to the challenge

How data savvy is your business? Data plays a significant role in visualising the big picture and contextualising the opportunities and gaps. Panellists will share their views on how data can help organisations and the benefits and drawbacks of leveraging external expertise for your business.

Finally, what can organisations do to be better prepared for the future?

A diversity of views and skills strengthens our resilience and strengthens our practice in any arena.”
Dr Victoria Hands
Director of Sustainability, The Open University

The report by The Open University Educate, Measure, Speak up highlights a skills gap in this area amongst the workforce. This webinar will further expand on this, analysing why it is more sustainable in the long-term to develop ESG-related skills and knowledge within your workforce.