Sustainability shapes the workplace

The Green Deal lays out policy measures to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. How will this sustainability drive shape our jobs in the years to come? We ask Sustainability Consultant Naomi Queeckers.

From 2025, many more companies must report on their ESG policies. What does this entail?

ESG stands for Environment, Social, and Governance, covering environmental, social, and governance aspects. By requiring businesses to report on these three pillars, Europe aims to create transparency about a company's sustainability for all stakeholders.

Currently, CSR reporting - sustainability reporting - is only mandatory for listed companies. From 2025, this obligation extends to public-interest entities and to all companies that meet 2 of these 3 criteria: €40 million in annual turnover, €20 million in total assets, and 250 employees. They must also assess the sustainability of their suppliers in their reporting, making ESG relevant even for smaller businesses.

How should this reporting inspire companies to shape their sustainability policies?

The reporting serves as a "baseline." Only when companies see where they stand can they set meaningful goals. But they must be intrinsically motivated to achieve sustainable objectives.

A good tip is to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Companies don't need to tackle all goals at once; it's better to select specific goals where real progress can be made.

Is this reporting more than just an administrative obligation? Why is sustainability important for companies?

There's a shift in mindset among all stakeholders. Tomorrow's customers are much more critical about sustainability and social justice than the previous generation. A good reputation in this regard is crucial. Those who respond to this demand gain a competitive advantage. Of course, this must be done with integrity, avoiding greenwashing.

The same applies to employer branding. Employees want to be part of the solution, not the problem; it's about the future of their children. And those children are tomorrow's employees. They will judge companies even more rigorously. If you don't meet sustainability standards in 20 years, you'll miss out on recruiting talent. Moreover, innovation never stops; the goals will become even higher later on. Every step forward is therefore advantageous for a company.

But I hope that the intrinsic motivation to keep our planet livable and improve it for ourselves, our children, and the planet itself, is paramount.

How do you get your team on board with this story?

It's crucial to emphasize the benefits of sustainable measures, such as avoiding traffic jams or stress with public transportation, the health benefits of a sustainable lunch, exciting training opportunities thanks to a social policy, the huge amount of paper we save together, and so on. Positive energy is contagious; we pull each other along. In the beginning, you can also work with incentives, like a bike allowance. Or organize a day of volunteer work focused on sustainability as team building, together with the children - they ultimately form the most important argument.

How will we feel the effects of sustainability in our jobs in ten years?

Sustainability will become a structural part of every job, vacancy, and performance review. If you become part of a sustainable company, that company will hold you accountable for it. Only then does it become part of the company's DNA. Encouraging and guiding everyone to take responsibility can be done by sustainability managers, Corporate Social Responsibility Managers, and Community Impact Managers, who help the company make progress.

You will perform your job more sustainably, but sustainability will also become a substantive part of every job. Legal will incorporate sustainability into contracts, communication will partly revolve around sustainability, suppliers will be screened for sustainability by facility management, HR will partly recruit based on sustainability, and so on. I believe this is where we need to go together.

In your opinion, what is the importance of education in this context?

It's much easier to raise children with the right mindset than to change the existing mindset of adults. That's why, in my opinion, the real success lies in education.

It's up to us, adults, to take responsibility while engaging our children. We can teach them to be entrepreneurial and sustainable. And through those children, you also reach the teachers and other parents. Based on that belief, I launched Sustainable Stories, stories tailored for children about sustainable entrepreneurship. The team has grown significantly since then. Today, these stories are used in hundreds of Flemish schools. I'm convinced that our children can grow up with the ideal work mentality: ambitious and aware of their impact on the planet at the same time.