Is Environmental Training Important?

The news covers environmental issues now more than ever; environmental protesting is at an all-time high, and consumers are driven by environmental morality for the first time in history. Organisations cannot afford to ignore sustainability any longer because customers consider your carbon footprint and commitment to environmental enhancement before supporting your brand. 

It has never been easier for consumers to discover investments, or the lack thereof, in sustainability efforts and businesses are coming under increased scrutiny if they remain inactive. This easy access to information also means any negative story that sheds light on harmful environmental practices can spread like wildfire. 

An organisation's reputation can unwind overnight, share prices can plummet, and customer relationships can be destroyed. The most widely adopted way of avoiding the above is investment, specifically, organisational environmental training.

Consumers Are Prioritising More Sustainable Brands

Organisations that engage in environmental training and improvement can find attempts to publicise efforts rather lucrative. Organisations can choose to utilise the opportunity that comes with environmental training as a premeditated PR campaign. This is a growing phenomenon, with organisations identifying the need to accommodate the moral values of the wider public. 

The world's biggest brands have had to adapt to sustain their position and good faith. In 2021, Apple announced that its entire supply chain will be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Additionally, Coca Cola, one of the biggest brands on Earth, has faced condemnation for its regressive approach to environmental issues. The problem surfaces from the company's reliance on single-use plastics. At the time of publication, there is no eco-friendly way of disposing of single-use plastics. Much debate has been had about what to do with the non-recyclable material. However, most of it lies at the top of landfills for at least twenty years - it takes anywhere from twenty to five hundred years for single-use plastics to decompose. 

According to the global coalition Break Free From Plastic's, Coca-Cola was the worst plastic polluter for the fifth year in a row in 2022. Coca-Cola responded by pledging that its packaging will be completely recyclable by 2025. They didn't stop there either. In 2022, Coca-Cola announced the aim to have at least 25 percent of its products sold in refillable/returnable glass or plastic bottles or fountain dispensers with reusable packaging by 2030. 

If the world's largest and most influential brands cannot escape environmental scrutiny, your organisation cannot escape it either.

Organisational Benefits of Environmental Training

The organisational benefits that come from environmental training are multi-faceted. They help the worker and the organisation grow in confidence and skill about how their operations affect the environment. This knowledge allows for a more self-aware approach that helps the organisation in many ways.

Compliance with Regulations

There has never been a more turbulent time for environmental regulation. Massive manufactured environmental catastrophes are causing environmental watchdogs and regulators to recommend the highest fines on record. As we stand, organisations that refuse to comply with environmental regulations are playing with fire. By providing environmental training, organisations ensure their employees understand and comply with the relevant environmental regulations. This reduces the risk of non-compliance penalties, legal issues, and reputational damage.

Cost Savings

Organisations should consider environmental training a long-term investment for a few reasons. Firstly, organisations that choose to enrol their staff in environmental training are investing in the longevity of planet Earth. Secondly, they are investing in the long-term stature of their organisation. By reducing their carbon footprint, and use of greenhouse gases, organisations will experience significant cost savings, but using more renewable and cost effective energy means.

Public Image

This benefit has arguably been one of the biggest drivers in the world's largest companies investing in training. Committing to environmental practices can enhance an organisation's internal and external reputation. This can attract potential employees who prioritise sustainability and positively influence customers, investors, and other stakeholders who value responsible business practices. Furthermore, consumers are driven by a new-found environmental morality - they want to associate with brands that demonstrate serious commitments to positive environmental practices.

Environmental Training for Employees

IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management

• Staff level: The IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management is perfect for staff transitioning into management or supervisory levels. Also an option for ground-level staff who require environmental understanding. 
• Objective: To establish an introductory overview of operations can impact the environment.

The IEMA Foundation Certificate is for anyone looking to make an impact in an environment or sustainability role, so it's perfect if you're starting out.

IEMA Pathways to Net Zero

• Staff level: The IEMA Pathways to Net Zero course is designed to aid any staff in an organisation. The course can be beneficial to specialists or consultants in a sustainability role. 
• Objective: To offer organisations a blueprint for eventual carbon neutrality and improve environmental performance.

This IEMA Pathway to Net Zero course is designed for all sizes of businesses starting their journey towards sustainability, with an emphasis on responding to net zero and carbon neutrality. It sets out the business case and imperative for cutting emissions, and explains practical, focused ways to decarbonize.

IEMA Leading with Environmental Sustainability

• Staff level: The course hugely benefits senior leadership or decision-makers in any company looking to remain compliant or become sustainable industry leaders.
• Objective: To educate senior executives, board members or investors on how to confidently plan for their business and navigate the ever-changing environmental landscape

The IEMA Leading with Environmental Sustainability course is a one-day, four module course engineered to give staff the intangible skills required to effectively lead in the workplace whilst considering the best environmental practices. Senior executives can understand their personal obligations to ensure the business remains compliant. The outcome of the session is a complete re-engineering of strategic objectives.

IEMA Certificate in Environmental Management

• Staff level: The course hugely benefits senior leadership or decision-makers in any company looking to remain compliant or become sustainable industry leaders.
• Objective: To educate senior executives, board members or investors on how to confidently plan for their business and navigate the ever-changing environmental landscape

By signing up to the course below, learners will find out about a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues to enable them to become a practitioner who can drive change in organisations. A practical approach is adopted to enable organisations to improve their environmental performance and reduce their impacts, both strategically and operationally.