Guidance for HR professionals on how to embed environmental sustainability into all aspects of an organisation’s employee lifecycle

Climate change is a serious global issue that poses many risks to the environment, organisations and individuals. We can already see its impact through sea level rise, ocean acidification and extreme weather events, and this will worsen as global temperatures rise. How great the impact will be depends upon our success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Human activity is cited as the main cause of climate change, with organisations contributing 18% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK in 2021 through their energy and resource use, transport and travel, waste management and supply chains.

This guide offers practical suggestions to HR professionals working at both strategic and operational levels, to integrate environmental sustainability into their practice. Regardless of organisation size, industry, sector or location, HR practitioners have the potential to play a significant role in implementing environmental sustainability through their policies and procedures, and have a unique opportunity to do so through their engagement with all areas of the organisation.