Why Every Team Needs a Sustainability Lens — Not Just the ESG Department

Although sustainability is shifting from the margins to the heart of business strategy, the transition hasn't landed everywhere.

According to our latest report with Deloitte, whilst 79% of Australian business leaders agree that diverse, sustainable teams boost profitability, only 46% say they're experiencing those benefits.

Our data also reveals that many companies still treat sustainability as optional or part of their reputational strategy alone - something to be handled "over there" by a dedicated ESG department.

The issue is that regulation is already here and, much worse, climate change and its risks are very real and already affecting businesses' bottom lines.

Many professionals also make the mistake of thinking that sustainability has nothing to do with them. Climate problems will blur the barriers around these expertises and make dealing with them a goal for every professional. 

Skills regarded as restricted will become basic knowledge - think of what we're seeing with technology and AI.

But how does this work in practice, you may ask?

Let's break it down. Operations teams can reduce energy costs by transitioning to renewables or designing processes that minimise waste. Product development teams can create low-carbon, circular economy-friendly offerings that customers genuinely want. Finance is increasingly expected to grasp climate risk as they do cash flow.

Each team, each decision, leaves a footprint. Each one has the potential to either drive an organisation forward or leave it exposed to risks and scrutiny.

The main forces behind this shift are regulation and reality.

Governments worldwide - and here in Australia - are strengthening requirements for how companies report and act on sustainability. Climate impact is creating tangible business problems, from rising insurance costs to supply chain disruptions. 

Even though social pressure has lost momentum recently, most people, particularly younger generations, want to work for companies that align with their values. 

Deloitte and RMIT's research found that businesses with stronger sustainability reputations are more likely to attract and retain top talent. 

Of course, discussing integration is one thing. Implementing it is quite another.

Right now, Australia is facing a shortage of sustainability skills. Despite the clear need, only one in seven workers has a "green skill." Roles requiring sustainability knowledge are expanding faster than the talent pool. We need everyone, in every role, to have at least a working understanding of sustainability.

But if you look at the challenge as a whole, it may seem overwhelming. So, how do we solve it? One way is to break into smaller components and easier to achieve goals.

Transforming a marketer or manager into an emissions auditor overnight isn't the goal. Nor is it for you, as a professional, to drop everything you know and move to this field. 

We need the tools to ask better questions, push for better supplier data, and ensure tangible outcomes.

Whilst the upskilling can seem less ambitious than some may think, the scale should be as ample as possible.

Fortunately, whether you need to grasp circular design principles or have carbon literacy for finance, you can learn this through short courses, internal programmes, or on-the-job training. 

What many professionals are getting wrong is the idea that sustainability expertise is someone else's obligation.

Even if you're exceptional in your current role, those requirements are expanding. The professionals who recognise this early will lead projects, influence decisions, and advance faster.

Sustainability knowledge isn't about becoming an environmental activist. It's about staying relevant, valuable, and ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing professional landscape.