Genee Consulting Ltd, North East based sustainability specialists who deliver Investors in the Environment (iiE), in collaboration with Talentheads, an award-winning Talent business, building high performing teams for growing businesses.
If you’re looking to recruit, it’s becoming increasingly important to examine your sustainability credentials as an employer. Increasingly, candidates are making career decisions based not only on salary or benefits, but on whether a company aligns with their personal values, and sustainability features on that list.
With climate change no longer seen as a distant threat but a pressing global emergency, today’s workforce is more climate-conscious than ever. From recordbreaking weather events to the impact of environmental degradation on daily life, the realities of a warming planet are shaping how people live, consume, and work. For many, this means actively seeking out employers who are part of the solution, not the problem.
This shift is especially noticeable among younger generations entering or advancing within the workforce. These employees are digitally savvy, socially aware, and have access to information about a company’s environmental practices, supply chain ethics, and sustainability targets. They’re not just asking if an employer has a sustainability policy, they’re also examining whether it’s meaningful, measurable, and embedded into the culture of the organisation.
In conversations across industries, many report challenges in attracting talent to roles where the company’s values feel out of step with the times. Job seekers are increasingly filtering out employers who lack ambition on issues like net-zero commitments. As a result, businesses with weak or performative sustainability efforts risk not just reputational damage, but longterm difficulties attracting and retaining talent.
In this context, sustainability becomes a critical part of an organisation’s employer brand. Employees want to work somewhere that reflects their own sense of purpose, and to feel their work contributes to something greater than profits. Ultimately, they are choosing jobs that reflect the future they want to live in.
Sam Spoors, Founder and Managing Director of Talentheads, said: “Having worked in recruitment across UK businesses for over 20 years, I’ve seen firsthand how candidate expectations have evolved – and sustainability is now front and centre. Recent data shows that 85% of graduates consider it important that an employer has sustainable practices. That’s not a trend, it’s a signal: if businesses want to attract and retain the next generation of talent, their environmental credentials must be credible, transparent, and embedded into the company culture”.
For businesses that want to take meaningful action, support is available. Investors in the Environment (iiE) is one such organisation that helps companies build sustainability into their operations in a practical, structured, and approachable way. Rather than overwhelming businesses with complexity, iiE provides a clear framework for establishing an environmental management system (EMS) that is both action-focused and achievable.
Through a suite of easy-to-use templates, resources, and step-by-step guidance, iiE empowers businesses to assess their environmental impact and set realistic, impactful goals, whether it’s cutting waste, reducing carbon emissions, or embedding sustainability into procurement and daily operations. The focus is on making environmental responsibility a benefit, helping your business improve efficiency, engage staff, and enhance their reputation, without slowing down progress or productivity.
Organisations that want to stay competitive in the 2025 talent market must take a clear, credible, and proactive stance on sustainability. Greenwashing is easily spotted, which means not only setting ambitious goals but also demonstrating progress transparently and engaging employees in the journey.
For more information on growing your business with a recruitment approach that is strategic and sustainable, contact hello@talentheads.co.uk or visit their website www.talentheads.co.uk
To discuss your business’ environmental impact and how to reduce it, contact us at jo@genee.org.uk or visit our website www.genee.org.uk