Buy-in for sustainability has plummeted among C-suite, says survey

Survey of sustainability leaders shows CSO demotions, ‘insane targets’ and a skills gap around supply chain management  

Corporate sustainability leaders are being left increasingly frustrated by the lack of buy-in from senior executives, according to an anonymous survey. 

The number of respondents who feel they aren’t getting enough support from their bosses has nearly doubled in the past 12 months, according to the assessment by environmental consultant Leafr. 

In a poll of more than 450 professionals, 41% cited a lack of C-suite support as a hindrance to hitting goals, second only to budget constraints (63%). 

Last year, the issue was the fifth most pressing challenge, with less than a quarter (23%) flagging it.  

One respondent to the latest poll revealed that their company had “demoted” its chief sustainability officer from the C-suite, and noted that the “Board of Directors is [now] more focused on economic and sales growth while cutting sustainability budget”.   

More than two-thirds of those surveyed worked at companies with at least 250 employees, with 49% at places with a headcount of over 1,000.    

More than 70% reported an expansion of their duties in the past 12 months, while even more (91%) said that they had been asked to tackle areas beyond the competency of their teams.  

“I’ve spoken to a number of sustainability leaders who are working in teams of just one, and who say ‘I’m very diligent, but one of the big risks here is that I’m completely left to my own devices, and there are no checks and balances in terms of what I’m doing’”, said Gus Bartholomew, co-founder of Leafr. 

Three quarters of those polled highlighted the lack of resourcing for sustainability, with 36% claiming to be the only member of their team. 

Just over half had two or more permanent members of staff. 

“What frustrates me the most is being expected to meet insane targets with insanely little human capital and resources in,” said one respondent, while another commented: “The sheer amount of topics and volume of work our small team handles is exceptional”. 

The biggest skills gap was identified as sustainable supply chain management, with 41% highlighting it as a problem.  

Bartholomew told Real Economy Progress this was a particular challenge when it came to Scope 3 value chain emissions, where most firms “still just don’t have any kind of grip on the data”. 

The “harsh reality” is that “there just aren’t that many people out there who have gone through a Scope 3 supply decarbonisation process,” he said. 

“It’s really hard to get that expertise”. 

Given the situation, just 11% of those polled were “confident they will meet their long- and short-term sustainability targets” according to the survey.