The global mobility industry has a complex supply chain that incorporates many different verticals and stakeholders, making sustainability standards that can be universally defined and achievable all the more crucial.
Global relocation programs have a large environmental impact; figuring out how to implement and track both sustainability goals and standards for the industry will play an important role in the industry’s carbon footprint in the years to come.
On 6 September 2022, six prominent global employee mobility associations, FIDI Global Alliance, EuRA, the Canadian Employee Relocation Council, Worldwide ERC®, the International Association of Movers, and the Corporate Housing Professionals Association launched a new effort focused on making sure the industry can do its best when it comes to sustainability and environmentally beneficial practices.
“We believe that close cooperation across the employee mobility industry is fundamental to achieving greater environmental sustainability for the benefit of people around the world," said Lynn Shotwell, CEO of Worldwide ERC, in a press release issued to commemorate the launch.
The campaign, called “Forging the Future on Sustainability," will focus on creating a common roadmap and guidelines for companies and organizations within the global mobility industry to implement and integrate sustainable practices.
“Understanding and complying with the many different sustainability requirements is becoming increasingly difficult for stakeholders in the mobility supply chain," said Tad Zurlinden, CEO of EuRA, in the press release. “With this agreement, we hope to streamline the process across our industry, allowing for meaningful actions and real, measurable impact."
Deloitte was awarded the role of external contractor for the effort after an RFP process conducted by the six organizations. Deloitte will be working to help set the framework and define milestones of the future global mobility sustainability roadmap.
Sustainability efforts go beyond companies in the mobility space. In June 2022, Worldwide ERC submitted comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed rule, “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors." Worldwide ERC made regulators aware of its latest sustainability survey and its findings while asking the SEC to amend the proposed rule. Worldwide ERC asked the SEC to consider a global standardization of sustainability, lowering the threshold for small businesses’ reports, and a sufficient implementation time between a final rule and reporting periods to enact consistent best practices.
Initiatives around sustainability are needed to help lessen the impact of climate change, but these actions are also beneficial to the workplace and work culture. Environmentally friendly companies, for example, are more likely to attract and retain talent. This April, IBM released a study of 16,000 people across 10 countries that found that 68% of respondents are more than willing to accept employments offers from companies they consider to be environmentally sustainable. Moreover, one-third of respondents who had changed jobs in the last year said that they accepted a lower salary to work at an environmentally sustainable and/or socially responsible organization.
Setting standards around sustainability isn’t just great for your organization; implementing sustainability policies will also boost trust from your customer base or clientele. A global study by Nielson found that 66% of people would pay more for a product provided by a socially responsible company, and over 50% of respondents said they were influenced by sustainability metrics such as a company being environmentally friendly or a product being made from natural or organic ingredients.
A corporate sustainability program will have benefits for the company, its stakeholders, its clients, and its partners. Organizations and corporations have a lot of work ahead, but the future of sustainability looks bright.
Keep up with the latest global mobility and sustainability-related news, data, and Worldwide ERC’s sustainability program on Worldwide ERC’s sustainability webpage.