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Resurgent Sustainability Teams
Resurgent Sustainability Teams
Business models may not feel resurgent, but the previous section showed that the foundation is there for boardroom buy-in. The role of the sustainability department is to articulate value and embed actions—a task made harder by a lack of resources.
Recent research found that sustainability professionals find reporting requirements too complex, resource-intensive and time-consuming. Add to that the constant changes – such as the new consultation on the Net-Zero Standard – and amendments - such as the simplification package for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or the ongoing delays to the Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR) - and it’s a wonder that sustainability teams can get anything done aside from revisiting the data.
There’s an interesting debate forming in the sustainability space, a question of whether sustainability teams should expand (add more specialised people to a core team) or embed (outsource sustainability actions to other areas of the business). The answer depends on the business of course, but edie’s survey shows just how isolated some teams can feel.
“Working in Sustainability is never just one role - you’ll wear every hat and spend a lot of time influencing others. What matters most is staying optimistic and embracing progress over perfection. Lead with authenticity, listen to people on the ground/communities, and don’t be afraid to make work creative and fun.”
Natalia Agathou Chief Sustainability Officer - UK & Ireland L’Oréal
The Resurgence survey found that sustainability teams remain small despite their large, long-term remit.
Almost four in 10 businesses have an in-house sustainability team of 1-4 people, and a further third (32%) have a single person heading the department. A further 40% have a central team of 1-4, meaning that almost three-quarters of survey respondents have less than five people working on their sustainability team.
Of the 112 responses from businesses with more than 250 staff, 51% report having a team of fewer than five people.
Of the 81 respondents representing companies with more than 1,000 staff, 45% have teams of fewer than 5 people.
There is an even split when it comes to how well set-up these teams are to deliver on their remit. Currently, 47% of sustainability practitioners do not believe their team is set up to deliver on their targets, compared to just 38% who feel they are. The remaining answered, “unsure”.
For large companies (1,000+ staff), just four in 10 businesses believe their sustainability teams are adequately resourced to deliver their goals.
Sustainability teams continue to evolve, or in some cases regress. At the start of 2026, some organisations underwent restructuring, sustainability professionals were made redundant, or sustainability leaders moved on to seek new work in other fields.
Overall, only 17% of businesses plan to expand the size of their sustainability team in 2026.
Despite almost half of respondents reporting that their teams are not adequately resourced, the fact that few businesses are expanding teams, and the aforementioned financial constraints, it is surprising that only one quarter (24%) do not believe their organisation will achieve its long-term sustainability targets.
That optimism is a key ingredient for the resurgence of corporate sustainability.
“Keep your mission and values at the heart of everything you do as they're your north star when navigating complex trade-offs. But equally critical is understanding how your organisation actually operates: spend time with different teams, learn their priorities, and more importantly, get to know who they are as people. The goal isn't to build a sustainability department, but to embed sustainable thinking across every function.”
Charlotte Pumford Head of Regenerative Impact Vivobarefoot
Optimism may well be aligned with areas of focus. The sustainability remit is broad, spanning circular economy, net-zero, nature and biodiversity, social sustainability, and more. Across topics, edie’s survey revealed that many professionals are in “reporting mode”.
The influx of reporting requirements – most recent of which is the UK’s Sustainability Reporting Standards – has seen disclosure become a common part of a practitioner’s workflow.
When examining the list of focus areas and priorities, reporting and disclosure are the highest “business critical priority” cited by two in ten businesses. In total, reporting and disclosure is a priority for almost two-thirds of surveyed sustainability professionals.
Q. To what extend are the following departments engaged with your sustainability efforts?
Finally, we asked sustainability professionals what external factors would assist them in improving buy-in and approaches to sustainability delivery.
Across a plethora of options, the main factor that could act as a “big enabler for their organisation” was “mandates for all companies to set net-zero goals and transition plans” cited by 57%.
Better alignment from policymakers (52%) and standardised and simplified reporting frameworks (34%) round out the biggest external enablers.
The sustainability profession needs 'pragmatic idealists' - people who build partnerships to deliver practical and tangible progress, no matter how modest, whilst never losing sight of the bigger goal of a more sustainable future.
Chris Guest Director of Climate, Nature and ESG Reporting Burberry
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