In Figures: Sustainability in the Post-Covid World of Work

Sustainability was firmly placed on the global agenda before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has accelerated its adoption in the world of work; in our offices, businesses and commutes. Here’s how.

After the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), 16% of global stimulus spending was green. Money was invested into electric vehicles, renewable energy and research – and the investments bore fruit.

Writing in The Guardian, Fiona Harvey explained: “After the financial crisis, green investment paid dividends. Coronavirus presents an even greater opportunity.”

And so, it’s unsurprising that governments are starting to make sustainable moves. Berlin and Seoul are “retooling their fossil-fuel reliant economies” while France’s prime minister unveiled an £89 billion coronavirus recovery plan at the start of September – a third of which will be devoted to making the economy greener.

But the growth of the green economy isn’t just in the hands of governments and corporations – consumers are becoming more conscious, too.

When 17,149 consumers were asked how Covid-19 has changed their opinions on reducing single-use plastics, lowering carbon footprints and companies behaving more sustainably, 56% said at least one of these initiatives had become "a lot more important" to them since the pandemic.

If they haven’t already, sustainability initiatives are set to touch every aspect of the way we work; the way in which businesses operate, the design and efficiency of the offices they call home and even in the way we travel to and from them. Here’s how.

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Sustainability in the post-Covid world of work

Corporate giants are following in sustainable startups’ footsteps

According to new data by Tech Nation, European ‘net zero’ startups (categorised as companies which have no negative impact on the environment) raised a total of £2.1 billion from venture capital funds last year – a 129% increase on the year before – and a testament to sustainability's growing prevalence pre-Covid-19.

But while agile startups may have been leading the way, the pandemic has pushed corporate giants into the race. Unilever announced this month that it would set aside $1.2 billion for a “Clean Future” programme which would see its cleaning products emptied of fossil fuels and replaced with recycled, renewable ingredients by 2030.

Meanwhile, PwC has outlined five sustainable initiatives to use "the devastating experience of Covid-19 to catalyse a change for the better", such as accelerating our transition to low carbon transportation.

Steven Jennings, a partner at PwC explained: “One of the unintended consequences of the coronavirus crisis is the opportunity for businesses to think about the future. If a company has to rebuild itself, it makes sense to reconfigure how it works to be more sustainable.”

In some cases, larger corporates have teamed up with disruptive startups to leverage cutting-edge technologies and achieve change on a mass-scale.

Reuters recently published a feature titled: ‘Corporate giants court climate startups in race to net-zero future’, which cited the collaboration between Canada-based clean-tech startup, Genecis Bioindustries, and French food services multinational, Sodexo, to convert food waste into biodegradable plastic.

Robert Celik, Genecis Bioindustries’ Growth and Partnerships Lead explained: “If big companies want to make a difference they really should be engaging [with] startups."

Cycle-to-work schemes (which offer tax benefits to employees buying bicycles and equipment) have seen sales double, indicating businesses are keen to use these initiatives to embrace a more sustainable commute.

Eco-friendly modes of transport are attracting new customers

When Gavin Hudson moved his bike-fixing pop-up to a furloughed pub in Crouch End, he didn’t expect to afford a permanent address so soon after. But as lockdown was eased and queues became “absolutely crazy”, a surge in demand for cycle repairs meant his business, Butternut Bikes, was one of many to benefit from a “green economic boom” amid the pandemic.

Meanwhile, e-mobility business Lime has attracted new customers every week since lockdown restrictions started to ease, and as the UK journeys towards legally embracing e-scooters, Lime is operating the first full-scale ride-sharing service in the UK with up to 500 e-scooters in a Milton Keynes pilot.

In July, Alan Clarke, one of Lime's directors explained: "Ultimately, the biggest reason people don’t cycle, walk or e-scoot is because most of the time, city infrastructure doesn’t prioritise these modes of transport."

And just days later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson outlined a £2 billion cycling and walking initiative to tackle some of the biggest health and environmental challenges we face. The scheme set out new, higher standards for cycling infrastructure, and promised thousands of miles of new protected bike lanes and cycle training for everyone.

Meanwhile, cycle-to-work schemes (which offer tax benefits to employees buying bicycles and equipment) have seen sales double, indicating businesses are keen to use these initiatives to embrace a more sustainable commute.

Sustainable buildings are set to dominate the post-Covid office market

In Knight Frank’s research report, ‘12 Dynamics of the Post-Covid-19 Workplace’, Lee Elliott explains: “The climate crisis is critical and real estate is a big part of the solution. Unlike in the post-GFC period, we cannot allow sustainability considerations to fall by the wayside.

“There is too much at stake and corporates have bet their reputations on making a difference. Green, sustainable buildings will be a dominant characteristic of the post-Covid-19 office market.”

Whether that’s mitigating a company’s impact on the environment through shorter employee commutes, reducing business travel, digitising processes or focusing on sustainable design, sustainability is high on the corporate agenda.

In fact, according to Knight Frank’s ‘Re-occupancy and Re-imagined Workplace Survey’, business sentiment has already started to reflect this. When asked about the non-economic impacts of Covid-19 on their workplaces, 53% of UK businesses interviewed said they now have a greater focus on sustainability, while 21% said they would look to operate offices closer to where people live.

And our re-occupancy is likely to be far more environmentally friendly. “Pre-Covid-19, average office occupancy was around 40%, and that figure was much worse on Fridays,” says Amanda Lim, Head of Knight Frank’s Flexible Office Solutions. “The pandemic could inspire a new type of re-occupancy whereby flexible and agile working policies allow offices to be used much more efficiently – with companies only paying for the space and energy they truly need.”