{"id":17458,"date":"2022-07-23T14:14:06","date_gmt":"2022-07-23T14:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=17458"},"modified":"2022-07-23T14:14:06","modified_gmt":"2022-07-23T14:14:06","slug":"the-corporate-sustainability-skills-gap-on-the-road-to-net-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2022\/07\/23\/the-corporate-sustainability-skills-gap-on-the-road-to-net-zero\/","title":{"rendered":"The corporate sustainability skills gap on the road to net zero\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over half (52%) of Australian business leaders believe that a sustainability skills shortage is holding back their organisation\u2019s energy transition, according to new research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey of more than 500 business managers and decision-makers across corporate Australia found that 76% of businesses saw sustainable transformation as providing a competitive edge. However, it also highlighted that the majority are struggling with a lack of energy transition expertise and dedicated personnel to get their strategies in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concerning findings are part of the new Sustainability Index: transforming intention to outcomes<\/em><\/a> <\/em>report from Schneider Electric<\/a>, the global leader in digital transformation of energy management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorporate Australia is committed to energy transition, but our research shows that without proper support and intelligence, a significant proportion are struggling to make an impact on their emissions,\u201d says Gareth O\u2019Reilly, Schneider Electric\u2019s Pacific Zone President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over a tenth (14%) of business leaders admitted they don\u2019t know where to start in setting carbon emissions reduction targets. A similar number (12%) were also unsure how to create an energy usage data capture and reporting strategy to understand their current emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings may explain why only 14% of respondents said their companies had developed and published a climate action plan internally. As well as why, only 11% had publicly shared an intention to reduce<\/em> their carbon emissions and just 7% had announced any commitment to reach net zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnergy transition is inevitable for all businesses, what we need now is quick and effective outcomes. Key to this will be helping businesses understand their emissions and what to do to reduce them.\u201d says Mr O\u2019Reilly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently carbon emissions are measured across three scopes. The first (Scope 1) covers emissions from a company\u2019s owned or controlled resources. The second (Scope 2) are those generated from purchased energy, such as gas and electricity. Finally, Scope 3 emissions are created indirectly through a business\u2019 value chain by third parties, such as its suppliers and end users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data shows that anywhere between a quarter to a third of business leaders are struggling to understand their emissions across these scopes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n