NOVEMBER 2, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
NEW ONLINE TRAINING SERIES DESIGNED BY UNEP CHAMPION OF THE EARTH LEYLA ACAROGLU
TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY IN BUSINESS FOR THE GREEN RECOVERY
At the crossroads of business transformation underscored by Covid-19 and Climate Change, organizations seek solutions for adapting to the future of sustainable business and workplace operations.
In a new online Sustainability in Business training series, UNEP Champion on the Earth Dr. Leyla Acarogulu of Disrupt Design shares the core decision-making tools required to advance sustainability and the circular economy.
This training series follows the release of a ground-breaking report written by Acaroglu that explores the megatrends and emerging micro forces that define the drivers for change during this decade, helping organizations at this critical crossroads where climate change and Covid-19 are forcing strategic recovery plans.
Sustainability is no longer just an aspirational concept — it’s a strategic economic opportunity that contributes to the health and well-being of the planet and the workforce. “Ambitious climate action could generate US$26 trillion in economic benefits between now and 2030 and create 65 million jobs by 2030, while avoiding 700,000 premature deaths from air pollution,” per The New Climate Economy, 2018.
Internationally-renowned sustainability expert Dr. Leyla Acaroglu and her team at Disrupt Design just released a new suite of Sustainability in Business online training courses, designed to guide companies of all sizes, across all industries and countries, to become more socially and environmentally sustainable. With decades of experience in helping companies embrace social and environmental change, Acaroglu is widely sought for her unique approaches to activating the circular economy.
In this time of great and immediate change, governments, customers and workers alike are demanding that organizations operate in socially-ethical and environmentally-sustainable ways. The missing link for many is how to get started on the journey. This online training program offers specific guidance through the development of a three-part framework on operational, product and experiential transformation. Each of the four courses steps through the environmental assessments, management plans, policy development and cultural change needed to innovate through these changing times.
The demand for such a training program was demonstrated through recent research conducted by Acaroglu for the Decade of Disruption: The Future of Workplace Sustainability in the age of Covid-19 and Climate Change report. Commissioned by leading intranet development company, Unily, it explores the forces driving change in how we work, the megatrends affecting this decade and the impacts of massive disruptions like Covid-19 and climate change on the workplace. The report also illuminates a rising concern among workers about the impact their companies are having. Data from the report’s survey of 2000 British workers [conducted by Censuswide in August 2020] shows that 72% of respondents are concerned about environmental ethics, 83% feel that their companies aren’t doing enough and 63% want more green skills to strengthen their workforce value.
The on-demand training series supports businesses in overcoming these knowledge-action gaps by providing customized content, curated checklists for different industries and an extensive workbook for developing the procedures, practices and policies needed to advance sustainability in business settings.
A recent participant, Richard Gilman a senior consultant for SEAC, says of the program: "I learned a lot from this course. It is engaging, insightful, and uncomfortable – in a good way, as it makes you realize how little you’re doing and how you’re often doing the wrong things. The worksheets, templates, and tips are all very helpful… a great program to really help businesses understand the issues, assess their own challenges and opportunities, and to start taking action".
Unlike other training programs that focus on simple knowledge building, Acaroglu’s program shares a clear process that can be used to reach actionable changes to implement sustainability based on the specific context and details of any businesses’ operations, product design, supply chains, services, and experiences.
Acaroglu says: “Ways of working have changed dramatically over the last 100 years. From farming to factories to technology and now services, we live in an age of rapidly evolving disruptions to where, how and why we do work. This report shows the drivers and forces shifting and shaping the way we work and the things we value. Every organization will be at a different stage of their transformation; this report highlights the ways to engage with sustainability and the multiple opportunities to lead through these complex times.”
The program is being released between now and December 2020. Each of the 4 modules can be taken independently or in order as a full series, and they can be adapted to different in-house business contexts.
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For more information, please contact: Emma Segal: Emma@disruptdesign.co or Jamie Ferrell: Jamie@disruptdesign.co
To view the full Sustainability in Business training series, please visit: Sustainability In Business Series
To attend the Sustainability in Business Live Activation Program, Dec. 7th-11th, sign up here.
OCTOBER 20, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
Internationally-renowned sustainability expert Dr. Leyla Acaroglu and leading intranet development company, Unily, just released the Decade of Disruption: Future of The Sustainable Workplace in the Age of Covid-19 and Climate Change, which explores the forces driving change in how we work, the megatrends affecting this decade, and the impacts of massive disruptions like Covid-19 and climate change on the workplace.
In this new report prepared for Unily, Dr. Leyla Acaroglu of Disrupt Design explores the megatrends and emerging micro forces that are defining the drivers for change this decade, from this current critical crossroads where climate change and Covid-19 are forcing strategic recovery plans
The report examines what is already underway in bringing about a sustainable future, as well as offers a unique business self-assessment tool that helps organisations assess where they are at, so they can transform into a sustainable workplace
There is a rising concern among workers about the impact of the companies that they are working for. Data from the report’s survey of 200 British workers [conducted by Censuswide*] shares that 72% of respondents are concerned about environmental ethics, 83% feel that their companies aren’t doing enough and 63% want more green skills to strengthen their workforce value
In this time of great and immediate change, what we will see unfold over this decade is an enormous amount of collective reliance in our ability to rapidly transform the way we do everything. From workers to customers and business leaders, the trend towards sustainability being an integral part of the modern workplace is emerging from multiple directions.
This trend report is designed to support business leaders to adapt. Through trend analysis, employee surveys, expert interviews and case studies, forces affecting the future of workplace sustainability are revealed within the report, which is divided into three main sections: a highlight of the six relevant megatrends predicted and already emerging as a major influencer this decade; a detailed exposition of 12 micro forces driving these megatrends and how they relate to the workplace and shifts within business operations; and a diagnostic toolkit and maps for business managers to assess and adjust where they are on their sustainability journey.
Leyla Acaroglu: “Ways of working have changed dramatically over the last 100 years. From farming to factories to technology and now services, we live in an age of rapidly evolving disruptions to where, how and why we do work. This report shows the drivers and forces shifting and shaping the way we work and the things we value. Every organisation will be at a different stage of their transformation; this report highlights the ways to engage with sustainability and the multiple opportunities to lead through these complex times.”
Jo Skilton, Chief Customer Officer: “We launched this report to delve into how we can learn and tackle climate change, arguably the biggest threat to our world, and we are proud to have partnered with Dr. Leyla Acaroglu to dive deeper into this. We are at the beginning of our journey and want to help businesses like ours find answers to start their own path to play a more active role in protecting the world around them for future generations.”
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For more information, please contact Emma Segal: emma@disruptdesign.co
Notes to Editors
Dr. Leyla Acaroglu
Dr. Leyla Acaroglu is a designer and sociologist at the forefront of advancing the transition to a sustainable and circular future. Her work covers many fields, from creative production, applied research, behavioural economics, educational design and sustainability sciences.
In this report, she applies her systems thinking future-focused mindset to explore and report on the way the future of work is being written today and the forces influencing the transformations underway. She provides a diagnostic and action toolkit designed for leaders to be a part of the change unfolding this decade for a climate positive future.
For more information, read disruptdesign.co/about-us
Unily
Unily was founded in 2005 by two British entrepreneurs to provide modern enterprises with a technology solution to solve challenges surrounding communication, collaboration, productivity and engagement. The company boasts a portfolio of FTSE 500 clients who use their Intranet, Extranet and Portal solutions to serve beautiful, functional digital experiences to B2E, B2B and B2C audiences. Their digital workplace uses the latest platform technology to provide companies with a flexible platform that can adapted to meet any enterprise need.
Unily launched this report after recognising that they needed to be more sustainable. As a business, they aim to power better work for everyone and they thought this report would benefit companies like themselves to understand where to start on their journey to become a more environmentally active and sustainable business.
For more about Unily, visit www.unily.com
*Censuswide
Censuswide is an international market research consultancy headquartered in Clerkenwell, London. Their dedicated and passionate teams are experts across various areas, including healthcare, corporate, international and consumer research. Over the years they have partnered with insights, communication and marketing teams in the world’s most respected companies.