Covid-19 came as an earthquake to shake business models so that they become more resilient, more sustainable. IRF and the Sustainability Academy are committed to play their part in this transition by offering affordable and specialized training on the key and new sustainability issue not only to individuals but also to group of professionals and corporations that are determined to engage in sustainability. 

With the inescapable changes and disruptions already taking place, envisioning the world as in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) might not be an utopia as this is the right moment to spur renewal, pioneering thinking and collectively thrive. That nonetheless, requires listening and learning from the ground up and with the lessons the pandemic has offered.  

Over the past decade, the terms Sustainability, Climate Change and Corporate Responsibility have become central in discussions between policymakers, company board members, media, consumers and the society in general. While the concept has reached the mainstream, opportunities still exist for implementation, while at the same time new technologies and policies will require from organizations to provide innovative solutions, services and products.

Here are the hottest trends to watch for and prepare for 2020 and beyond: 

• Through the recent European Green Deal, the goal is for Europe to become the first carbon neutral continent by 2050. The first steps will be the provision of a sustainable investment fund (1 trillion euros) for the next decade, as well as a more demanding Climate Legislation. The European Green Deal will be based on four pillars: the Emissions Trading System, Sustainable Investments, Industry policies, and Fair Transition and will affect directly existing business models and thousands of European organizations they have not integrate sustainability strategies.  
  
  
• The shift to circularity will become more and more obvious, and a $24 billion stimulus package has been announced to facilitate circular economies in Europe.  
  
  
• End of Plastic. The need to protect the marine environment will take center spot in the environmental agenda. To this direction, biodegradable alternatives to plastic will become more common, along with policies to ban single-use plastics, in an effort to protect the marine environment and biodiversity.  
  
  
• European companies will focus more on climate change, energy efficiency, sustainable operations and sustainable supply chains while new legislation and investor requirements will push for more transparency.  
  
  
• More sustainability (ESG) reporting is expected, and the reach of the GRI (Global Reporting Initiatives) and other related standards will continue to grow as companies seek to improve transparency, integrity and reliability. Integrating Reporting will not become the new trend yet, despite several publications that refer to this issue.  
  
  
• Sustainability report will evolve. Reports will rely more on graphs, info-graphics and videos and not only on words in order to capture faster and easier the attention of the readers.  
  
  
• Measuring performance and impact is becoming more and more important and a requirement from investors. Specifically, measurements will be required for demonstrating activities and their impacts to stakeholders improving decision-making as programs evolve over time, and align sustainability activities with corporate goals.  
  

The International Road Federation (IRF) and the Centre for Sustainability Excellence have entered into a collaboration that will allow IRF members and partners to prepare for all these new trends by accessing two new on-line certified professional courses at preferential rates: 

• On-line Diploma Corporate Sustainability  

• On-line Certificate on Sustainability (CSR) Reporting 

For more information and registrations, please visit: https://irfofficial.org/on-line-training/