Future-Proofing the Sustainability Sector with Athletes & Veterans
The next step in ethical business as athletes & veterans look to better themselves and the world around them.
Image Credit: COP28/Mohammed Mostafa via Flickr
The Rise of Sustainability in the Workforce
In today’s business landscape, identifying trends and new developments early provides a competitive edge. One emerging trend is the growing connection and impact athletes and veterans can make in the sustainability sector.
The younger generation of employees is fundamentally concerned with sustainability, even if to varying degrees. Half of all employees in the UK wish that their company did more to be sustainable, and this rises to 61% when narrowed down to the 18-34 demographic (Zest via Lloyds 2024). Additionally, the same study reports that four in ten businesses have identified an increase in the number of employees who care about sustainability in the last year.
This shift is reflected in the candidates joining the add-victor platform:
- 10% registered sustainability industry as one of their preferred sectors
- 5% hold degrees in sustainability-focused subjects
- Another 5% have listed sustainability-related keywords as areas of interest
More significantly, sustainability comes up as one of the main vocalised concerns of athletes who participate in our workshops. While this may not always be as direct as ‘will I be able to find jobs in the sustainability industry?’, it has also looked like inquiries into ethical or sustainable investment companies who don’t invest in fossil fuels or other ecologically damaging products.
The Intersection of Sports & Sustainability
The link between sports and sustainability isn’t new. Large-scale sporting events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics have sparked debates over whether the infrastructure required to host such events can be ethically developed while remaining sustainable. Football generates over 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually (greenmatch 2024), while the Qatar 2022 World Cup alone generated around 3.63 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. To future-proof their sport, athletes are becoming increasingly conscious of their sport’s environmental impact, influencing career choices. They are looking to make positive changes when they join the workplace.
We have placed many athletes and veterans successfully into careers in conventional fields like finance, consulting, and real estate. However, as the demographic of our candidate base develops and diversifies, so do their career aspirations. The soft skills and mindset honed through years of discipline and performance environments are directly transferable to sustainability challenges and roles. Athletes and veterans naturally blend the three key pillars that make sustainability: economic growth, environmental care, and social well-being.
Key Skills Athletes & Veterans Bring to Sustainability Careers
Determination & Perseverance
The drive and self-motivation offered by athletes will always be relevant when it comes to driving economic growth. Our portfolio of placements demonstrates success stories; hiring high-performing talent is a tried and tested path. While athletes must employ their determination to better themselves within the sporting capacity, for veterans it is a soft skill that is compulsory to undertake the tasks assigned to them. It is only through grit and perseverance that they can get over the obstacles in their way, from training to the field. Self-motivated candidates (who are driven both by a desire for success, and personal passions) will find more efficient solutions through sheer force of will. They have everything to be natural leaders in a field that requires long-term commitment and innovative problem-solving.
Forward-Facing & Forward-Thinking
In a world where injuries and short-term contracts are so prevalent, athletes and veterans have been encouraged to always think ahead, with one eye on future developments. This naturally blends into careers in the sustainability sector, where the main focus is to identify how to future-proof corporate operations, and ensure ecologically-sound progress in business. Athletes, who recognise the impact and risks of climate change on their own sports, align well with this mission. Their proactive mindset ensures they can contribute to the ever-evolving sustainability sector.
Empathy & Emotional Intelligence
Finally, the pillar of social well-being is bred into the lives of athletes and veterans. In the military, teamwork and cooperation can be the sole difference between success and failure, and the bonds forged by shared hardship lead veterans to have fantastic emotional intelligence, with the needs of others remaining at the forefront of their minds. Similarly, athletes thrive in team environments where mutual support is key to success. It is well-documented that the most successful teams are always uplifting one another. Studies, such as research from UC Berkeley’s Michael Kraus and Dacher Keltner on NBA teams, have shown that supportive behaviors, like high fives and chest bumps, correlate with better performance (Keltner and Kraus via ABC News 2011). This emotional intelligence translates seamlessly into sustainability roles, where teamwork and social impact are essential.
The sustainability sector offers a compelling career path for athletes and veterans who want to make a meaningful impact. Their perseverance, strategic thinking, and team-oriented mindset align perfectly with the industry's needs.
As sustainability continues to shape the future of business, companies stand to benefit from high-performing individuals who are not only driven by success but also motivated by purpose. For athletes and veterans, a career in sustainability isn’t just about employment, it’s about championing a cause that ensures a better future for generations to come.
Sebastian Page
Resources:
https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/sustainability-in-sports . Accessed 19/10/2024
Keltner, D. and Kraus, M. 2011 https://abcnews.go.com/Health/winning-touch-nba-teams-touch-win-study/story?id=13801567 Accessed 18/10/2024