UK study highlights diversity issues in sustainability profession

The sustainability profession lacks diversity and suffers from a growing gender pay gap, according to a survey of sustainability leaders in the UK.

The study, conducted by membership organisation Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP, formerly IEMA), reveals that more work is needed to reach and support diverse sustainability talent.

Of the nearly 900 professionals who participated in the survey, 7.1% declared a non-white ethnicity (compared to 18% of the overall UK population), and just 4.3% declared living with a disability (23% of working adults in the country).

And while there were limited salary differences between these groups and other sustainability professionals, the survey also revealed a growing gender pay gap – particularly in more senior positions. At senior management and board or C-suite level, men get paid 12% and 15% more than women, respectively. 

In the UK overall, the gender pay gap stood at 7% in 2024 – 9.8% for managing directors and senior officials.

“This suggests there may be a lack of widespread initiatives actively helping to narrow the gender pay gap,” writes ISEP in the report.

The importance of fostering diverse talent in the sustainability world

The survey’s diversity findings echo observations shared by Lamé Verre, Director, Net Zero at the Crown Estate in a recent guest article for CSO Futures: “The people building our sustainable future do not look like the communities they are meant to serve,” she warned.

Verre talked about the importance of ensuring diverse views help shape sustainability strategies, and suggested some actions those currently in leadership positions can take to contribute to this goal.

These include setting concrete targets for team composition that reflect the regions and stakeholders a strategy seeks to serve, auditing leadership pipelines to track who is being mentored, promoted, or retained and tying sustainability outcomes to inclusive performance incentives.

Read also: Five ways to improve sustainability talent management for growth

The changing role of sustainability leaders

The ISEP survey also provided more data about how the sustainability profession is changing in the UK: for instance, 48% of respondents now report directly to their board of CEO – despite the fact that just 17% hold the title ‘Head of Sustainability’.

In addition, over 40% of sustainability professionals have seen their role change over the past year, with more respondents now responsible for biodiversity and nature, cleantech and climate change adaptation on top of their ESG reporting remit.

And despite this being a recognised lever of transformation, only 6% of sustainability professionals work in companies that link remuneration to sustainability KPIs.