Framework for the future

We have now reached a point where the truth of climate change is largely accepted. It was great to see World Environment Day's focus on air pollution last month, and we have a great selection of World Environment Day resources available on the IEMA website

“The public are becoming more offended when they receive goods in excessive or inappropriate packaging“

As the professional body for sustainability, IEMA fully understands the work being done to tackle climate change, which has been a long time coming. However, the challenge has moved from 'change' to 'radical reform'. We need to rethink what we perceive as sustainable in the world of government policy, business and commerce.

The development of skills and behaviours will become increasingly important. We are always working on our professional standards, which are articulated in IEMA's skills map – they are integral to equipping our members with the tools needed. At IEMA we have seen employers demanding more sustainability training for their employees, which is encouraging. The launch of a new apprenticeship framework in environmental management is also closely aligned with our professional standards, and signals the embedding of the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for the future. I congratulate all those involved in getting this framework launched.

It is an exciting time to be an environment and sustainability professional, with the scale of change increasing at pace. In addition to giving members the knowledge needed to deliver radical reform, we are also providing them the skills that will allow them to succeed in a rapidly-changing environment.

It is increasingly obvious that the public are becoming more offended when they receive goods in excessive or inappropriate packaging, and in this issue of Transform we shine a light on the issue of waste. With more and more nations refusing to accept waste from other countries, the notion of better waste management will need to be designed out from the initial production stage, rather than parachuted in at the end of an item's lifespan. There are great opportunities for IEMA members to make a difference in this area, with an ever-growing amount of knowledge to share and develop as we work together for change.

Tim Balcon, CEO of IEMA