Sustainable Development in the Workplace: How to Engage Employees and Build a Strong Employer Brand

Introduction: Why Bother Talking About This?
Why “Triple Profit” Isn’t Just a Passing Fad
- Economy, Ecology, People: Three Pillars of TBL
- Numbers You Can’t Ignore
How to Build a Strong Employer Brand (and Why You Need To)
- HR and Marketing: Conflict or Cooperation?
Examples from Scandinavia
Practical Tools: How to Tie TBL to HR Processes and Marketing
- John Elkington’s Advice: Integrating TBL into KPIs
- Richard Mosley & Simon Barrow’s Recommendations: Upgrading Your Employer Brand
Checklists: Gauging Engagement and Brand Strength
- Engagement Matrix (Through the Lens of TBL)
- Employer Brand Audit Template
A Few Noteworthy Facts (for the Numbers Buffs)
Conclusion: Synergy as the Engine of the Future

Introduction: Why Bother Talking About This?

Allow me to pose a question: why have “sustainable development” and “employer branding” suddenly become such hot topics? If we compare today to, say, ten years ago, we’ll see that companies are no longer content to merely declare themselves “eco-friendly” or “socially responsible”—now they’re structuring entire strategies around these principles. The reason is simple: society has grown more demanding, and employees have become more selective. Young professionals want to take pride in their employer, and customers want to trust the brand. Add to that the growing readiness of people to pay more for “green” products and to work only where values align with practice. The result is a rather revealing picture.

John Elkington, who devised the “Triple Bottom Line,” refers to his concept as the “triple profit”: economy, ecology, and social responsibility. Meanwhile, Richard Mosley and Simon Barrow—authors of The Employer Brand—argue that the employer brand is a unique link between HR and marketing. You see, nowadays one does not work without the other. That’s precisely what we’ll discuss: how to combine “triple profit” with a powerful brand so that business thrives, employees feel motivated, and the planet remains safe.

Why “Triple Profit” Isn’t Just a Passing Fad

Economy, Ecology, People: Three Pillars of TBL

Let’s begin with what John Elkington means by the Triple Bottom Line, or TBL. It’s not just charity for the sake of good PR. The idea is that a successful company must at once strengthen the economy, safeguard nature, and help society flourish. None of these three pillars should slip from view. It sounds wonderful, but where’s the substance?

Here it is. At H&M, 65% of employees say that participation in environmental initiatives increases their loyalty to the company. KONE cut its carbon footprint by 40% by 2023 by involving employees in energy-efficiency projects. And Tokmanni, by listening to its workforce, boosted its share of “green” products by 25%. This is not “ecology for ecology’s sake,” but a tangible contribution to the business: greater loyalty, more efficient processes, and rising sales.

Numbers You Can’t Ignore

A study by IBM shows that 44% of consumers are willing to pay more for “sustainable” goods if they believe the brand upholds environmental and social values. So, the approach of “We stand for all things good” doesn’t just polish a reputation—it directly impacts sales and profits. But there’s also another side of the coin: companies that neglect sustainable development risk losing both clients and top talent, especially from the younger generation.

How to Build a Strong Employer Brand (and Why You Need To)

HR and Marketing: Conflict or Cooperation?

It’s long been debated in the business world: is the employer brand the responsibility of HR or marketing? HR people will say, “Our job is to hire and keep talented employees, and to develop the corporate culture.” Marketers respond, “We know how to communicate values and raise brand awareness. Without us, no one will discover how terrific you are.” So who’s right?

As is often the case, the truth lies somewhere in between. A strong employer brand is formed within the company—HR’s true domain. Yet it’s marketing that conveys your achievements to potential candidates, customers, and the broader public. When these two departments work together, you gain a distinct advantage. Look at H&M: they introduced the Oneteam platform for employees, in close coordination with HR, IT, and marketing. As a result, 96% of staff use the new tool, and onboarding time for newcomers has dropped by 30%. Is that not a prime example of synergy?

Examples from Scandinavia

H&M: implemented chatbots and electronic surveys, enabling the company to handle employees’ requests 40% faster. In parallel, H&M promotes the goal of using only eco-friendly materials by 2030.
KONE: a flagship firm in the world of elevators and escalators. Its energy efficiency has increased to such an extent that new models save up to 70% of electricity compared to older ones. Employees are directly involved in designing innovations, raising their level of engagement and pride in the company.
Tokmanni: a Finnish discount chain where employee feedback laid the foundation for a new lineup of “green” products. As a result, the proportion of such goods grew by 25%.

Practical Tools: How to Tie TBL to HR Processes and Marketing

John Elkington’s Advice: Integrating TBL into KPIs

Link part of the bonuses to environmental and social goals. Elkington recommends allocating up to 30% of top managers’ compensation for “green” and social achievements. It’s no mere theory: without financial incentives, even the best ideas can remain on paper.
Form “green committees.” Let employees from different departments contribute ideas for saving resources, reducing waste, or helping local communities. Tokmanni followed just such an approach, leading to a 25% increase in “green” products.
Measure the carbon footprint of each project. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it—or so the saying goes. KONE learned to track CO₂ emissions at every production stage, which helped reduce its overall carbon footprint by 40% by 2023.

Richard Mosley & Simon Barrow’s Recommendations: Upgrading Your Employer Brand

Develop a clear EVP (Employee Value Proposition). This is where you articulate why people should want to work for you. For instance, Unilever positions its EVP around the idea of “career growth without compromising on purpose or profit.”
Use storytelling. People love stories. Show how an ordinary employee introduced a “green” innovation and what came of it. At KONE, posting real-life examples in video form raised application conversion rates by 18%.
Automate feedback. The much-praised chatbots for H&M staff sped up internal inquiry handling by 40%. Freed from paperwork, HR can concentrate on people’s actual needs and the development of corporate culture.

Checklists: Gauging Engagement and Brand Strength

Engagement Matrix (Through the Lens of TBL)

Level	Economy	Ecology	Social Responsibility
Low	Turnover above 15%, weak profit growth	No “green” initiatives, no recycling	CSR only on paper, employees not engaged
Medium	Moderate growth (5–7% a year)	One-off “green” campaigns	Unsystematic charity, not open to everyone
High	Profit up 10–15% thanks to ESG focus	100% of staff involved in eco-projects	Up to 80% of employees active in charitable efforts

Take note of where your company stands. If all you can say is “we separate our trash,” you have some distance to go before reaching the Scandinavian approach.

Employer Brand Audit Template

Internal audit: do the company’s proclaimed values match its real practices? Tokmanni updated its Code of Conduct after staff criticism.
External audit: how do you look on Glassdoor, LinkedIn, or similar platforms? KONE boasts a 4.3 rating out of 5, which helps attract talented candidates.
Communications: do you have a cohesive plan for how HR and marketing knit together the internal and external brand? If not, now is the time to devise one.

A Few Noteworthy Facts (for the Numbers Buffs)

A Gallup study indicates that companies with high employee engagement see 21% higher profitability.
Deloitte maintains that 49% of Millennials and Gen Zers quit companies whose values don’t align with real actions.
H&M has invested about 2 billion Swedish kronor in textile recycling research, reducing the use of virgin cotton by 35% in certain product lines.
Tokmanni reduced staff turnover by 12% by involving employees in local environmental projects.
KONE reports that its new elevator models save up to 70% of electricity compared to those from 2008.

Conclusion: Synergy as the Engine of the Future

John Elkington rightly observes, “Companies that learn to combine TBL principles with a strong employer brand will become the leaders of the coming decade.” He emphasizes that it’s not an extra cost but a long-term investment in your reputation and employee loyalty.

For their part, Richard Mosley and Simon Barrow remind us that HR and marketing are simply two sides of the same coin. If a gulf opens between them, you lose not only talent but also market opportunities. Take a look at Scandinavian leaders like H&M, KONE, and Tokmanni. They demonstrate that “green” initiatives and a flexible corporate culture don’t hamper profits—on the contrary, they enhance them.

The only question is: are you ready to act right now? After all, the market waits for no one, and your competitors certainly won’t. As a wise proverb goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The choice is yours.

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