Report: The Sustainability Marketing Skills Gap 2023

There are a number of important issues affecting marketers today. Emerging technology such as AI and the current cost-of-living crisis are among the most disruptive. But it is imperative that marketers and professionals across all industries make sure sustainability doesn’t slip down the agenda.

In 2024, CIM published The Sustainability Marketing Skills Gap Report 2023, designed to provide marketers with the latest thinking, advice and research to support their sustainable marketing strategies.

To help marketers update their skills and knowledge with the latest advice and insights from the sustainable marketing landscape, CIM launched an updated version of The Sustainability Marketing Skills Gap Report for 2024.

Communicating authentic sustainability claims doesn’t only benefit an organisation’s environmental impact but also boosts its recruitment prospects and relationship with consumers. Business that fail to upskill and focus their efforts on aiding the sustainable agenda risk upsetting the balance between people, planet and profit.

Marketers clearly feel under pressure to communicate their company’s or clients’ sustainability credentials. Yet many brands remain reluctant to share these sustainability credentials, even in a market where consumers are demanding them.

The new report provides the latest insights on sustainable marketing, featuring key case studies, stories from leading brands, and tools and advice for marketers looking to upskill.

The report also highlights several key statistics, trends and case studies including:

• 59% of 18–34-year-olds say they are more likely to buy products or services from a brand that advertises and substantiates how sustainable they are.
• 40% of marketers currently don’t have marketing qualifications relating to sustainability but, promisingly, would like to.
• 63% of all UK adults agree that brands should increase communications around the sustainability of their products and services.
• Stories from leading brands on their sustainable marketing journey, including innocent drinks, Lucky Saint and Tony’s Chocolonely

Discussing the importance of the report, Chris Daly, chief executive at CIM, said:

“If the marketing profession is to deliver meaningful and tangible change at scale, then as an industry, we must do more to address the sustainability skills gap and ensure that marketers are equipped with the skills they need to work confidently on environmental campaigns which can encourage others, and drive the positive behavioural changes needed within society.

"CIM’s purpose is to set the standard by which the profession operates. We encourage ethical working practices and aim to empower marketers with the skills they need to help deliver a more sustainable future."

CIM’s view (taken from the report): Our recommendations aim to help marketers feel confident in increasing their businesses’ communications around sustainability efforts and addressing consumer demand to see more action from companies on sustainability.

Climate change is complex, and the road ahead will be challenging. Marketers will have to learn, adapt and evolve within an ever-changing landscape but at CIM, we are confident that the talented individuals of the marketing sector will drive and support greener business models that give consumers the power to make more sustainable choices.