Empowering Cross-Functional Teams for Corporate Climate Action
Environmental Defense Fund
Climate action requires more than top-down targets. It demands broad-based internal engagement, where employees across roles feel empowered to identify and implement solutions. To bridge this gap, we’re introducing a structured, team-based engagement model designed to activate internal talent and embed climate thinking across the business. This program brings together small, cross-functional employee cohorts to work on real-world sustainability challenges sourced from company leadership.
This new employee engagement framework is designed for companies that recognize the need to embed climate action to mitigate risk but struggle to translate goals into organization-wide execution. It is especially relevant for companies that need to strengthen cross-functional collaboration—particularly among teams like sustainability, procurement, operations, HR, and innovation—where climate responsibilities may remain siloed or underutilized.
The framework takes a multi-stakeholder approach, designed to align goals and incentives across key internal groups, including:
- Sustainability teams and green champions looking to build broader internal support for climate goals
- HR and learning leaders aiming to upskill and retain top talent through purpose-driven development opportunities with real impact
- Executive and strategy teams focused on climate risk, resilience, and aligning climate action with business priorities.
- Procurement and supply chain leaders who influence key emissions drivers and supplier relationships
- Innovation and product teams seeking practical pathways to integrate sustainability into business strategy