There's a war happening right now.
Not for oil. Not for markets. For people.
Specifically: people who actually know how to do sustainability work.
And you're probably losing.
LinkedIn's 2025 Green Skills Report just dropped some numbers that should terrify every sustainability manager: green hiring is growing at 8% per year, but the supply of workers with green skills? Only 4.3% per year.
Let me translate that: Demand is growing almost twice as fast as supply.
Which means... there aren't enough people to do the work everyone suddenly needs done.
Welcome to the green skills crisis. It's real, it's getting worse, and if you're trying to hire sustainability talent right now, you've probably already felt it.
Let me show you what's actually happening—and more importantly, how to win anyway.
The Numbers Don't Lie (But They're Worse Than You Think)
Here's what LinkedIn found when they analyzed over one billion members worldwide: Workers with green skills are getting hired 46.6% faster than the overall workforce. In India, that premium jumps to 59.7%.
Think about that.
If you post a regular job, maybe 100 people apply. You interview 10. You hire one. Takes 8-12 weeks.
If you post a green job, maybe 30 people apply. 5 are qualified. 2 respond. 1 gets three other offers while you're checking references.
And that's if you're lucky.
The utilities sector—which you'd think would be swimming in green talent—has 29.6% green talent concentration. But their green hiring rate is 33.4%. Even they can't hire fast enough.
So if the renewable energy industry can't find enough people... what chance do the rest of us have?
Why This Is Happening (It's Not What You Think)
The obvious answer: "There aren't enough sustainability degrees!"
Sure. That's part of it.
But here's what's really going on:
Problem #1: Everyone Woke Up At The Same Time
2025 is being called a "pivotal year" for sustainability—regulatory shifts like CSRD are redefining corporate responsibility, with mandates for science-based transition plans raising the bar across industries.
Translation: Every company suddenly needs sustainability people. At once.
It's like if every company decided they needed a CTO on the same Tuesday. There'd be chaos.
That's what's happening now. Except with sustainability roles.
Problem #2: "Green Skills" Isn't One Thing
When people say "we need green talent," what do they actually mean?
- Carbon accounting? (Math-heavy, GHG Protocol expertise) - Circular economy? (Design thinking, materials science) - Biodiversity? (Ecology, impact assessment) - Supply chain transparency? (Data systems, supplier relations) - ESG reporting? (Frameworks, stakeholder engagement)
These are completely different skill sets.
But companies post jobs like: "Sustainability Manager. Must know carbon, circular, biodiversity, reporting, stakeholder engagement, and..."
Good luck finding that unicorn.
Problem #3: The Skills Are Moving Target
Energy management became the fastest-growing green skill globally, with a 17.4% increase over the past year—driven by surges in demand for AI infrastructure and renewable energy sourcing.
Last year's hot skill: Scope 3 emissions This year's hot skill: Energy management (thanks, AI data centers) Next year's hot skill: Who knows? Biodiversity accounting? Circular design?
By the time universities update curricula, the market has moved on.
Problem #4: Experience Beats Credentials (But Nobody Has Experience Yet)
Hiring teams want to see whether you can solve sustainability-aligned challenges they're facing right now. Candidates who demonstrate capability through projects will leap ahead of those who stack certificates without showing applied skill.
Companies want people who've "done this before."
But CSRD just started. Nature-based solutions are new. AI energy optimization is brand new.
How can you have 5 years experience in something that's existed for 18 months?
You can't. But companies keep asking for it anyway.
What Brands Actually Need (Spoiler: Not Full-Time Hires)
Okay, real talk.
Most companies don't need a full-time sustainability expert.
They need: - Someone to do their CSRD assessment (12-week project) - Someone to calculate Scope 3 (8-week project) - Someone to design circular packaging (16-week project) - Someone to set SBTi targets (10-week project)
See the pattern? Projects. Not jobs.
But we're trying to solve project needs with employee hires. And it doesn't work.
Here's why:
The Employee Model: - Hire one person - They need to know everything (impossible) - Or they learn on your dime (expensive, slow) - They're available 40 hours/week (you don't need 40 hours/week of carbon accounting) - You're committed for 12+ months (even after the project ends)
The Specialist Model: - Work with multiple specialists - Each knows their specific thing deeply - They've done it 20 times before (not learning on you) - You pay for hours you need (not full-time when you don't) - Engagement ends when project ends
One model tries to fit everything into one person. The other matches specific problems with specific expertise.
Guess which one works better in a talent shortage?
The Real Competition (It's Not Other Companies)
Here's something nobody talks about:
Companies are embedding sustainability accountability into operational lines of business—sustainability professionals are increasingly part of R&D, supply chain, or operations teams rather than standalone roles.
The best sustainability talent isn't looking for "Sustainability Manager" jobs.
They're: - Working as consultants (better pay, more variety) - Embedded in operations roles (more impact, less politics) - Building their own practices (autonomy, flexibility) - Taking fractional roles at multiple companies (diversification)
So when you post "Sustainability Manager - €60K," you're competing with: - Consulting gigs paying €150/hour - Fractional roles paying €80K for 2 days/week - Project-based work with clear scope and timeline
Your job posting looks... not great by comparison.
What Actually Works (Based on What's Working)
Alright, enough doom. Here's what smart companies are doing:
Strategy #1: Stop Hiring Full-Time, Start Buying Expertise
Instead of: "We need a sustainability person"
Try: "We need these three projects done: CSRD assessment, carbon footprint, circular strategy"
Then: - Find specialists who've done each one - Engage them for the project - Pay for results, not time - Move fast because they're not employees
The sustainability landscape in 2025 is defined by a strategic pivot: companies are abandoning fragmented initiatives in favor of scaling transformative, high-impact solutions focused on execution over endless experimentation.
Translation: Stop trying to hire perfect people. Start solving specific problems with proven specialists.
Strategy #2: Tap The Invisible Talent Pool
Green jobs are far larger than what appears on job boards—many roles embed sustainability into functions like operations, logistics, and product development without "green" in the title at all.
The person you need might not call themselves a "sustainability expert."
They might be: - An engineer who's optimized manufacturing energy use - A supply chain manager who's built supplier engagement programs - A product designer who's done lifecycle assessments - A data analyst who's tracked environmental metrics
They have the skills. They just don't have the job title.
Challenge-based work finds them. Job postings don't.
Strategy #3: Build A Bench, Not A Team
You don't need five full-time people. You need: - One strategic coordinator (maybe full-time, maybe fractional) - A roster of 8-10 specialists you can call on - Clear processes for engaging them quickly
When a challenge comes up: - "We need Scope 3 for food supply chain" - Pull in Sarah (she's done this 15 times) - 10-week project, done, next challenge
When another challenge comes up: - "We need circular packaging design" - Pull in Marcus (CPG packaging specialist) - 12-week project, done, next
You're not trying to find one person who can do everything. You're building a network of people who each do one thing exceptionally well.
Strategy #4: Compete on Interesting Work, Not Salary
For the first time, sustainability has become one of the top three purchasing criteria for corporate buyers, with 48% of B2B customers willing to pay a premium for sustainable products.
Sustainability pros don't just want money. They want: - Interesting challenges (not "update our recycling policy") - Real impact (not "make a sustainability report nobody reads") - Autonomy (not "get approval from 7 people for every decision") - Speed (not "maybe we'll do something in 18 months")
If you can offer that, you compete.
Challenge-based work offers exactly that: - Specific problem (interesting) - Clear outcome (impact) - Defined scope (autonomy) - Fast timeline (speed)
The B2B Angle Nobody Sees Coming
Here's a plot twist:
Recent research from Bain & Company shows 36% of B2B buyers are willing to walk away from suppliers that fail to meet sustainability expectations—and that figure is expected to reach 60% within three years.
So while you're struggling to find sustainability talent...
Your clients are demanding you have sustainability figured out.
And if you don't? They'll find someone who does.
This creates a vicious cycle: - You need sustainability expertise to win clients - But you can't find sustainability talent - So you lose clients to competitors who figured this out - Which means less budget to hire talent - Which means...
You see where this goes.
The companies solving this? They're not outbidding everyone for talent. They're restructuring how they access expertise.
What Solution Providers Need to Know
If you're a sustainability consultant or specialist reading this, here's what's happening on the brand side:
What brands are desperate for: - Specialists with proven track records in specific problems - Fast engagement (start this month, not next quarter) - Clear pricing (no "it depends" quotes) - Project-based work (not long-term commitments) - Evidence you've done this before (case studies, not credentials)
What brands are tired of: - Generalists who claim they can do everything - Consultants who need 6 weeks to understand the problem - Opaque pricing and scope creep - "We'll develop a strategy" (they need execution, not more strategy) - Credentials without proof of results
If you position yourself as a specialist who's solved [specific problem] for [specific industry] with [specific results]...
You'll have more work than you can handle.
Because demand for green skills is outstripping supply by nearly 2x, and companies are getting increasingly desperate for people who can actually execute.
The Platform Play (Why Marketplaces Will Win)
Look, I'm obviously biased here. I built a marketplace for this exact problem.
But even if you never use iWinForest, the principle matters:
Old model: Companies search for talent, hope they find someone good, spend 3 months hiring
New model: Companies post challenges, specialists with relevant experience propose solutions, work starts in weeks
One model depends on there being enough talent to go around. (There isn't.)
The other model efficiently matches specific problems with specific expertise. (This works even in a shortage.)
Scaling sustainability initiatives is recognized as essential for future competitiveness, and companies are focusing on execution over experimentation to drive company-wide implementation.
Translation: Everyone's moving from "let's think about this" to "let's do this."
And "doing this" requires finding people who've done it before. Fast.
Marketplaces solve that. Job boards don't.
What To Do Monday Morning
If you're a brand trying to make progress on sustainability:
Step 1: List Your Next 3 Projects
Not "improve our sustainability." Specific: - "Complete CSRD double materiality assessment" - "Calculate Scope 3 for purchased goods" - "Design circular strategy for Product Line X"
Step 2: Stop Looking For One Perfect Person
You're not hiring a VP of Sustainability who knows everything.
You're finding three specialists who each know one thing deeply.
Step 3: Define Success Clearly
For each project: - What does done look like? - What's the timeline? - What's the budget? - What proof do you need that they've done this before?
Step 4: Find People Who've Done It
Not people who "could probably figure it out."
People who've done this exact thing. Multiple times. With results.
Step 5: Start One
Don't try to solve everything at once.
Pick the most urgent challenge. Find the specialist. Start.
Then do the next one. And the next.
Six months from now, you'll have completed 4-6 projects. With specialists who know what they're doing. On budget. On time.
Compare that to six months of trying to hire that unicorn who knows everything. (Spoiler: You still won't have found them.)
The Bottom Line
The gulf between demand and supply of skilled workers continues to put climate transition at risk, according to LinkedIn's Vice President of Public Policy.
The green skills crisis is real.
It's getting worse, not better.
And waiting for universities to train more people isn't a strategy.
Companies that win will be the ones who stop trying to hire their way out of this. And start buying expertise for specific challenges instead.
Full-time employees for strategy and coordination? Sure.
Specialists for execution? Absolutely.
One person who does everything? Keep dreaming.
The talent shortage isn't going away. But you can work around it.
If you're willing to rethink how you access expertise.
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Struggling to find sustainability specialists? Post your specific challenge on iWinForest and get proposals from experts who've solved similar problems. See their track records, compare approaches, start in weeks. Stop searching. Start solving.