Sustainability has moved beyond compliance checklists to become a defining part of workplace culture, employee engagement, and employer branding. In this conversation, Sahar Mansoor, Founder at Bare Necessities, shares how organizations can close the gap between ESG intent and everyday action – from embedding sustainability into daily operations and employee behavior to building genuine participation through hands-on, creative learning experiences.
Drawing on her work with organizations like Flipkart, Accenture, Brigade Group, and Padmini VNA Group, and Bare Necessities’ UNESCO-recognised Bare Learning platform, she discusses what it really takes to turn sustainability from a reporting exercise into a lived, measurable part of workplace culture.
1. Many organizations today have ESG goals and sustainability commitments. In your view, what is the biggest gap between intention and action when it comes to workplace sustainability?
The biggest gap is that sustainability is often treated as a reporting exercise rather than a decision-making framework. Many organizations set ambitious ESG goals, but those commitments don’t always influence everyday procurement, product design, packaging choices, or employee behavior. Real impact comes when sustainability is embedded into the culture of an organization, not just its annual report.
At Bare Necessities, we’ve learned that lasting change happens when people are empowered to participate. Whether it’s choosing suppliers, designing products with a circular end-of-life, or encouraging employees to rethink waste in their own lives, every decision matters. Sustainability is a mindset that should shape how a business operates from the inside out. When organizations align incentives, educate their teams, and measure what truly matters, ESG moves beyond intention and becomes part of the way they do business every day.
2. Why do you believe employees play a critical role in the success of an organization’s sustainability agenda, and how can organizations encourage greater participation?
Employees are the driving force behind any organization’s sustainability agenda because they’re the ones making everyday decisions that ultimately determine its impact. A sustainability strategy is only as effective as the people who bring it to life. That’s why education, ownership, and participation matter just as much as policies.
At Bare Necessities, we’ve built sustainability into our daily operations. For example, every team member knows how to segregate waste correctly and how to use our on-site composter. Our wet waste is composted at our office, while our dry waste is sent to Bengaluru’s Dry Waste Collection Centre for responsible processing. We also measure and track the waste we generate, allowing us to identify opportunities to reduce it further. By making sustainability visible and part of everyone’s role, we’ve created a culture where employees feel empowered to contribute.
3. Sustainability is often viewed as the responsibility of ESG or CSR teams. What role can HR and business leaders play in making sustainability part of everyday workplace culture?
HR and business leaders have a unique opportunity to embed sustainability into workplace culture by making it part of how people learn, collaborate, and work every day. When employees are equipped with the right knowledge, they’re more likely to make conscious choices both at work and at home.
At Bare Necessities, we conduct regular internal sustainability sessions for our own team on topics such as zero-waste living, waste segregation, composting, and practical ways to reduce waste in the workplace. Beyond our organization, we also help corporates build sustainability awareness through our UNESCO-recognised Bare Learning platform. Through interactive workshops and online courses on zero waste, sustainability, and the circular economy, we help employees understand how small, everyday choices can create meaningful environmental impact. Awareness is the first step toward behavior change, and when organizations invest in continuous learning, sustainability can become part of their culture.
4. What are some simple yet impactful sustainability practices that organizations can introduce immediately, regardless of their size or industry?
Start by segregating waste at source, composting organic waste where possible, and partnering with authorized recyclers or Dry Waste Collection Centres. Eliminate single-use plastics from the workplace by switching to refillable alternatives and encouraging employees to carry reusable bottles, cups, and cutlery. Just as importantly, invest in awareness. Even the best systems won’t work unless employees understand why they matter. Short workshops, sustainability challenges, and simple nudges can go a long way in building lasting habits. Measuring waste generation and tracking progress also helps organizations identify opportunities for improvement and keeps teams engaged.
5. Many organizations struggle to create meaningful employee engagement around ESG initiatives. Based on your experience, what approaches tend to generate genuine participation rather than compliance-driven involvement?
We’ve found that employees are far more likely to adopt sustainable habits when learning is interactive, creative, and enjoyable. At Bare Necessities, we’ve partnered with organizations such as Flipkart, Accenture, Brigade Group, and VNA Group to celebrate occasions like World Environment Day and Earth Day through hands-on sustainability workshops. Instead of presentations alone, we design DIY experiences that bring circular economy principles to life. Employees learn to make citrus bioenzymes from fruit peels, demonstrating how waste can become a valuable resource. They upcycle old T-shirts into reusable tote bags and transform discarded plastic bottles into bird feeders, giving materials a second life while supporting urban biodiversity. These kinds of activities create conversations, encourage teamwork, and show that sustainability can be creative, and fun.
6. Can you share examples of workplace sustainability initiatives or behaviour-change programs that have delivered measurable impact for organizations or communities?
Nike’s reusable dishware program reduced single-use food packaging by 16,000 pounds per quarter, lowering waste per employee by 11.5%. The World Bank’s Green Office Initiative achieved measurable reductions in after-hours energy use by making consumption data visible to employees, while Etihad Airways’ Green Choice program successfully encouraged more sustainable travel habits through positive incentives. At Bare Necessities, we’ve taken a similar behaviour-first approach. Through workplace sustainability workshops with organizations such as Flipkart, Accenture, Brigade Group, and Padmini VNA Group, we use hands-on activities to make concepts like the circular economy tangible and enjoyable. Across our broader work, the sale of our zero-waste products have helped avoid more than 83 million single-use plastic items and divert 375,031 kg of waste from landfills. Our sustainability initiatives have also reached 176,697 people directly and 374,465 people indirectly, reinforcing our belief that when sustainability is practical, participatory, and measurable, it leads to lasting behaviour change.
7. How can organizations align sustainability efforts with employee well-being, purpose, and employer branding objectives?
Organizations can strengthen employee well-being and employer branding by embedding sustainability into everyday work through learning opportunities, employee-led initiatives, volunteering, and tangible actions that allow people to contribute to a larger purpose. Activities such as tree plantation drives, biodiversity restoration projects, community clean-up campaigns, waste segregation initiatives, and hands-on sustainability workshops give employees meaningful ways to participate beyond their day-to-day roles
8. Looking ahead, what sustainability trends do you believe will have the greatest influence on workplaces over the next five years, and how can organizations prepare for them today?
Over the next five years, I believe we’ll see sustainability move from being a voluntary initiative to a core business expectation. Employees, consumers, and investors are increasingly looking for organizations that can demonstrate genuine environmental action, not just ambitious commitments. We’ll also see greater adoption of circular economy principles, low-waste product and workplace design, science-based climate targets, and stronger employee engagement in sustainability initiatives.
