Sustainability challenges are complex, systemic and deeply interconnected. Organizations increasingly recognize that responding to climate change, biodiversity loss and broader sustainability risks requires new skills across functions. Not only within sustainability or ESG teams, but across organizations. Interestingly, similar challenges have been explored in climate education. Suvi Ferraz (CEO & Co-Founder of Learnsy) met a researcher from the University of Helsinki, Eugenia Castellazzi, and the discussion that followed inspired this blog post.
The article “Barriers and Enablers of Interdisciplinary Climate Education: Insights From Secondary Teachers” (Castellazzi E, Hakkarainen V, Saari M, Raymond CM, 2025) examines how teachers experience the integration of interdisciplinary climate education (CCE) in schools. Although the study focuses on secondary education, its findings offer valuable insights to compare with the world of corporate learning and development.
One of the key points of the discussion is that both teachers and corporate leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to meaningful climate education. On one side, teachers see climate education as ethically important and aim to connect it to students’ lived realities. Many express interest in diverse and experiential approaches, such as outdoor learning and creative pedagogies.
However, the study shows that structural and institutional conditions significantly shape what is possible in practice. Teachers operate within curricular constraints, time limitations and established disciplinary boundaries that influence how interdisciplinary climate education can be implemented.
In corporate settings, a similar pattern often appears. Employees may care about sustainability and recognize its importance, yet organizational structures, competing priorities and limited time for learning can restrict meaningful engagement. Both share similar lessons: motivation must be supported by systems enabling learning.
Eugenia highlighted that climate change is inherently interdisciplinary. Yet schools are typically organized around subject-based disciplines. This creates epistemological and structural barriers when attempting to integrate climate education across subjects.
Teachers report that disciplinary silos make interdisciplinary collaboration challenging. Even when educators recognize the need for integrated approaches, institutional structures can make sustained collaboration difficult.
Organizations face comparable dynamics. Sustainability touches finance, operations, procurement, HR, product development and strategy. However, companies are often structured in functional silos. When sustainability learning is isolated within a single department, it risks becoming detached from everyday decision-making in other functions.
The research suggests that interdisciplinary learning requires more than goodwill. In order to succeed it requires supportive structures that enable collaboration and integration.
Another important finding is that teachers often rely on self-directed learning to build their competence in climate education. Formal professional development and coordinated institutional support may be limited, leading educators to seek out resources independently.
While self-directed learning demonstrates commitment, the study indicates that fragmented support can create uneven implementation and additional workload. Teachers describe challenges related to access to adaptable resources and coherent support systems.
In organizations, sustainability learning frequently follows a similar pattern. Employees are expected to “be and stay informed” or independently explore sustainability topics through articles, webinars or optional training. Without structured pathways or clear expectations, learning becomes uneven and difficult to translate into consistent practice.
The research points to forms of “interdisciplinary fatigue.” Teachers navigating multiple expectations, limited time and fragmented guidance may experience strain when trying to integrate climate education meaningfully. This is not resistance to the topic itself; rather, it reflects the cognitive and practical burden of navigating complexity without coherent support.
In corporate environments, sustainability initiatives can likewise escalate: reporting requirements, net-zero targets, biodiversity strategies, regulatory compliance and stakeholder expectations. Without prioritization and structured learning, employees may experience overload and confusion rather than empowerment.
Finally, the article emphasizes the value of collaboration and adaptive knowledge production. Teachers benefit from academic–school partnerships and co-created resources that respect their professional agency. Top-down mandates alone are insufficient as meaningful integration requires contextual adaptation and professional dialogue.
This insight is equally relevant for corporate learning. Sustainability competence develops most effectively when employees can connect knowledge to their specific roles and contexts. For example, procurement professionals need to continuously update their knowledge as new sustainability standards, materials, and supplier requirements emerge. This means learning cannot be a one-time training but must become an ongoing part of the role.
The conversation on climate education revealed how two apparently distant worlds, secondary schools and corporate companies, face similar challenges on how to learn and integrate alternative practices in their everyday lives. Both contexts illuminate broader principles of sustainability education:
- Learners are often motivated.
- Structural and disciplinary silos create barriers.
- Fragmented and self-directed approaches lead to uneven implementation.
- Coherent, collaborative support systems enable meaningful integration.
For organizations seeking to build sustainability capabilities, these lessons are highly relevant. Sustainability cannot remain an isolated topic or compliance exercise. It requires interdisciplinary understanding, role-specific application and structured learning journeys embedded in organizational systems.
Education research reminds us that sustainability learning is about creating the conditions in which complex knowledge can be meaningfully integrated into everyday practice. Whether in schools or corporations, the challenge is similar: aligning motivation, structure and support so that sustainability competence can truly take root.
Castellazzi E, Hakkarainen V, Saari M, Raymond CM. Barriers and Enablers of Interdisciplinary Climate Education: Insights From Secondary Teachers. Australian Journal of Environmental Education. Published online 2025:1-18. doi:10.1017/aee.2025.10086
About the authors: Eugenia Castellazzi is PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Her research is funded by the CO-CARBON project. Her research interests include environmental justice, nature-based solutions and sustainability education.
Suvi Ferraz is the As CEO, Co-Founder, and CPO at Learnsy. She's a purpose-driven entrepreneur committed to advancing sustainable business and expanding access to impactful learning. A vocational teacher with two Master’s degrees and a minor in Corporate Responsibility, Suvi is driven by impact and guided by design.