UK business' not ready for Carbon Reduction Commitment
May 18, 2009
Alarming new statistics reveal that more than half of the nation's businesses have not yet considered their contribution to climate change. The statistics are from a survey of businesses from across the UK and show that two-thirds of Britain's bosses are unaware that a new law (the Carbon Reduction Commitment [CRC]) will soon compel them to account for their companies' carbon emissions.
One finding from the survey, which was commissioned by Business in the Community, showed that many employers did not see the commercial benefit of cutting carbon emissions and that 17% of bosses admitted to scaling down their focus on carbon reduction in the current economic situation.
Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said, "It is more important than ever that businesses wake up to the urgency of the threat of climate change. We still have a long way to go and these latest statistics show that too many businesses are ignoring this urgent business challenge. With businesses accounting for 40% of the UK's carbon emissions, we can't afford this kind of inertia or complacency. All businesses need to get involved and realise that carbon-cutting measures can be for the greater good, and also boost individual economic success too."
This sentiment was echoed by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, DECC, who said "When it starts in 2010 the CRC will mean large organisations have a strong incentive to reduce their carbon emissions, and at the same time make real savings on their energy bills."
Print this page