The NetRegs SME-nvironment survey - undertook in 2005 and more recently in June 2007 - offers insight into the level of awareness among UK businesses on environmental issues, examines what is being done to increase environmentally friendly activity, and questions general attitudes toward the environment.
With over 4,000 respondents from SMEs in 15 distinct market sectors, the 2007 survey was far reaching, offering a dependable snapshot of current environmental consciousness. Comparing the two surveys also provides a useful measure of what has changed in the past two years.
Upon initial questioning, 15 per cent of businesses stated that they undertook activities that may cause harm to the environment. But when prompted with a list of potentially harmful activities, 49 per cent agreed that they undertook at least one of them - indicating a lack of understanding among businesses about what activities may actually be harmful to the environment. Although this lack of understanding remains significant, overall awareness has increased since 2005.
48 per cent of businesses indicated that they had introduced measures to reduce environmental harm, representing a 17 per cent increase since 2005. Recycling came out on top as the most popular environmentally friendly activity. Again, this pattern shows that a still significant proportion of businesses are failing to implement environmentally friendly practices, but the overall picture is slowly improving.
When questioned about the motivations behind addressing environmental issues, approximately two-thirds said that they were influenced by a general concern for the environment, 30 per cent by the need to comply with legislation, and 13 per cent by a desire to reduce costs. This indicates that while businesses are on the whole conscious of their role in protecting the environment, they are largely unaware of the efficiencies and cost saving benefits this activity could bring.
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