The threat of global warming is a major opportunity that
UK PLC is wasting, says a BT sponsored report by the Economist
Intelligence Unit.
The good news is that British companies are moving away from
rhetoric towards commercial opportunities, if the report's findings
are accurate. Corporates are attempting to reduce carbon emmisions
through IT programmes with
HSBC reducing datacentre power consumption through
virtualisation and
Barclays using thin clients to reduce carbon output two recent
examples.
The BT study, of 1100 international executives, revealed that UK
organisations fail to realise the business benefits of
sustainability programmes. Of the 200 UK representatives
interviewed, 100 said sustainability programmes helped improve
brand value, while only 16% felt they improved profitability.
This would indicate the UK lags behind by its foreign
competitors. Far fewer people in the UK (26%) have been given
sustainability goals to achieve, which compares to a global average
of 37%. The proportion of UK executives whose pay depends on
hitting sustainability goals is half that of the global average (9%
as opposed to 18%).
Is sustainability actually sustainable? Not according to the
responses from UK executives. Research indicates that
sustainability is an issue that could be exploited for branding
purposes, but not as a commercial force. Nearly one third (29%) of
UK respondents admit their company only takes sustainability action
to influence perceptions. A similar number (25%) admitted
sustainability is about communication, not actual change.
James Watson, senior editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit,
said: "Companies are moving away from rhetoric towards real
business initiatives. But a gap remains."
"The link between sustainability and commercial success is,
without a doubt, becoming clearer all the time," said Tim Smart,
CEO, BT Global Services UK, though he did not actually outline what
it is. "From BT's point of view, our own sustainability performance
is helping us win deals, create new offerings and build enthusiasm
among our workforce."
The full report,
"Action or
Aspiration: Sustainability in the British Workplace", is available
online.