UK Entrepreneurs Not So Green

The business advisory firm Deloitte surveyed the business practices of UK entrepreneurs and found that they are going slow on adopting environmentally-friendly initiatives. Only 29% of the entrepreneurial businesses have undertaken carbon reductions steps. Other initiatives which require more focus and resources such as CO2 emissions reduction, water conservation and green procurement are less popular. According to Richard Crane, the entrepreneurial business partner at Deloitte, environmental initiatives are seen as a cost to the business rather than an opportunity. Further he cites two reasons why businesses should consider green practices:

• purchasing decisions of businesses and consumers are increasingly influenced by environmental factors
• environmental pressure on businesses and individuals brings the opportunities for new products and services to meet this goal

Our take on this – small businesses are more concerned about viability than sustainability. Fair point. But as Crane suggested, sustainability should not be thought of as a cost, but as an opportunity and a driver of strategy. Visit our forum to discuss how this might affect your business.