UK directors greener at home than in the office

29/10/07 13:15

UK business owners make more effort to reduce their carbon footprint at home than while running their companies, new research has revealed.

The study, by technology firm Citrix, found that although 93% of company directors engage in green practices at home, only 25% view reducing carbon emissions at work as a priority.

A further 29% believe green practices are not relevant to their business at all, and 30% said they would not be embarking on any green initiatives over the next year.

“We each have a responsibility to the environment and company directors have the power to make more of a difference by reducing the carbon footprint of their business, as well as their home,” said Simon Presswell, vice president of Citrix’s online division, EMEA.

“Consumer choice is now driven more and more by ethical issues and this will only increase in the future. Cost-cutting is obviously important but we must not lose sight of our responsibilities to our planet.”

The survey found that directors of large companies (over 250 employees) were more likely to view reducing carbon footprint as important – 32% of directors of large firms compared with only 24% of small firms.

The main perceived benefit for companies taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint was cost, cited by 43% of directors.

However, for those directors actually taking steps to go green, ‘corporate social responsibility’ outweighed the objective of reducing business costs – 39% to 22%.