Small businesses are not environmentally conscious enough, new research suggests, as quarter of those polled admit to not adopting measures to make their business greener.
The research, conducted by Lloyds TSB Business and SERTeam at the Open University, found the amount of small businesses that think they are environmentally friendly has fallen over the past few years.
Of the companies that have taken action to become more green, most have done so by making their transport more environmentally friendly: a third of businesses have cut down on non-essential business travel, while one in ten have switched to using cleaner fuel.
Over a quarter (26%) have started using video conferencing to cut down on the need to travel.
While almost 60% of businesses realise the importance of green issues to customers, over half admit they have some way to go before becoming ‘environmentally friendly’.
Respondents gave a variety of reasons for not taking action: one in five blamed a lack of information, while 15% said that they lacked the time to make changes. A similar amount said that they did not think becoming ‘green’ was relevant to them or their business.
Stephen Pegge, head of communication at Lloyds TSB Business said: “No business can afford to ignore the environment. However, the potential cost of going green is a real worry for small firms.”
“Even so, those firms making changes are demonstrating that a lot can be done to make an impact, and these changes don’t always cost the earth.
“Sensible management of energy, waste and travel usually saves costs, while a greener SME sector could make a huge difference to grow a businesses customer base.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
