One in four UK businesses blame the global economic downturn for struggling to meet their environmental targets – while the same number feel a lack of government support is to blame.
76% of businesses feel that the government investing in the green economy would be good for business.
Ecologi’s Climate Commitments 2024 report surveyed 1,400 business owners and decision-makers to businesses with 1-1,000 employees spanning all regions of the UK and 28 professional sectors.
Despite the continuing economic downturn, businesses are making sustainability a core part of their strategy and reaping the benefits, but many feel that the government should be offering more support.
A paper by Lord Stern and colleagues from the London School of Economics found that government investment of £26bn a year would generate additional private sector investment of twice as much, as well as reducing energy bills, creating jobs and stimulating the economy.
At the UK Climate Lobby we are proud to have partnered with Ecologi to present The Green Case for government investment.
The report was presented outside parliament on Monday, April 15, inside a green version of the traditional red budget briefcase.
Dimitri Theocharis, CEO of the climate action platform, said: “The message coming from UK businesses is loud and clear – the desire for sustainability is there, but the full support required to achieve this is not.
“It’s time for the government to act. To drive this message home, we’ve reimagined the iconic red budget briefcase into a “green case” for our planet to parliament. We hope this sends a clear message for the government to work together with businesses, to accelerate climate action for a net zero future.”
Our Senior Managing Partner Sian Conway-Wood, who is a senior lobbyist for the Climate Lobby, added: “UK Businesses are striving to become more sustainable, but they can’t achieve this alone.
“To ensure that homegrown UK businesses can compete, both in the UK and globally, the government must invest in a full-scale green revolution – not only for the sake of the planet, but to reduce operating costs, create jobs, and boost the economy.”
We were pleased to see the Green Case covered in the Mirror, The Daily Express and The Daily Star.
