CorpComms Magazine

Almost one third of companies do not have a 'coherent strategy' in place to address energy consumption issues, while seven out of ten believe that carbon reduction policies are primarily driven by public relations and motivated by corporate reputation.

The findings are contained within a survey of 542 senior corporate executives, entitled 'After Copenhagen: Business and climate change' conducted on behalf of software provider 1E.

The survey found that the unclear regulatory environment is one of the biggest barriers to action on climate change, while 52 per cent who believe the jury is 'still out' on the seriousness of the issue.

However, 49 per cent of companies do have a climate change strategy although just one in ten have a strategy that encompasses the whole business, including external partners and the supply chain.

Despite these lacklustre findings, 59 per cent of companies believe reducing carbon emissions offers an opportunity to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace while 49 per cent believe it will bring cost advantages.

Sumir Karayi, chief executive of 1E, said: 'Green IT initiatives can actually save organisations money - this should be the key driver, above and beyond reputation.'

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