56% of people in the UK say they are less likely to buy goods or services from organisations with a weak sustainability record, new survey shows.
Conducted by professional services company GHD, this figure rises to 73% among those with a higher annual household income (£96,000 or more).
Tim Mawhood, Executive Director at GHD, commented on the findings: “The results of our recent survey show that companies that fail to act responsibly will risk becoming obsolete in tomorrow’s economy if they don’t start transitioning to circular economic models today.
“With over half of the UK less likely to buy goods or services from organisations with a weak sustainability record, it’s critical that businesses look at their balance sheets and prioritise investments that protect the environment and benefit society.
“When evaluating where to make changes, companies need to look at the full spectrum of their operations, as new partnerships and innovative collaborations must happen now across the entire supply and value chain to inform future net zero strategies.”
64% of the survey respondents stated that green issues will be important when choosing organisations to buy from following the pandemic, with 14% identifying them as their highest priority.
In addition, 22% of workers say that an employer’s environmental credentials will be very or extremely influential when deciding whether to accept a job, with a further 29% saying they will be somewhat influential.
19% would even be likely to change employer on the grounds that one has better environmental credentials than the other.
The international survey was conducted by GHD among over 8000 consumers in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore as part of GHD’s new whitepaper. In the UK, 1,004 consumers were surveyed.
The ‘The World of Energy Post-COVID’-whitepaper can be found from the GHD website.
