Environmentalism yet to be taken seriously in many companies

A study of FTSE 500 companies has found a huge disparity in the scope and effectiveness of environmental programmes currently in place.

'How Green is UK plc?', a new report from ICL, does reveal consistency on one point, however: 95% of companies regard legislation as the most common factor in influencing the decision to take action.

Current activities are generally limited to recycling paper and monitoring energy consumption, with little evidence of a broader strategic approach. This could change soon, though. Two-thirds of these large companies believe their customers are interested in their environmental performance and, ICL notes, new EU Directives and green legislation are on the horizon.

Most companies report regularly, in one form or another, on environmental issues, and the majority believe their policies have saved them money - though only about a quarter could quantify how much.

Overall, the report concludes, current environmental activities are not nearly broad enough, policies even a few years old may already be out of date and IT systems are being neglected as a basis for planning and tracking green initiatives. Unless steps are taken towards continued improvements prior to forthcoming legislation, the cost of meeting new requirements may be uncomfortably high, ICL warns.

Elliott Chase