Just 7% of the British public believes claims made by companies that they are taking tough action to reduce carbon emissions
Just 7% of the British public believes claims made by companies that they are taking tough action to reduce carbon emissions, according to new research published by the government agency charged with accelerating the UK's move to a low-carbon economy.
The research also reveals that two-thirds of people question the authenticity of the promises, with 90% wanting firms to commit to the average 3% per year emissions cut required for the UK to meet climate change targets for 2050.
The survey was commissioned by the Carbon Trust and supported by global brand analysis firm BrandZ. The results are published to coincide with the start of the UK's first ever national Climate Week backed by the prime minister, David Cameron, and leading figures on climate change such as former US vice-president Al Gore, Nobel peace prize laureate Kofi Annan and Lord Nicholas Stern. Celebrity supporters include Sir Paul McCartney, Michael Palin, Mark Ronson, Lily Cole and Sienna Miller and the main corporate sponsor is supermarket giant Tesco.
The poll suggests that the issue is increasing in importance. Some 56% of those polled say they are more concerned than they were five years ago about actions taken by business to reduce their impact. And 70% said they thought that businesses should be forced to disclose their carbon emissions.
Harry Morrison, general manager of the Carbon Trust Standard, which certifies organisations for real carbon reduction and commitment to ongoing reductions, said: "It's clear that 'greenwashing'; over-claiming; and excessive jargon has created mistrust of brands. The good news is that by taking voluntary action now to measure, manage and reduce their impacts, there are huge opportunities for brands to stand out from the crowd."
The research shows that the majority of consumers (60%) need third-party evidence of action from a respected climate change body before believing corporate claims. The first place the public searches for evidence of corporate climate change claims is not company websites, but search engines. Only 7% believe the word of companies on their climate change responsibilities and actions to reduce their impacts. Two-thirds (66%) question whether companies are genuinely cutting carbon emissions. They say their greatest concern around company claims is that firms simply make one-off improvements to win publicity and then just return to business as usual (53%).
Ed Gillespie, co-founder of Futerra Sustainability Communications, said: "Companies have a huge opportunity to gain genuine consumer trust when they move beyond simple green house-keeping and incremental percentage shifts in their carbon emissions into genuine innovation of new low-carbon products and services ... The real pioneers in business are developing new solutions and changing what they do, not just how they do it. That's where the future commercial opportunities lie and if you're not heading in that direction you're corporate toast."
The research was conducted on behalf of the Carbon Trust Standard Company by Vanson Bourne during February and March 2011, involving interviews throughout the UK with 1,000 adults.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/21/uk-public-corporate-carbon-claims
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