New research released today reveals that sustainability is moving up the agenda for businesses across the UK, with over half of SMEs stating that they would like more information on what they can do to be more sustainable.
New SME research data has found that while SMEs are taking steps to improve their sustainability, Government support is falling short. Nearly two-thirds of SMEs believe that the Government is not doing enough to encourage and incentivise businesses to adopt more sustainable policies.
When it comes to what they’d like to see more of, SME business owners and decision-makers are split – with around half looking for more investment in infrastructure such as charging points, and a similar amount interested in receiving additional advice on how legislation may be changing in terms of sustainability requirements.
Encouragingly, the research also shows that SMEs have welcomed recent regulation in this area. Nearly half of London SMEs believe that the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) introduced in April 2019 has improved the sustainability of their operations, with only 16% stating that it’s had a negative impact. Businesses outside of London are also positive when it comes to regulation, with 69% of UK SMEs stating that the Clean Air Zones due to be rolled out in cities across the UK will have either an unnoticeable or positive impact on their operations.
Rosie Bailey, Director of Business Development at CitySprint who commissioned the research, commented on the findings: “As a leader in the final-mile delivery space we have long understood our responsibility to reduce the impact of our operations on the planet, so it’s encouraging to see the increasing importance of sustainability to the UK’s SME businesses, with concrete plans being made to incorporate more sustainable operations into their growth.”
She continued: “Despite positive steps, our annual survey continues to find that government support in this area is lacking. We’d encourage SME owners to look closely at their supply chain to see where they can make easy wins with their sustainability offer, and consider forming partnerships with other businesses, that have areas of shared interest in order to share best practice and work towards a common goal.”
