Going Green Has Lost Its Bloom
By Canadian Packaging Staff
Sustainability Fabrication Sustainability Survey
In the just released 2010 Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability Study surveying both American consumers and Fortune 1000 executives on corporate efforts to improve the health of the environment via sustainability practices, products and or services–sustainability isn’t very sustainable.
The on-line survey shows that only 16 per cent of consumers and 29 per cent of corporate executives believe that a majority of U.S. businesses are committed to sustainability.
The study notes that financial inefficiency, market reluctance and unclear measurement are factors blocking true corporate sustainability. Money was indeed a chief culprit, as 78 per cent of the executives survey cited an insufficient rate of return, while 71 per cent of consumers would balk at paying more for green products or services.
A third key finding of the study showed that while 69 per cent of the companies surveyed did have people responsible for sustainability, it was found that instead of hiring a full-time sustainability person, most companies have instead added extra duties to a team of employees (35 per cent). Only about one in 10 executive said their company had a senior level position dedicated solely to sustainability, while 31 per cent said there is no one person or team responsible for green initiatives.
The study queried 304 Fortune 1000 executives and 2,605 U.S. adults.
Gibbs & Soell, founded in 1971, is the eighth-largest independent public relations firm in the U.S. To download a copy of the report, visit www.gibbs-soell.com.
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