by Rebecca Walker — August 13, 2010—The 2010 Gibbs & Soell Sense & Sustainability Study surveyed U.S. consumers and Fortune 1000 executives on their views of corporate efforts to improve the health of the environment through sustainable practices, products, or services.
The study was conducted online in July 2010 by Harris Interactive among 2,605 U.S. adults and 304 Fortune 1000 executives on behalf of Gibbs & Soell, a global independent public relations firm with communications expertise in advanced manufacturing, energy, greentech, and sustainable industries.
The survey found that only 29% of executives and 16% of consumers believe that a majority of businesses (“most,” “almost all,” or “all”) are committed to “going green” — defined as “improving the health of the environment by implementing more sustainable business practices, and/or offering environmentally-friendly products or services.” Many executives (54%) and consumers (48%) believe only “some” businesses are committed to “going green.”
Financial inefficiency, market reluctance and unclear measurement are impeding the path to corporate sustainability, the survey found. Executives cite insufficient return on investment (78%), consumers’ unwillingness to pay a premium for green products or services (71%), and difficulty in evaluating sustainability across a product life cycle (45%) as the top barriers to more businesses “going green.”
Shared duties reflect the nascent stage at which many businesses are organizing their human capital around a sustainability strategy. While more than two-thirds of executives (69%) indicated their companies have people responsible for sustainability or “going green” initiatives, most have merely added responsibilities for green efforts to the primary duties of a team of individuals (35%), or a C-suite or another senior level position (15%).
Only about one in 10 say they have a C-suite or other senior level title/position dedicated solely to sustainability (12%), while 31% noted there is no one at their organization who is primarily or partially responsible for green initiatives.
For more information, see the Gibbs & Soell Web site.
