Interesting report on the manufacturing sector published by EEF and Envirowise last summer, but being publicised now. Some notable conclusions:

– 90% of respondents were doing something to improve their environmental performance;
– waste and energy are the key issues;
– key drivers are legislation and EMS requirements, rather than competitive advantage;
– preferred method of waste reduction is recycling (80% of respondents) rather than minimisation (18% of respondents);
– 70% of respondents felt Government should provide them more funds to tackle these problems.

Despite the fact that 90% of respondents were acting, the rest of this is rather disappointing. The respondents saw the green agenda as one to react to rather than get proactive on. The lack of interest in minimising waste reflects a lack of awareness of cost saving opportunities, and the expectation that this is the taxpayer’s problem to sort out shows a lack of ownership.

The proactive business should acknowledge their environmental impacts and tackle them head-on to improve competitive advantage through reduced costs, better PR and happier staff (see 10 Reasons… for more on this). Looks like we still have a long way to go before a proactive attitude is prevalent.