Survey and Research Data

Sustainable Development – University Students’ Viewpoints

In 2006, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the United Kingdom surveyed 54,240 people who were applying for higher education. The objective was to research the opinions of potential future leaders about the challenges of sustainable development.

• 91% believed that the effects of climate change would affect them personally, and anticipated by their early 40s to be living in a world that was undergoing environmental stress, with shortages, an increasing gap between rich and poor, and wars being fought over access to water;
• 85% thought that survival into the 22nd century was possible with changed lifestyles;
• 90% felt that governments should lead the necessary changes;
• 70% believed that individuals were the most effective agents for urgent change, and 47% believed that business was the appropriate vehicle for change. [19]

Sustainability Reporting –UK and Australian Disclosures

The UK’s Chartered Institute of Management Accountants surveyed corporate sustainability reporting in the UK and Australia. The external reports of 100 large companies from both countries were examined with performance-related disclosures being made by the following numbers of organisations:

1. Commitment to sustainability-related performance measurement or improvement: 65 Australia / 88 UK;
2. Quantified measures of performance (e.g. tonnes of carbon dioxide): 29 Australia / 77 UK;
3. Identification of specified targets: Australia / 59 UK;
4. Performance against these targets: 12 Australia / 43 UK;
5. Future performance targets: 15 Australia / 46 UK;
6. Acknowledgment of measures used within a management system: 23 Australia / 33 UK;
7. Identification of social and environmental performance issues that influence decision making or changes in processes: 15 Australia / 32 UK. [20]

Sustainable Business and Green Issues

Two 2007 surveys concerning sustainable development, carried out by First Conference Ltd. in the UK, reported that:

• 59% of 271 supply chain executives ranked green issues as important or very important to their companies’ strategies;
• 98% of the 188 procurement professionals believed green procurement will continue to expand, despite the fact that only 51% were willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly products;
• 55% of 188 procurement professionals indicated that green products or services represented less than 10% of their current sourcing. [21]

Sustainable Business Fosters Innovation

In a 2007 survey by Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction concerning sustainable business practices in the US, 84% of respondents at the CFO or CEO level indicated that they were very conscious of using green or sustainable practices when considering new facilities, and believed that green construction was important to their organisation’s best interests for economic reasons, market differentiation, and for competitive advantage. Rising energy costs were identified as a fundamental driver of green building activities. Government and internal management were also strong drivers of sustainable activities. Other findings included:

• 63% of CEOs recognised financial benefits from green building, and 67% recognised specific operating-cost benefits;
• 60% of CFOs recognised the market differentiation that sustainability activities and green building provided (more than half of other respondents also believed this was a benefit);
• 57% believed that sustainable methodologies fostered innovation within their organisations. [22]

 Sustainable Development and Business Opportunities

In 2007, the McKinsey Quarterly conducted a survey covering sustainable development by multi-national corporations (MNC) based in the United States. The following responses were received from 198 medium/large MNCs:

• 46% of the executives indicated that corporate citizenship and sustainability were a potential major source of business opportunities;
  
• 66% believed that corporate citizenship and sustainability issues were of growing importance for their business;
• 92% cited “enhancing corporate reputation and brand” as extremely important;
• The three greatest challenges currently facing corporate citizenship programmes were: measuring results (75%); coping with limited financial and staffing resources (58%); and aligning with business objectives (57%);
• The following top three activities were identified as the main focus of citizenship and sustainability initiatives: community and stakeholder involvement (64%); corporate giving to worthy causes (55%); and environmental sustainability/climate change (52%). [23]

Sustainable Business – Environmental Products Preferred

In a 2005 Steelcase Workplace Index Survey concerning U.S. sustainable business practices, more than half of the respondents believed that environmental and sustainability issues were a “high priority” for their organisations.

• 74% reported that their organisation “always” or “often” took steps to improve environmental standards, e.g. using less paper, recycling, and shutting off lights and other electrical devices when not in use;
• 54% said their company purchased recyclable or sustainable products and furniture;
• 77% under the age of 55 preferred employers to purchase environmental products, while 50% over the age of 55 preferred employers to purchase environmental products;
• 61% were more likely to buy an environmentally friendly product even if it cost more than another product;
• 95% would be more likely to buy a product with environmental attributes when the price remained the same. [24]

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