Tuesday 14 July 2020

More than two-thirds of corporate leaders are ‘more conscious of environment since lockdown’

More than two-thirds of corporate leaders and senior business stakeholders say they are now more conscious of their environmental impacts since the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

That's according to new research released by Haven Power and Opus Energy, who sell energy to business customers - the study found 66% of bosses in large corporate firms acknowledged leadership and decisionmaking requires a greater degree of bravery since the pandemic.

While the findings illustrate 59% say the pandemic has increased the importance of sustainability, many admitted the need to stabilise economically and protect the business has prevented them from "making bigger leaps in the sustainability agenda".

The research shows 75% of respondents said they now feel they need to run their businesses differently than before, with 60% looking to offer the option of working from home among other flexible working initiatives,

Paul Sheffield, Managing Director of Drax’s Customer’s Businesses, said: “Dealing with COVID-19 and the climate emergency is the greatest challenge the world has possibly ever faced.

"Business leaders recognise they need to be braver and more agile in their decision making to manage short-term priorities of stabilising their businesses and protecting employees. But they also realise that as we navigate out of lockdown, it’s more important than ever to make sure sustainability is at the heart of their operations."