Green message blooms all the way to grass roots
Cutting the size of carbon footprints has become a key objective in both the public and private sector, writes Roland Gribben
Green is the colour dominating the business agenda, whether it comes under the heading of climate change, global warming or purchasing. Companies are under pressure to cut energy consumption, produce more environmentally friendly products and change business practices. In short, "go green".
It is no simple matter. Take packaging. The calls for supermarkets to replace plastic bags with something that can be recycled produced a heated debate over cost and incentives, and widened to cover the whole packaging dimension. Business is being told that the issue of the environment is closely intertwined with its corporate social responsibility programmes whether it involves packaging or some bold initiative that has broader long-term benefits.
The Government has its own environmental targets. The object is to make the central government office estate – Whitehall and its environs – carbon neutral and reduce office-based carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. The latest audit on progress, however, points to shortcomings.
The Sustainable Development Commission, the body charged with monitoring progress, says Whitehall must try harder if it is to meet the targets. David Milliband, the Environment Secretary, has called in top civil servant, Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, to take personal charge to get the programme back on course. The whole issue in shorthand terms has become wound up with the "carbon footprint". The oversimplified description is based on a conventional corporate approach – assessing the total "damage" caused by a business in terms of emissions and then implementing programmes to reduce the footprint.
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