More than a quarter of businesses still have not put in place a carbon strategy for their estate portfolio, according to Mace’s latest Carbon Survey report.
The report, which polled more than 1,500 senior business leaders from across the UK and the US, found 28% of respondents had not yet devised such a strategy, which was a slight improvement on last year’s figure.
The report also found that 25% of respondents had prioritised carbon reduction over profit in a business decision made in the last 12 months and highlighted the importance of carbon reduction to job seekers, with more than half (56%) of respondents stating they take into account a businesses’ sustainability efforts when making employment decisions.
When merged with Mace’s additional global survey data, the poll of business leaders undertaken by YouGov found 90% of respondents believe that the property and infrastructure industry has progressed its carbon reduction efforts in the past year, with 89% of respondents confident that their organisation is on track to achieve reduction targets.
Some 60% of those surveyed said they had set tougher environmental targets in the past year or had accelerated efforts to meet their existing targets.
Mark Holmes, deputy chairman of Mace, said: “The property and infrastructure industry is at the forefront of a world which is growing fast. We are responsible for delivering the foundations that global societies will need for the future. As we work toward building a better tomorrow, our sector needs to ensure it is always working in a responsible, sustainable way.
“This year’s findings paint a compelling picture of improvement right across the world with the US in particular demonstrating significant leaps forward. However, it is clear that far more needs to be done and business leaders are keen to see our industry stepping up with solutions. The carbon challenge is not an opportunity to compete and those in a position of influence and global reach, such as Mace, must do more to bring the entire industry on the journey with us.’’
