A new report from leading corporate sustainability consultant, SaveMoneyCutCarbon, has unveiled that whilst half of the nation prioritise sustainability in their homes, they ignore their environmental responsibilities in the office. Finding that over half of employees are provided with zero information on how to be green at work, the report revealed that UK workers are increasingly finding it difficult to practice sustainability with no financial stake or responsibility in the matter. Unveiling that one in seven (14%) businesses said the survival of their company is entirely contingent on government support, the urgency to improve employee behaviours within the office to lower energy bills is becoming crucial. To this end, firms are beginning to embrace a comprehensive approach to carbon emissions measurement by incorporating carbon literacy assessments into their sustainability strategies. Launching at a crucial time, SaveMoneyCutCarbon offers its industry first 12 month programme – EcoWise – providing support for businesses and employees alike to reach net zero goals.
SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s study further highlights the current pitfalls and missed opportunities for companies to increase engagement as only 18% say that sustainability is now central to training processes at their place of work. This comes as Deloitte’s recent survey found that a staggering 60% of respondents reported that they would be willing to pay more for sustainable products and services at work. EcoWise offers a year long course for employees and business owners to lower their carbon output at work and home. Consisting of carbon literacy assessments and educational articles, explicitly informing how staff can go about inciting change in their behaviour to be more sustainable, users can gain rewards, or Planet Points for them to spend in SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s Home Shop, at their leisure. Companies can then see quantifiable data on the progress of companies' ESG strategies so they can see their progress in real time. EcoWise provides the tools and technologies to make these changes unlike any other platform – from eco friendly daily consumable swaps to a full home retrofit. Set to launch in app stores in June, the application offers customer support and financing to remove all existing barriers to net zero. With the odds stacked against companies surviving this period and a report from The Times analyst team suggesting that we as a nation are off track to reach international net zero targets, SaveMoneyCutCarbon’s carbon literacy programme launches at a crucial time to support the millions of businesses that are hanging on by a thread. The proprietary research from SaveMoneyCutCarbon unveiled that one in seven (14%) employees are now taking matters into their own hands as they feel their co-workers and managers do not address the wider issue. From switching jobs, declining offers and avoiding applications, it seems that if today’s modern workforce is not on board with a business’s ESG framework, then our journey to reaching net zero is significantly at risk. To this end, the newly launched EcoWise programme offers a scalable solution for large companies and start ups to implement tangible results in reducing the carbon footprint of an organisation and the staff it employs.
Corporate sustainability expert, Mark Sait, CEO and founder of the service, reveals results in the sustainability programmes have already helped businesses save 32 million kilowatt hours of energy, 772 million litres of water and 24 million tonnes of carbon reduction for over 1000 projects to businesses across the UK. Mark Sait said, ‘Given the cost of living crisis and the escalating climate emergency, when funding stands still, it goes backwards. With schemes popping up and expiring in the last decade, it is hard to get a measure of the total value of grants offered over time. In all cases, these schemes are usually time bound and subject to whims or changing administrations. They can only ever be part of the solution. ‘It is crucial for employers to understand the generations who are increasingly turning away from roles who do not prioritise ESG goals, but further to continue to drive progress on the challenges that matter most to them. This will not only help boost productivity and retain talent – it will ultimately build trust and value for business in society more broadly. ‘Our young generation of workers are looking for employers that can help empower them to make a difference. Organisations that actively listen and help address their needs and concerns will improve business resiliency and implement actionable change in our world. ‘It is vital for UK businesses and homeowners to be aware of the funding options available to them. But it is a mistake to rely only on these schemes – and SaveMoneyCutCarbon demonstrates that saving money on your bills, and reducing carbon emissions, now go hand in hand. With our EcoWise programme businesses can help both attract and retain talent in line with these new reports – not only will it boost staff morale but contribute to our wider net zero goals.’