Companies share leadership on climate change

Ten of the UK’s top businesses are sharing their experience of taking action on climate change - to help other companies follow their lead.

Case studies from businesses, including Sky, IBM, Boots and Toyota, are featured in a new publication - ‘Business leadership towards a low carbon economy’ - produced by Business in the Community and sponsored by Barclays.

The best practice document investigates the key areas where business can take action on climate change, such as the innovation of new products, resource efficiency and the use of renewable energy.  The business benefits enjoyed by these companies, including improved brand value, increased employee engagement and reduced costs, are being shared with other companies to encourage them to take action as well.

The case studies are supported by six years of climate change data from Business in the Community’s leading benchmark, the Environment Index, and opinion pieces from key business and environmental groups including the FTSE Group, the CBI and Friends of the Earth.

Jim Haywood, Director of Business in the Environment (the environmental campaign of Business in the Community), said:

“Without doubt, climate change is now regarded as a strategically important business issue.  This was shown by the 1,000 business leaders that gathered together at the recent Prince of Wales’s May Day Business Summit on Climate Change. We hope that the principles and practices highlighted in this publication help to show how environmental stewardship and long-term thinking on climate change is not only good for the planet, but is also fundamentally good business.”

'Business leadership towards a low carbon economy' also features the Environment Index 2006 CD, sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust, which contains a detailed report on the results of Business in the Community’s Environment Index 2006.