Business leaders: Germany greener than UK
British business leaders think of Germany as ahead of the UK in terms of green economic growth, according to a new study. Of the 700 bosses questioned by the Carbon Trust, only one out of eight thought that the UK is ready to take advantage of the £3.2 trillion market for low carbon goods and services.
In fact, business leaders in the UK ranked age-old enemies Germany as the most likely country to take advantage of green initiatives, putting Britain on a level pegging with Japan, China and the US. Only a third of the respondents said they were investing in sustainable products and services, despite 92 per cent thinking their businesses could benefit from them.
The green economy, which is said to be worth a massive £112 billion in the UK alone, was thought to be benefitted most by solid strategies and strong leadership, according to those interviewed. A third of business leaders were however wary about the risks on investing in such ventures.
Only 31 per cent said they thought investing in sustainable technologies would increase their profits while 75 per cent said they would probably only gain themselves a better reputation by installing such methods.
Despite the perceived risks, however, many companies in the UK are already taking the initiative to invest in green services and goods. RLtec, for example, has developed an electricity saving device that allows appliances to respond much more quickly after being turned off for a long amount of time.
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