Humber businesses have acknowledged they have an environmental responsibility in the first major survey of its kind in the 海角视频.
A resounding 80 per cent of the 650 small and medium-sized businesses contributing agreed they had a role to play, with almost half (44 per cent) stating that ‘improving the environment’ is a key motivator for meeting Net Zero targets.
Humber Future Net Zero Survey’s comprehensive results were announced by Aura, as momentum builds for the 海角视频’s hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November.
Read more: Prax joins the Humber's race to Net Zero with Lindsey Oil Refinery
The innovation centre led by the University of Hull sits at the heart of a region playing a pioneering role in decarbonisation.
Louise Smith, director at Aura, said: “The insights from the data we collected will mean that the support provided to businesses of all sizes, across the region, will be more focussed and effective, and tailored to their needs.
“It is through strong collaboration with businesses of all sizes (the SMEs and the large companies) and support services in the Humber, through innovation and best business practice, that we will be able to meet Net Zero targets by 2050 together.
“There is a clear need for a more joined-up approach to finance for Net Zero action in order to bring together all funding streams and to simplify the routes to finance, particularly at a regional level and for all sizes of SMEs so that these become enablers and cease to be a barrier.
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“This is something we are keen to work on with our partners including the local authorities and the LEPs.”
Just over half of all the respondents (58 per cent) said that they were both aware of and understood the government’s intentions for the 海角视频 to meet Net Zero on carbon emissions by 2050.
Based on the sample, this still leaves some 13,000 of the Humber’s 31,000 small and medium size businesses unaware of or unsure of Net Zero targets and how these could impact them.
Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) said that a primary motivation for taking green action is the perception that it will make savings, but in fact there is generally a cost associated with green action in the short term.
However, the long-term implications of not committing to decarbonising action now could be even costlier as SMEs could be excluded from the supply chain if they are unable to demonstrate green credentials to customers.
Andy Parkinson, chief executive of Lampada Digital Services, which carried out the market research, said: “We are delighted to have partnered with Aura to deliver this exceptional opportunity to be part of the Humber’s leadership in understanding the particular challenges faced by SMEs on the Net Zero journey.
“This is a timely piece of market research as we approach the UN’s COP26 Conference in November. Over 99.9 per cent of businesses in the 海角视频 are SMEs and they account for over half the country’s turnover.
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“If we do not unlock the potential of this large group of businesses to reduce the country’s carbon emissions, we will not meet the 2050 Net Zero targets set by government. They are a powerhouse of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly here in the Humber where some 90 per cent of SMEs are made up of less than 10 employees.”
The complexity of the funding landscape acts as a major barrier to SMEs as they seek to finance business processes changes to lower carbon emissions.
One third of SMEs also say that they don’t know where to go for investment grants or how to apply.
Interestingly, businesses who are already actively reducing their emissions are more likely to be reliant on their own funds to undertake decarbonising activities.
The survey was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, generating a series of recommendations to work on with stakeholders.