UK companies could save £300m simply by encouraging employees to adopt behaviours that reduce energy use and waste, according to research by the carbon trust.
A poll of 1,135 employees found that while 92 per cent are worried about the cost of energy at home, just 47 per cent apply those same concerns in the workplace, with Londoners and those in the public sector the most likely to take action.
Moreover, companies are doing little to help themselves - fewer than a quarter of employees have been asked to help save energy at work by their manager and just 13 per cent say they are rewarded for taking action to reduce consumption.
The report argues that by taking simple actions to reduce workplace energy consumption, travel, and waste employers can help deliver significant reductions in operational costs and carbon emissions.
Reducing the energy used for lighting by 10 per cent equates to UK-wide annual savings of £55m, as well as a reduction in carbon emissions 164,000 tonnes of CO2, the report calculates.
Moreover, the report claims the cumulative effects of turning down the thermostat by 1C, cutting waste sent to landfill, and reducing power use from microwaves, kettles, photocopiers and monitors, would reduce business costs by £123m and cut CO2 by just under 500,000 tonnes a year.
At Caplor we have found that care for the environment can go hand in hand with significant financial benefits. Interestingly globally many of the companies we know as house hold names are also really gripping this opportunity for efficient profitable business to benefit from environmental concern.