Benvironmental life becomes a key element of the image for companies, allowing them to exist in the awareness of contractors and customers. And that could translate into financial results.
Customers are increasingly keen to choose products that are created in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The importance of the type of energy used for their production is increasingly important. The Cone Communications survey conducted before the pandemic revealed that as many as 87 percent of the Americans surveyed would buy the product of a company that cares about ecology and social affairs (CSR). The same percentage of respondents would be positive for the company's brand.
The ESG, i.e. environmental, social responsibility and so-called corporate governance, is also important for workers. 84 percent of Poles pay attention to the ecological activities of the companies in which they are employed - according to the “Ecobarometer”, a study conducted in September 2023 by SW Research commissioned by Nuvalu Polska. In the ARC Market and Opinions survey published in early January 2023, as well as the:protocol, as many as 61 percent of IT industry employees considered that the environmental impact of the technology they are working on would affect their image.
Brand Trust
One important element of the assessment of how much people and companies are organic is the carbon footprint - carbon dioxide emissions per person, product or enterprise.
In a time of progressive climate change, its reduction is one of the most important measures to combat global warming.
More and more companies use information about the carbon footprint generated by their products or brands. This is motivated not only by the ecological attitude, but also by the awareness of the market advantage of the environmentally friendly image. Especially in sectors where the competitive price is small - a low carbon footprint becomes an advantage there. It is also important throughout the production chain. The ability to show that sub-suppliers or sub-contractors, who act with an environment in mind and can demonstrate this, are essential for effective marketing. It translates into building trust in the brand.
Our carbon footprint largely depends on what energy we use: whether it is produced from high-carbon fossil fuels or from renewable energy sources. Thus, the EU's energy transformation, through various incentives (e.g. the need to buy out expensive certificates) forces a gradual transition from coal and gas to energy from the sun and wind.
There is no more effective way to reduce the carbon footprint than to switch to renewable energy. Technology can be improved, but in the end, the most important thing will always be the energy we use. - says Zbigniew Kinal, renewable energy expert from OZEOS.
Excursion is a necessity
The green image is also becoming increasingly important due to the legal changes introduced by the EU CSRD Directive of January 2023. It imposes an obligation on all large companies and those smaller but listed on capital markets to include social and environmental activities in their reports (ESG). The changes will be introduced gradually between 2024 and 2028 and will cover around 50,000 companies throughout the European Union, including around 4-5 thousand Polish companies. A wave effect can be expected here - in order to meet the requirements of the Directive they will have to put pressure on their partners and suppliers. Individual countries will also introduce sanctions for non-compliance.
"The companies that have changed their approach to conducting business in advance to a sustainable development strategy and have prepared for this issue fairly - they automatically play the role of a credible leader in the area of ESG in Poland. It is these companies that will be able to meet the increasingly restrictive requirements of European companies and will remain in the supply chains, ahead of competition, which does not meet these conditions, for example in bids or tenders" - they write about the consequences of introducing the Climate Strategies Poland analysts directive.
Today, greening becomes a key element of the image for companies, allowing them to exist in the awareness of contractors and customers. And that translates into profit or loss.