What's interesting is that now energy production is no longer the preserve of the big energy companies. With the
development of the feed-in-tariffs suddenly we all have the potential to generate our own energy (whether it is solar, wind, biomass or even anaerobic digestion), not only reducing our company's carbon footprint but also potentially making sustainability pay by selling the excess back to the grid (in the
first two months the feed-in tariff has paid out over £180,000).
And while we're on the subject of carbon reduction, with many of you no doubt ploughing through the complicated process of
Carbon Reduction Commitment submissions (to meet the 30th September deadline), remember
we're always available to provide that extra pair of hands or perspective to ease the pain and avoid the fines (something we're already doing with a number of our clients). Drop us a line if you want to find out more.
Clearly there is a need for the right frameworks to stimulate innovation, but generating energy (certainly in the travel industry) in innovative ways doesn't have to wait for the government policy and regulation. In
Scotland scientists searching for alternatives to oil have found a method for
producing biofuel from whiskey, which actually
produces 30% more power than traditional bio-ethanol. Now that's one for the road. Hydrogen fuelled cars from Leicester might also be another game changing innovation - check out my
latest blog to find out more.
Whiskey for cars. Well then, why not algae for planes? That is certainly what Richard Branson is hoping for.
Earlier this month he joined Unilever in helping raise
$60m for a company called Solazyme, that aims to use algae to produce an alternative to jet fuel (amongst other things).
These are the sorts of solutions which we're going to need. They're creative and inspiring and they act to tackle the root cause of the problem. Much better than simply hoping consumers will offset the carbon from their flights once it's been created for all sorts of reasons, not least the fact that consumers aren't playing game. According to a
recent study, from the Civil Aviation Authority only
7% of flyers are funding green energy projects to offset the carbon emitted on their flights - choice not ignorance as over half (54%) of those questioned knew what the practice meant.
Dealing with the root cause of issues is certainly something that the banking sector needs to do to rebuild public trust, so badly damaged by the recent financial crisis. And one might think that selling its products to consumers in a responsible and transparent way might be the place to start. Its therefore rather disappointing to find that in the first six months of this year there were
a record number (over 80,000 in the first six months) of new complaints about financial providers (and the State-owned Lloyds Banking Group topping the list). Payment protection insurance seems to be the main culprit, and allegations of the mis-selling of this product have been around for a while. If the sector is serious about rebuilding its reputation it needs to get back to basics and focus on the most fundamental corporate responsibility, serving its customers.
As we always say, responsible business is all about how you do business. It's by running a business in the right way that you contribute to society, not by doing some 'giving back' on the sides. Of course that's not to say that charities aren't hugely worthy of cash - from individuals and businesses (who've got the basics right). So it is good to see that despite the recession
73% of us are still donating to charity, and that the UK has reached 8th place in the world rankings, according to a
recent survey of 195,000 people in 153 nations. Clearly still a bit more to do to catch the Aussies and Kiwis at the top of the table though.
With budget cuts imminent it will be interesting to see how the next few months pan out. Let's hope we don't lose the consumer confidence we have seen emerging or the growing corporate commitment to sustainability.
Our next Concerned Consumer Index focus will look at the electronics sector. Will Apple's shine be tarnished by its refusal to join
O2's phone eco-rating scheme or will
Sony's latest crowd sourcing initiative make consumers think differently. Look out for next month's CCI to find out. If you would like to see more data from our most recent surveys on the car, energy or mobile phone sectors, or want to find out how to add your own questions to the next one, please email David on david@goodbusiness.co.uk.
Until the next time.
Best wishes,
