October 8, 2007—Waste reduction is the most important environmental issue facing manufacturing businesses today, according to an international study on sustainability and environmental trends conducted by Harris Interactive for Dow Corning Corporation.
Eight out of ten managers and professionals in the USA, Brazil, Italy, and Germany rank waste reduction as a higher priority than other environmental factors such as increasing energy efficiency or developing environmentally friendly products, according to the report.
But the study of more than 1,000 people across seven countries also reveals how attitudes about sustainability vary across the world. Managers in China, Korea, and India, for example, consider the development of green products as a more important driver than CO2 emissions, use of clean/renewable energy sources, or waste reduction.
Other key findings of the research show that:
- Globally, customers are seen as the most important and the media as the least important influences on sustainability and environmental decisions. However, there are marked differences between countries. In Korea, four out of ten managers rank the government as the number one influence as compared to 12% in Germany and 14% in USA.
- Environmental and sustainability programs have a strong influence on whether a company will be considered as a potential supplier. On average, eight out of ten companies globally say that environmental/sustainability factors are taken into account when they select suppliers. In India, one in two managers considers environment/sustainability factors of critical importance–a significantly higher level than their counterparts in China (26%).
- Company reputation is not seen as the main factor driving a company’s decision making around environmental activities. In all countries surveyed (except Korea), the health and safety of employees, customers, and suppliers were rated as the most important influence. Managers in Korea viewed the long- term sustainability of their business as the most important factor.
- Companies in the Americas are more likely to have a dedicated team responsible for sustainability decision-making than companies in Asia or Europe.
For more detailed findings of the survey, visit “International Survey Highlights Business Attitudes Towards Sustainability” on Dow’s Web site.
