One of the many ideas coming out of the Champions Awards 2023 has been to shorten and localise supply lines – itself part of the idea of making business more ‘sustainable’: What is ‘sustainability’ – and how can we help the environment? – Sustainable Sidmouth Champion Awards
The latest research suggests this is indeed a canny business decision to take:
UK Small Businesses Drive Change in the Sustainability of Supply Chains
New research shows that UK small businesses are driving ahead with a green agenda and many have already taken steps to be the catalyst for change in the broader supply chain.
The research revealed that more than 8 in 10 small business leaders (82%) now treat sustainability as a priority in the supply chain, driving change with those enterprises they deal with as suppliers or customers.
- 26% of small businesses were particularly interested in the sustainability of materials and said they were moving away from buying non-recyclable or single-use materials with climate negative production processes.
- 22% of respondents now expect businesses they deal with to follow similar standards on carbon neutrality.
- 17% of businesses now assess the green credentials of firms before they decide to business with them. In addition, 15% of respondents said they now insist that their suppliers improve their carbon standards in order to continue doing business with them.
- In addition to setting their own standards for their supply chain, a number of small businesses have had to react to the demands of others. Almost one in five enterprises (18%) acknowledged they had changed their own practices to meet the environmental demands of their customers and suppliers.
Small businesses driving the agenda of green action within their enterprise
Sustainability matters more to small businesses than it did a year ago – with 89% saying carbon reduction is important to them. This year, small businesses have been setting out to review energy usage, considering renewable alternatives (26%), looking to have a positive social impact on their immediate community (22%), and switching to greener forms of transport (20%). In addition, many enterprises have actively contributed to local green initiatives – such as litter picking and community green energy projects (18%).
UK Small Businesses Drive Change in the Sustainability of Supply Chains