Two-thirds of SMEs fear they lack skills to tackle climate crisis

24th February 2022


Two-thirds of small business owners in the UK are worried that they don’t have the right skills and knowledge to tackle the climate crisis, a recent survey has found.

The poll of almost 200 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) found that 63% are delaying climate action due to a lack of skills and knowledge, while funding and time constraints are also challenges for 48% and 40%, respectively.

Approximately 70% said that they need access to external funds to reduce their emissions faster or at all, but only 33% have been offered a financial incentive to make cuts.

The survey also found that 80% consider reducing emissions “a high priority,” with 82% making efforts to reduce energy consumption and waste, 64% running employee education initiatives, and 52% upgrading facilities and equipment.

However, only 60% of firms in this category have a long-term emission reduction plan in place, highlighting the importance of short-term actions and the need for increased planning.

SMEs account for around 90% of business worldwide and affect the livelihoods of over two billion people.

“Taken on an individual scale, each small business has a relatively moderate carbon footprint,” said María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, a founding partner of the SME Climate Hub, which carried out the survey.

“However, together, these small businesses have a huge impact – both on the planet and on their communities.

“To limit the effects of climate change, and to create a just future that leaves no one behind, it’s imperative that every business, of every size, has the tools they need to prioritise climate action.”

Enhancing reputation, differentiating themselves from competitors, and meeting customer expectations are among the main reasons for taking climate action, cited by 73%, 61% and 42% of survey respondents, respectively.

However, at 96%, SMEs overwhelmingly said that “the right thing to do” is the key motivation for taking climate action.

IEMA has a huge range of learning and development options for businesses looking to tackle the climate crisis and upskill workers, and last year called on the government to deliver a national Green Skills and Jobs Strategy.

Director of Policy & External Affairs, Martin Baxter, said: “Achieving a net-zero future and hitting our long-term environmental goals will require all jobs to be done in a greener way. We also need to equip tomorrow’s workforce with the skills and capability to play their part.

“For our own part, we will ensure that IEMA and the environment and sustainability profession makes a full contribution, including through the establishment of a sustainability careers hub.”

Image credit: iStock

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

Taking the lead

To make real change on sustainability, it’s time to redefine leadership models, writes Chris Seekings

1st February 2024

Read more

Caris Graham (she/her) is Diverse Sustainability Initiative officer at IEMA

1st February 2024

Read more

Lisa Pool reflects on the highlights of the past year and what they mean for the future

1st February 2024

Read more

The percentage of women working in the built environment sector rose significantly last year although people from ethnic minorities find it up to six times harder to be recruited, according to a major survey.

17th January 2024

Read more

IEMA’s CEO and deputy CEO, Sarah Mukherjee MBE and Martin Baxter, respectively, called for greater support for green skills at several events today on Youth, Children, Education and Skills Day at COP28.

8th December 2023

Read more

A look at the latest edition of Stephen Asbury’s IEMA-endorsed book, Health and Safety, Environment and Quality Audits, and the CPD opportunities it presents

28th November 2023

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close