Saving energy and materials is part of everyday life for German companies. But that alone is not enough for the green transformation. Thus far, only a few companies have a specific plan for how they will successfully “go green”.
The pressure on companies is growing.
In the future, their business models not only have to be profitable, they must also be environmentally friendly and socially acceptable. The individual ecological goals companies are already pursuing will not be sufficient for this.
For example, six out of seven companies are working on a CO2-neutral energy supply. More than half recycle materials they use, and the transparency of environmental metrics and reduction of water use are also important to many.
However, the current Staufen study “Companies in Transformation” indicates that 25% of the companies surveyed have yet to define any green goals. 17% lack consistent implementation despite having a strategy in place.
This is an alarming result, for without the necessary change, no company can survive even in the medium term.
Doubt about the profitability of climate-neutral investments.
A transformation can only succeed with a decarbonization of the value chain. This requires climate-neutral investments, such as production processes with green hydrogen. At many organizations, however, such investments are regarded as less than economical. Thus, on the one hand, they are no longer investing in existing technologies; on the other hand, they are not tackling change consistently, as many figures from the study indicate.
Only 19% of the companies surveyed feel they are green pioneers.
Three quarters describe their companies as “green followers”. In other words, they are organizations that wait to see what framework conditions are set by policymakers before redefining the scope of their business models and then simply copying the green pioneers.
This is a dangerous play for time, for later on, anyone who does not engage completely with change can only keep up with the speed of the green transformation with difficulty – or perhaps not at all.
Note: The study “Companies in Transformation” can be downloaded free of charge.
Author
Wilhelm Goschy
CEO
Staufen AG
Source: first published on Creditreform
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