Green business owners have dismissed a survey claiming that entrepreneurs want more government incentives to go green.
Research commissioned by the Tenon forum, an independent think tank of UK entrepreneurs, found that 48% of owner-managers think the government isn’t doing enough to ensure businesses implement environmentally friendly policies.
However, green business owners have hit back, claiming that entrepreneurs should not rely on government incentives to take steps to create a more ethical company.
Paul Allen is the author of Your Ethical Business, a book offering advice to start-ups on the steps they can take to become more socially responsible.
“Do we really need government to give us an incentive when the incentives should already be there?” Allen told startups.co.uk. “One is the much wider picture of climate change and the other is the huge move towards ethical consumerism.
“People increasingly want to do business with companies that take their environmental impact and their carbon footprint very seriously.”
Dale Vince is the managing director of green energy supplier Ecotricity. He believes it is ‘rather lame’ for firms to claim they need more government help:
“It makes you wonder, where’s the creative and dynamic flair that creates new opportunities and value? I think it’s probably that, for a lot of these guys, the environment is low down on their list of priorities, and blaming government is just a cover story for inadequacy.”
Chris Ashton runs Oxton Cotton, a company supplying fair trade homewares. He thinks that accountability lies with the companies and the consumers:
“It is the responsibility of businesses to ensure that they lead the way and implement ethical practices and the responsibility of the consumer to ensure that they only purchase from such organizations.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
