Is Polish business sustainable?
As many as 79% of Polish entrepreneurs are aware that in the coming years activities related to environmental protection will gain in importance. According to the EY study – Is Polish business sustainable? – the three biggest challenges in this area include the problem of plastic pollution (49%), smog (46%) and waste pollution (40%). At the same time, only 31% of respondents mention the issue of global warming and climate change, which indicates a significant disconnect between international challenges and local realities. This is confirmed by the actions taken by Polish companies. Most companies (91%) are involved in recycling, 83% in the use of energy-efficient solutions, and 80% in reducing waste. Only 60% declare actions aimed at reducing the carbon footprint.
According to the EY survey – Is Polish business sustainable – 79% of Polish companies are aware that environmental protection activities will gain importance in their industry within 3-5 years, and 66% believe that they are strategic for their sector. Despite this, as many as 18% of organizations do not plan to take any steps to reduce their carbon footprint. This indicates a significant discrepancy between the pro-environmental activities of companies resulting from their business activities and the attempt to go beyond the scheme and undertake broader initiatives in the field of sustainable development.
At the same time, domestic enterprises shift more attention to local problems. A great example is smog, which 46% of respondents indicate as the biggest environmental challenge. At the same time, in the case of organizations with Polish capital, this percentage is 49%, and in the case of mixed or foreign – 38%. The vast majority are also listed on the stock exchange (64%). What’s more, in the case of this group, as many as 88% of organizations have already implemented appropriate solutions.
Polish companies prioritize solving local challenges, which in many cases also results from regulatory obligations. The most – 91% – are involved in activities related to waste segregation. In second place was investing in energy-efficient solutions (83%), followed by reducing waste (80%) and air pollution (71%). Only three out of five companies indicated a reduction in their carbon footprint. Among the most important activities that companies declare to implement in the next 5 years, it is worth pointing out the use of ecological innovations (22%), renewable energy sources (21%) and reducing carbon dioxide emissions (15%).
Companies in our country are increasingly recognizing that sustainable development does not end with threads related to ecology. As a result, as confirmed by the results of the EY study – Is Polish business sustainable? – domestic enterprises are beginning to pay more and more attention to caring for employees, customers and local communities. An overwhelming percentage of respondents currently carry out activities in the areas of fair working practices (65%), workplace safety (61%), community support (60%), health (58%), well-being (52%) and work-life balance (51%). Taking into account corporate governance activities, companies put business ethics first (56%), followed by transparency of ownership and structure of the organization (54%) and data transparency (51%). The data indicate that there is significant room for improvement in this area. Increasingly, not only investors but also customers expect high standards in all areas of ESG.
Study – Is Polish business sustainable? – was carried out by the Institute of Market and Social Research (IBRiS) on behalf of EY in February 2022 on a sample of 200 companies operating on the nationwide market, employing a minimum of 200 employees.
Source: ey.com
Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.