UK employers failing on green training

Four fifths of UK employees claim to have no access to training on how to reduce their firm's carbon emissions, despite evidence green education programmes represent one of the most effective ways of cutting corporate emissions.

That is the finding of a major new YouGov survey of over 4,300 employees carried out for the Carbon Trust, which found that while the vast majority want to reduce workplace greenhouse gas emissions few are being given the guidance to help them do so.

Only one fifth said their employer was doing enough to curb emissions, while 80 per cent said there was no training in place to help them cut energy use and emissions at work. However, of those that had undertaken green workplace training 93 per cent rated it as "fairly" or "very" useful.

Hugh Jones, solutions director at the Carbon Trust, said that simple initiatives such as offering staff training and appointing a specific team for managing carbon emissions reductions represented a cost effective means of cutting both greenhouse gas emissions and energy bills.

"You can put in a new energy-efficient boiler, or install low-energy light bulbs, and those will make a difference, but many of the measures that will have the biggest impact and achieve the greatest savings require buy-in across your workforce," he warned.

Jones added that investing in such employee engagement initiatives could also deliver sizable financial benefits. "In the current economic climate it’s never been more important for all businesses, of all sizes, to act on climate change, " he said. "With savings of up to 20 per cent to be made on energy bills through no cost or cost effective measures it makes perfect business sense to empower employees to do their bit both at work and at home."