Businesses 'must' go green

Small businesses need to do more to cut their carbon emissions, according to the Green Consultancy.

The company's managing director, John Treble, says that despite businesses claiming to be concerned about the environment, energy consumption is still too high.

"There is a greater awareness than there was a few years ago … There are some shining examples but the generality is not brilliant," he comments.

Mr Treble says that energy-intensive businesses are the most likely to reduce their carbon footprint; however, he adds that on the whole, "there is a huge amount of work still to be done".

According to the recent Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, around 72 per cent of businesses say they are working harder to reduce their emissions, compared to their efforts last year.