The Guernsey Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainable Business Initiative has unveiled its fifth annual Business Sustainability Survey results, highlighting a growing commitment to sustainability among local businesses.
Since the inaugural survey in 2020, there has been a notable surge in both the importance of sustainability and awareness of the steps to take to achieve it.
Key Findings:
- Rising Importance: In 2024, a significant 95.3% of businesses acknowledge the importance of environmental sustainability, up from 91% in 2020.
- Strategic Planning: The number of businesses with a plan for reducing their environmental impact has nearly doubled, from 45% in 2020 to 85% in 2024.
- Proactive Measures: Adoption of sustainability/ESG frameworks rose to 54% (from 29% in 2020), and the appointment of sustainability champions jumped to 63% (from 29% in 2020).
- Board-Level Focus: Sustainability discussions have become more prevalent in boardrooms, with 61% now including ‘environmental impact’ on the agenda, up from 33% in 2020.
Rollo de Sausmarez, Co-lead of the Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI), remarked: “While it’s great to see more companies planning to reduce their environmental impact, formalizing these plans and making them public is crucial for real change. Adopting frameworks, appointing sustainability champions, and ensuring regular board discussions can bridge the gap between intention and action.”
However, challenges persist. The primary barrier remains a lack of resources, cited by 43% of respondents.
Additionally, calls for government financial incentives have increased to 34%, up from 24% in 2020.
The role of government remains a critical area for improvement
A growing number of businesses feel that the government is not doing enough to promote sustainability, with 78% expressing this view in 2024, up from 66% in 2020. Businesses are calling for more government action, particularly in sustainable transport (33%), clear direction (21%), and incentives (15%).
Despite these hurdles, there is a positive trend: the barrier of ‘lack of awareness’ has decreased from 31% in 2020 to 15% in 2024.
Jennifer Strachan, Co-lead of SBI, noted: “There’s a strong trend towards engagement with sustainability, but more government support is needed. We urge companies to leverage the educational resources from SBI and similar organizations. Guernsey needs to ‘walk the walk’ to maintain its appeal in sustainable finance and tourism.”
Businesses are also reaping significant benefits from their sustainability efforts. Increased employee satisfaction, enhanced company image, and positive customer responses have consistently been reported as top benefits from 2020 to 2024. This suggests that the advantages of sustainability are not only immediate but also long-lasting.
64 businesses from diverse sectors participated in this year’s survey, providing a comprehensive view of the island’s sustainability landscape.
Pictured: Jennifer Strachan and Rollo de Sausmarez
