BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 66

Climate Change

In Wave 66 the BICS asked businesses whether they have taken any actions to reduce the business’s carbon emissions – the specific question asked is shown below. Businesses were asked about their actions at the time of completion of the survey questionnaire (20 September to 2 October 2022 in Wave 66).

Carbon Emissions Question: Which of the following actions, if any, have you taken to reduce your business's carbon emissions?

• adjusting heating and cooling systems
• electrifying your vehicle fleet
• installing a smart meter
• installing charging points
• installing your own renewable electricity or heating
• insulating your buildings
• introducing a cycle to work scheme
• switching to LED bulbs
• going paperless
• other
• not sure
• no actions have been taken to reduce emissions

Figure 5: Switching to LED bulbs (53.5%) and adjusting heating and cooling systems (41.7%) were the actions most frequently reported by businesses in the period 20 September to 2 October 2022.  In Wave 66, 8.0% of businesses reported that they had taken no actions to reduce their carbon emissions.

Source: Office for National Statistics – BICS – Weighted Scotland Estimates – Wave 66

In Wave 66, businesses were asked what actions, if any, they have taken to protect the environment – the specific question asked is shown below. 

Protect Environment Question: Which of the following actions, if any, has your business taken to protect the environment?

• has a climate change strategy
• has a net zero or greenhouse gas emissions target
• has a net zero or greenhouse gas emissions target which includes supply chain
• has a nature or biodiversity strategy
• has a nature or biodiversity target
• monitors climate-related risks
• publishes an annual sustainability report
• other
• not sure
• none of the above

Having a climate change strategy (12.3%) and setting a net zero or greenhouse gas emissions target (10.9%) were the actions most frequently reported by businesses.  An estimated 41.5% of businesses reported that they had taken none of the actions listed.

In Wave 66, the BICS asked businesses whether they are concerned about the impact of climate change on their business.  Overall, 57.0% of businesses reported being very concerned or somewhat concerned about the impact of climate change on their business, rising to 68.9% of businesses in the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation industry sector.  Overall, 24.2% of businesses reported that they were not concerned about the impact of climate change on their businesses, and the rest (18.8%) were unsure.