Report: While 69% of companies don't prioritize sustainability, a lot has changed for the better
On the one hand, the climate crisis, greater environmental awareness and the growing importance of an ethical organizational culture. On the other hand, the development of sustainable finance and the dynamically changing regulatory environment, with the CSRD directive and sustainability reporting standards (ESRS) at the forefront. There is no doubt that the social and political pressure is enormous, and the world today expects a radical transformation from business. It seems that sustainable development should be one of the top priorities of every company. However, only 28% of organizations surveyed by ARC Rynek i Opinia on behalf of LeasingTeam Group, which decided to take a look at the landscape of ESG activities carried out by companies with more than 50 employees in Poland, agree with this thesis.
– More and more companies are recognising that ESG activities are no longer just an add-on, but an integral part of their business strategy. It is no different at LeasingTeam Group, which is why, observing changes in this area, together with one of our TalentPoint brands, we have initiated a study to understand how companies in Poland approach the implementation of sustainable development activities. The survey was addressed to a kind of motherland of change in organizations, i.e. HR departments, business owners and people directly responsible for ESG and CSR – says Iga Pazio, Marketing & PR Director LeasingTeam Group.
A lot depends on the size of the company and the scale of operations
The report shows that although nearly half of companies (49%) admit that sustainable development is important to them, they do not consider it a priority area, and one in five treats environmental and social issues completely incidentally. Interestingly, there is a clear relationship between the size of a company and the level of commitment to ESG. The highest conviction about the need to prioritize these issues is in companies with more than 500 employees (37%), and the lowest in organizations with 51 to 100 employees (23%).
” LeasingTeam Group is one of those companies where we believe that achieving business goals can be effectively and successfully combined with care for people and the environment, and that ethical organizational culture and promotion of the right attitudes should be the foundation for running any business. says Andżelika Majewska, Vice President of LeasingTeam Group. – This also applies to the services and solutions that we bring to market. ESG is one of the key strategic directions for all our companies, and we want to support our clients in these activities as well. We are convinced that companies that join the green transformation process early enough will have a great opportunity to build a competitive advantage in relations with customers and investors – adds Andżelika Majewska.
Fortunately, the fact that ESG is not at the top of the list of priorities in most companies does not mean that no action is being taken in this area. To a greater or lesser extent, they are carried out by every second surveyed company, and in every fourth they are included in a separate strategy. Not surprisingly, such a document is mainly held by international companies. However, it may be surprising that as many as 19% of entrepreneurs declare directly that they do not plan to start such activities because they do not feel the need to do so.
The budget is a barrier, but we can see a paradigm shift in thinking about business
The biggest challenge for companies entering the path of sustainable development are budget constraints, which were indicated by as many as 58% of respondents. Not much less, 53%, pointed out the low involvement of employees, and every second company admits that it does not have the awareness and adequate knowledge to implement ESG principles. Other obstacles are the lack of time (48% of responses) and a clear policy or action plan (45%). The respondents blame the management staff for this state of affairs, which are not sufficiently involved in activities related to sustainable development in their companies (40% of responses).
“It is clear that there are no written strategies and indicators yet, that this is the initial period of expanding the spectrum of business. For years – and in Poland for much longer than in other European countries – it has been emphasized that business should focus only on maximizing profit, and all these “CSRs” are only unnecessary costs. When CSR finally turned into ESG, it turned out that business is people, that it is natural to maximize the positive impact and reduce the negative one in all areas important from the point of view of the quality of our lives. Only 1% of respondents believe that the activities carried out by companies supporting the idea of sustainable development do not have a noticeable impact on the company and employees. This is clear evidence of the paradigm shift in business happening here and now. comments Bolesław Rok, professor of management at Kozminski University.
It is encouraging that 87% of survey participants are aware that sustainability activities reduce the harmful impact of business on the environment. On average, three out of four companies also believe that ESG improves relationships with customers, suppliers and partners (77%), increases employee engagement and efficiency (76%) and attracts talent better suited to the organizational culture (73%).
The survey was conducted using the CATI and CAWI methods on a representative group of 515 companies with at least 50 employees. It was carried out between 24 June and 19 July 2024 by the ARC Rynek i Opinia research agency on behalf of LeasingTeam Group. The full text of the report “Do companies in Poland care about sustainable development?” was published on September 23, 2024 here. The substantive partner of the report is Great Digital, and the institutional patron is the Responsible Business Forum.
Doświadczony analityk rynku pracy, specjalizuje się w badaniach nad trendami zatrudnienia i zmianami w strukturze zawodowej. Jego artykuły, publikowane w renomowanych czasopismach branżowych, pomagają czytelnikom zrozumieć dynamikę rynku pracy.
