Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy & Carbon Footprinting: International Survey Reveals Business Attitudes. Companies’ attitudes towards alternative energy and carbon footprinting are revealed in the results of an international research study. The survey was conducted by the independent market research company Harris Interactive on behalf of Dow Corning Corporation.

Survey Results Summary

Alternative Energy

• 1 in 4 companies are actively investigating alternative energy – this is slightly more evident in the Americas than in Asia or Europe.
• 1 in 3 companies do not regard alternative energy as an important issue.
• The top reasons companies consider alternative energy are cost reduction; company reputation and environmental benefits.
• The reputation aspects are more evident in Americas than other regions.
• In Europe the primary reason is the need for cost reduction whereas in Asia, it is the environmental benefits that influence decisions.

Carbon Footprint

• The term “carbon footprint” is not widely recognized.
• There are higher levels of familiarity with the term in Americas and Europe than Asia.
• Companies in Europe place more importance on transparency of their carbon footprint than other regions.
• There is some interest in companies labelling products with carbon footprint data.
• Overall, Europe appears to be the region most aligned to alternative energy & carbon footprinting.

Survey Methodology

Telephone and electronic surveys were conducted with 1,000 participants selected from a cross-section of companies in eight countries. Participating companies ranged from fewer than 50 employees to more than 5000 employees with annual sales ranging between less than $10 million and more than $50 million. The number of participants by country was as follows:

• Americas – 300
• Asia – 416
• Europe – 284

Respondents were from manufacturing companies in a wide range of industries which included: included electronics; construction; beauty and personal care; automotive and textiles. The positions of those surveyed varied between Technical Manager, Raw Materials Purchasing Manager, Director of Operations, Director of Finance, R&D Manager, Production/Plant Manager, Product Line Manager and Business Unit Director.

The charts included in this summary reflect responses from: Brazil, Italy, China, Korea, France, UK, Germany and United States.

Key Findings

• Overall Americas, Asia and Europe show great similarity in regards to company’s approach to alternative energy.
• While all three regions say their company’s are actively investigating alternative energy, they also respond that alternative energy is not an important issue.
• Despite public pressure that companies globally utilize alternative energy sources, only 6 percent of our respondents say their company is doing so.

Key Findings

• The survey results showed a higher and more consistent response that reducing energy costs, upholding your company’s reputation and promoting environmental benefits are the top factors in influencing company’s decisions about alternative energy.
• Respondents from Brazil and the United States provided the highest rating on all factors.
• Addressing supply concerns regarding traditional forms of energy rated the lowest across geographies as being a factor.

Key Findings

• Globally 68 percent of respondents were not familiar at all with the term carbon footprinting.
• Asia in particular has the lowest level of recognition.
• Greater similarity found between Americas and Europe.

Key Findings

• Asia and Europe responded significantly different across the board from the Americas on attitudes toward carbon footprinting.
• Companies in Europe place more importance on transparency of their carbon footprint than other regions.
• Asia and Europe had much higher levels of consistency with responses regarding reduction, labeling and future planning of carbon footprintng than the Americas.

Key Findings

• Americas results indicate that a high number of respondents do not agree that it is important to be transparent about carbon footprinting.
• 24 percent of respondents have specific plans in place to reduce their carbon footprint, 45 percent do not.
• The Americas have the highest number of “disagree” responses to carbon footprinting than Europe or Asia.

Key Findings

• The research indicated that Asia has the highest number of respondents answering ‘not sure’ about carbon footprinting due to their unfamiliarity with the term.
• Those who had a better understanding did respond with a high level of agreement regarding the importance of being transparent about companies’ carbon footprint.
• 38 percent responded that reducing their carbon footprint was a priority of the company.

Key Findings

• Out of those surveyed in Europe a high number, 57 percent, agreed that it is important to be open about companies’ carbon footprint.
• 46 percent of respondents also indicated that reducing their carbon footprint was a priority for their company.
• It was nearly an even split when participants were asked about whether their company was considering including carbon footprint information on product labels.

About Dow Corning

Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicon-based technology and innovation, offering more than 7,000 products and services, Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s sales are outside the United States.

About Harris Interactive (R)

Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester, New York, and in London, UK, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for the Harris Poll(R) and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry. Long recognized by its clients for delivering insights that enable confident business decisions, the company blends the science of innovative research with the art of strategic consulting to deliver knowledge that leads to measurable and enduring value.