More than three quarters (78%) of Australian SMB owners believe adopting more sustainable practices will aid our country’s economic recovery post COVID-19, according to recent research released by sustainable technology specialist, iugis.
The research revealed that 75% of female SMB owners are concerned about climate change and sustainability compared to 55% for their male counterparts. Further, more than two-thirds (34%) of SMBs are now more concerned about sustainability than they were pre-pandemic.
The top three environmental concerns are rubbish going to landfill (54%), food waste (47%) and water scarcity (45%).
Only half (49%) of SMBs said customers would be more likely to buy products or services if they knew their business had strong environmental practices in place, including management of food waste. However, 8 in 10 consumers surveyed in a similar YouGov study said it was important for businesses (80%) to be taking positive steps to reduce food waste.
iugis CEO, Bill Papas said although SMBs have felt the brunt of the economic impact of COVID-19, they see sustainability playing in an integral part in the country’s economic recovery.
“Governments and industry should be looking at ways to break down the barriers to make it easier for small businesses to adopt sustainable solutions. As a sustainable technology company, we are looking at different ways to reduce upfront costs and have launched a number of new access options for managed services enabling customers to easily access our food waste digesters at no upfront cost.”