The weak economy has yet to halt the surge in businesses that are “going green” and could even be accelerating the process, a Tayside body has said.
Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce chief executive Alan Mitchell believes recent advances in eco-friendly business will not fall by the wayside just because companies are rushing to tighten their belts.
Councils and large firms across the UK have announced a string of swingeing cuts in recent months in a bid to slash costs and stave off the worst of the downturn.
However, while these cuts are expected to have dramatic effects on council services and the private sector, the Tayside body believes eco-friendly business initiatives will actually benefit from the rush to slash costs.
“The very fact that we are in an economic slow-down, and businesses are being careful about their costs, will mean that drives to be more eco-friendly will pick up steam,” said Mr Mitchell.
“Companies are already looking at different ways to cut travel and the amount of time spent by their staff on the region’s roads.”
Mr Mitchell did acknowledge that larger-scale eco-friendly initiatives might be temporarily shelved by some businesses as they bid to avoid unnecessary spending, but no such trends have been spotted in Tayside yet, he added.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user tompagenet.