Poll: Would you boycott a company because of its carbon footprint?

Some firms aim to improve their public image by reducing the impact their product has on the environment.

By Conor McMahon Deputy editor, Fora

MANY CONSUMERS TODAY demand to know more about the ethics of the brands they buy from and how their purchasing choices impact the wider world.

In 2014, a study by consumer research company Nielsen found that over half of online customers were willing to pay more for products and services from companies that were committed to improving their carbon footprint and improving society.

Young people in particular are willing to spend more on companies that champion causes they care about. According to the Nielsen survey, millennials will pay more for sustainable products and check labels to see if a company is committed to recycling packaging.

In order to protect their reputations and improve their public image, many firms have invested in what is dubbed ‘corporate social responsibility’ – a buzzword for doing good deeds to improve the impact your product or service has on society.

Writing in a column for Fora, ESB’s social responsibility coordinator Anne Cooney argued that being more socially responsible can improve staff morale and “positively affect your relationships and engagement with your key stakeholders including customers, communities, suppliers and partners”.

Cooney noted that last year, ESB produced 13% of its energy through more environmentally friendly methods like wind and hydro generation. She claimed that corporate social responsibility was a major part of how the state-owned electricity company makes business decisions.

Last week, Nightline chief executive John Tuohy claimed that the logistics company is making delivery more environmentally friendly with its Parcel Motel collection service.

Corporate social responsibility encompasses a wide range of ethical issues – from how employees are treated to gender equality in the workplace. But for the purpose of this week’s poll, we’ve narrowed the focus down to just the environment.

With that in mind, we’re asking readers: Would you boycott a company because of its carbon footprint?