Green workplace training failing to make it on to business agenda

Eight in 10 employees bemoan the fact there is no training in place to teach them how to reduce their firm's carbon emissions, new research has found.

A YouGov survey of more than 4,300 people carried out for the Carbon Trust found that of those respondents who had undertaken green workplace training, 93% believed it to be "fairly" or "very" useful.

Only one-fifth of respondents said their employer was doing enough to cut emissions, however, 66% said their employer had made no attempt to encourage them to consider ways of reducing their emissions by taking alternative transport to work.

Hugh Jones, solutions director at the Carbon Trust, said simple initiatives such as staff training and appointing a 'carbon champion' can really help to trigger action in employee teams.

"Our research shows that those in workplaces where a carbon champion has been appointed say it encouraged more action to reduce emissions. You can put in a new energy-efficient boiler, or install low-energy light bulbs, and those will make a difference, but many of the measures that will have the biggest impact and achieve the greatest savings require buy-in across your workforce."

This week, the Carbon Trust is launching a national campaign to encourage organisations and employees to work closer together to shrink their carbon footprints.