Survey discovers workplace environmental apathy

A recent survey has found that eco-apathy is as rampant in Irish workplaces as it is in the UK.

Each employee in Ireland was found to throw away 8 pages of paper every day, meaning that a total of 3.8 million pages are printed unnecessarily in Ireland every day, leading to a paper mountain of waste.

51% of employees said their company has no green policy designed to reduce the business’s environmental impact, whilst 41% believe that their company’s environmental policy is just for show.

26% of those who responded to the survey believe that company bosses should shoulder the responsibility for environmental practices in the workplace, whilst 23% believe the responsibility lies solely with the government.

Maurice Teague, head of business solutions at Canon Ireland, called the results shocking.

Teague believes that employees need to take responsibility for the environmental consequences of their actions, and need education on how to do their bit for the environment.

An equivalent survey in the UK, published last month by Canon, discovered similar levels of apathy, with only 5% of respondents saying they are more environmentally conscious at work than at home, and 42% of UK employees believing that their company’s environmental policies are just for show.

Envirowise estimate that office waste costs UK businesses €15 billion per year.