Engaging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the low carbon agenda

Background: Often perceived as a key step towards reducing the ecological impacts of business, interest in carbon management has grown in recent years. Most studies into carbon management have concentrated on large firms. This study assesses the current level of engagement by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) situated in Derbyshire, UK, in carbon management and determines their perceived barriers to (further) adoption of such activities. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to SMEs in Derbyshire to determine their engagement in four low carbon activity areas and their perceived barriers to (greater) adoption of such initiatives. Results: One hundred forty-one respondents across 64 different Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes were obtained. Whilst the majority has taken steps to reduce their carbon impact, most do not monitor or set targets for managing carbon usage. Very few choose to publicise their activities, despite some successful results. Respondents cited resource constraints and a lack of relevance to the business as the most common barriers to low carbon engagement. Many are keen to adopt further measures but require targeted support to do so. Conclusions: SMEs are prepared to engage with low carbon agenda, given appropriate support. This paper helps to fill a gap in the literature on SME engagement with low carbon initiatives. It demonstrates both the current areas of engagement and the perceived barriers to further engagement. These findings could inform policy makers in directing support to SMEs to reduce their ecological impacts.