Appetite for change - Accountancy Nieuws

Section 4How can policies find support?Incentives take advantage of two important influences oncorporate environmental practices – creating competitiveadvantage and generating cost savings (see fig. 1 on page 9).Sixty seven per cent of respondents agree that incentives forcompanies to become carbon neutral are a good idea (seefig. 15 on page 25). A further 23 per cent remain cautious butare potential supporters, saying their endorsements woulddepend on the extent of the incentives.Regulations and taxes will create costs for businesses,but they may at the same time create a level playing field,as well as opportunities for new sources of competitiveadvantage and new ways to burnish reputations (which isanother important behavioural influence). When asked if theyview regulation as a potential opportunity, 53 per cent ofbusinesses say, ‘Yes’ (see fig. 16 opposite).In developing new taxes and regulations, governmentscould build on existing goodwill through more cooperation.Fifty nine percent of global CEOs believe the key to smarterregulation is more dialogue between government andbusiness and ‘co-designing’ policies. 12 John T. Disharoon,Sustainable Development Manager, Caterpillar Inc., believes,“Regulators have good motives but don’t fully understandthe implications for business in terms of compliance, so itis important to ensure that business gets involved in policysettingat the earliest stage.”Figure 16Around half see environmental regulation as an opportunity for businessTaxRegulation12 22 26 23 146 17 22 26 27Major opportunityMinor threatMinor OpportunityMajor threatFor each of these two forms of government intervention, tell me to what extent yousee them as an opportunity vs. a threat to your organisation’s competitiveness.Base: Total (654)“Regulators have good motives but don’t fullyunderstand the implications for business in terms ofcompliance, so it is important to ensure that businessgets involved in policy-setting at the earliest stage.”John T. Disharoon, Sustainable Development Manager,Caterpillar Inc.Neither/Nor12For further discussion of CEO views on collaboration with government, see “Rethinking and Reshaping the business environment: Government and the Global CEO,” PSRC,January 201026 Appetite for change. PricewaterhouseCoopers.