Over the past two years, 35 percent of businesses invested in various measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or adapt to potential impacts of climate change, Stats NZ said today.
On the other hand, 53 percent of businesses surveyed reported they did not make any climate change-related investments in the last two years.
These results are from the business operations survey: 2021, in which over 7,000 New Zealand based businesses with six or more employees took part. The annual survey collects information about business practices.
“Larger businesses were more likely than smaller businesses to invest in climate change-related measures,” business performance manager Ricky Ho said.
The most common investments businesses made were in new software or digital technologies, and improving the efficiency of buildings.
| Investments businesses made in the last two years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and or adapt to potential impacts of climate change | Percentage |
| Did not make any investments | 53 |
| Invested in one or more climate change-related actions | 35 |
| New software or digital technologies | 17 |
| Improved efficiency of buildings | 14 |
| Education and or training for staff to improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions | 13 |
| Purchased lower emission plant or equipment | 12 |
| Do not know | 12 |
| Other | 2 |
| Relocated facilities to lower-risk areas | 1 |
Barriers to investing in climate change-related measures
Barriers identified by businesses to investing in climate change-related measures include uncertainty around future policy direction, lack of information to support decision-making, lack of appropriate personnel or skills, and lack of viable technology.
| Barriers to climate change-related investments | Percentage |
| Do not know | 35 |
| Did not see any barriers | 28 |
| Lack of information to support decision-making | 13 |
| Uncertainty around future policy direction | 13 |
| Lack of viable technology | 11 |
| Lack of appropriate personnel and or skills | 11 |
| Difficulty in raising or sourcing funds | 10 |
| Uncertainty about the future of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme | 10 |
| Lack of necessary infrastructure | 7 |
| Risks around adopting new technologies | 6 |
| Other | 4 |
Plans for climate change-related investments focus on lower emission technologies, staff training, and building efficiency
When surveyed on climate change-related investments businesses were planning to make in the next five years, the most popular of these were:
- investing in new software or digital technologies (25 percent)
- investing in education or training for staff to improve resource efficiency and reduce emissions (23 percent)
- improving efficiency of buildings (22 percent)
- purchasing lower emission plant or equipment (20 percent).
In the business operations survey: 2021, businesses were surveyed about the potential impacts and opportunities for businesses in responding to and adapting to climate change as New Zealand transitions to a low-emissions economy.
