Companies are abandoning sustainability initiatives as other cost rises push being green down the priority list.
Bosses from 850 small and medium-sized businesses told NatWest that rising business expenses and challenging economic conditions required their focus instead.
Only 35% said they were prioritising measures to become more sustainable in 2024, the joint lowest level since the survey began in 2020.
Meanwhile, a Deloitte survey of 92 private equity-backed large consumer companies concluded that there was “room for all companies to improve”, with a median score of 29 out of 100.
