European Energy Consumer Attitudes and Company Strategies towards the Low Carbon Society
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Interest in CR (corporate responsibility) has grown due to a variety of factors such as worsening global environmental problems, growing consumer concern for moral issues, and the publication of social responsibility standards by ISO. Environmental problems are a key theme of CR. The EU is actively working to counter the global warming problem. It is expected that energy companies, who account for a major percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, will play a critical role in addressing the problem. This research first looked at European and American companies, showing the significance of and promotion systems for CR based on a questionnaire survey of 150 European and 121 North American companies. It was confirmed that European companies are more advanced in areas such as “declaration to participate in the UN Global Compact” and “CO2 reduction targets have been set for each business site.” In-depth interviews were then conducted with 12 European energy companies. These interviews found that climate change and low carbon strategy issues are the concern and responsibility of a wide variety of staff in the business. It was also revealed that energy companies are driven by many motives such as CR and corporate image, etc. in their move towards climate problems and low carbon strategies. Companies also increasingly understand that regardless of their strategies and planned offerings, efficient consumer segmentation and customization will be the key to a successful outcome, as will effective cross-industry partnerships in the area of technological development. Investigation into recent European low carbon attitudes and behaviour further showed that such attitudes and behaviour are driven by not only environmental considerations, but also self-interested considerations of health, lifestyle, taste, quality, self-perceptions and the way consumers wanted others to see them to a larger extent. The research consequently indicates that the achievement of corporate responsibility objectives rests on the result of managerial, market and consumer related issues.