According to the latest Leasing Index survey conducted by Santander Leasing in Poland, there is a noticeable increase in companies’ interest in environmental issues compared to the results of 2019. By the way, 69 % of small businesses declare that they are guided by the concern for environmental protection while running a business (by 18 % more than three years ago).
Entrepreneurs, employees, consumers, and in each of these roles, people impact the environment. The pro-ecological attitude is increasingly reflected in the priorities of companies. Building an eco-friendly and modern image is also increasingly becoming the goal of small businesses in Poland. This direction in their activities is already set by 51 % of companies, while in 2019, it was only 27 %.
- 73 % of small enterprises urge employees to behave environmentally friendly, such as saving water or segregating rubbish.
- 79% of companies are trying to minimize the amount of waste generated.
- 64% of entrepreneurs want to use e-documents to reduce paper consumption.
- for 83% of companies planning to purchase an eco-vehicle, leasing seems to be the most likely form of financing.
“It should be considered that our study concerns companies employing up to 49 people. These enterprises often cannot afford the preparation of ESG strategies or large investments in ecology. Therefore, it is optimistic that by as much as 18 %. Within three years, entrepreneurs‘ awareness in this field has increased. Companies, including small ones, perceive issues and are not indifferent to them. Research shows that in many areas or activities, pro-ecological attitudes are becoming the norm; what is more, the popularity of such attitudes is growing every year. It is not a fashion anymore; it is a style and method of operation,” – emphasizes Mariusz Włodarczyk, Managing Director of Santander Leasing.
According to the “Leasing Index” study, there has also been a significant change in terms of specific activities. Far more companies declare that they encourage their employees to act pro-ecologically (such as saving water or garbage segregation), try to minimize the amount of garbage generated whether it wants to use e-documents to reduce paper consumption (73 %, 79 %, and 64 %, respectively). In a survey conducted by Santander Leasing in 2019, 30 % declared the use of ecological products, semi-finished products, and materials in the company’s operations claimed environmental, currently 56 %.
“Undoubtedly, an optimistic conclusion from our study is the percentage of enterprises that encourage employees to behave in a pro-ecological manner. Santander Leasing itself is a company that fits environmentally friendly activities not only in the business strategy, having a list of its internal priorities in this area. In addition, we have been continuously supporting pro-ecological investments of companies in Poland since 2010. The entire year 2021 was great for financing electric and hybrid vehicles, where the dynamics from year to year was 66 %. But that‘s not all – in mid-January this year. We signed a cooperation agreement with Bank Ochrony Środowiska on the “My Electrician” program. Thanks to this, we will enable entrepreneurs to obtain a subsidy for leasing zero-emission vehicles. I am convinced that this program will contribute to a further strong increase in interest in leasing “clean” cars,” – indicates Mariusz Włodarczyk.
Among companies that are considering purchasing an electric or hybrid car, leasing seems to be the most likely form of financing this purchase (83 % answered “definitely yes” or “rather yes”). In the case of photovoltaic equipment, machines, and panels, financing through leasing was indicated at 71 %.
Source: The press release by Santander leasing dated May 05, 2022
