LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The majority of project professionals say they have increased their focus on Net Zero carbon projects as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Association for Project Management (APM) can reveal.
A poll of over 860 project practitioners1, undertaken for APM by research company Censuswide, found that 51 per cent of respondents claimed the global pandemic has led to them and their organisation placing ‘slightly greater’ or ‘significantly greater’ focus on Net Zero carbon projects.
Just six per cent said they were placing less focus on Net Zero carbon projects as a result of coronavirus. The remainder said there was no difference to their focus on Net Zero.
The industry sectors that reported the greatest increase in focus on Net Zero were:
- HR (89 per cent of respondents reported a greater focus on Net-Zero carbon projects)
- Telecoms (69 per cent)
- Transport and logistics (69 per cent)
Debbie Lewis, director of strategic architecture programmes at BT said: “Achieving Net Zero remains high on the agenda for project managers, despite the impact caused by the global pandemic. Climate change will continue to worsen and accelerate, and so it’s vital that it continues to be addressed and tackled. The project profession has a major role to play in helping to achieve a sustainable Net Zero future.”
David Thomson, head of external affairs at APM, said: “We recognise that climate change is one of the great challenges of this or any generation. This survey demonstrates that the project profession is not being deflected by the current pandemic to postpone action or ignore the coming challenges of climate change and biodiversity. Addressing that will require big changes across all sectors and will be a significant factor in every project professional’s work in the years ahead.
“As the chartered body for the project profession, APM will support its members, partners and the project profession to ensure projects of every size and purpose address and, where possible, minimise their environmental impact and adapt for the future.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
1 866 project professionals in the UK responded to the question ‘How has the coronavirus pandemic affected how much focus you place on Net Zero carbon projects?’
All figures rounded to the nearest 1 per cent
Debbie Lewis, director of strategic architecture programmes at BT will become APM’s next chair from September 2020
About Association for Project Management
Association for Project Management (APM) is the chartered body for the project profession and is committed to creating and upholding leading standards for the profession through chartership, qualifications, knowledge and insight.
Promoting the power of the profession for good, APM has over 30,000 individual members and more than 500 organisations participating in the Corporate Partnership Programme. As an educational charity, APM advocates for and represents the entire project profession. See apm.org.uk for further details.
