Public attitudes out of step with industry’s sustainability and decarbonisation efforts

The UK reached it much earlier on May 20th but has pushed that day back by 40 days since the first Earth Overshoot Day in 2006, when the country’s overshoot day fell on April 10. These dates highlight the extent to which our consumption overshoots sustainable limits - and how efforts by UK industry are already making a difference.

The latest Attitudes to UK Industry (ATUKI) survey reveals that UK consumers are largely unaware of the scale and impact of the significant strides that industry is making in sustainability practices, which will contribute greatly to pushing the date back.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero reported in February 2024 that UK has cut emissions by 50% between 1990 and 2022, largely due to cutting emissions from energy generation, because of a shift away from using coal to using renewables. In 2012, coal provided almost 40% of UK electricity, now it’s use is approaching zero – a huge step toward Net Zero targets. However, the ATUKI report shows that the UK public understanding of what Net Zero means in practice remains limited.

The ATUKI Summer 2025 Report, sponsored by Cadence Industrial and Technical Communications in partnership with Yonder Consulting, found that over two-thirds of the public (70%) believe the UK should increase its use of renewable energy. However, only 19% understand what success looks like when it comes to national sustainability benchmarks. This highlights a pressing need for clearer, more accessible communication about both the consequences of climate change and how the G7 nations are responding.

“We are stretching the limits of how much ecological damage we can get away with. It is now a quarter into the 21st century and we owe the planet at least 22 years of ecological regeneration, even if we stop any further damage now. If we still want to call this planet home, this level of overshoot calls for a scale of ambition in adaptation and mitigation that should dwarf any previous historical investments we have made, for the sake of our common future,” comments Dr. Lewis Akenji, board member of Global Footprint Network.

Other key findings include:

• More than half (52%) believe individual sustainability actions contribute meaningfully to the UK’s overall sustainability progress.
• 51% believe electrification of cars and industrial processes is putting additional strain on the UK’s power grid.
• Only 3 in 10 consumers factor sustainability credentials into their purchasing decisions.

Elaine Cobb, senior account director at Cadence Industrial and Technical Communications, the report sponsor, said: “We have been measuring the general public’s perceptions on industry since 2013. The Summer 2025 ATUKI report shows that the UK public clearly wants to support a more sustainable future. And, we now know there’s a clear appetite for industrial leadership to share their sustainability stories. It’s time to broaden the conversation and show how UK industrial efforts contribute to global sustainability rankings. More than half the public believe individual action matters now more than ever, we must aim to gain consumer support with industrial-scale sustainability practices, whether that is supply chain knowledge or showcasing to the public the work that industry is undertaking.”

The goal of ATUKI is to provide a snapshot of public perception of industrial impact and to help communicators within industry to consider the consumer in their plans to showcase industry achievements.

The full report is available for download now:

Reports – Attitudes to UK Industry