Businesses 'need space to cut their carbon emissions'

Businesses hoping to contribute to better air quality in their local communities should be granted time to devised their own eco-friendly policies, it has been suggested.

According to Margaret Hansen, global procurement director of corporate travel at A T Kearney, businesses need "some autonomy" to work on their environmental strategies.

She stressed that "businesses have different drivers and have different health factors, different countries have different margins and drivers," when it comes to their green plans.

Therefore, cutting emissions should be achieved by "not taking it to the corporate level".

She added that business solutions providers should "allow [firms] to work as a unit" as well as allowing them to more independently reduce their own carbon emissions "instead of dictating it to them".

According to Lord Turner, the chairman of the UK's committee on climate change, restrictions on emissions for businesses could become permanent in the future as the committee looks into reducing carbon pollution below 2005 levels by 2050.