New research supported by Investcorp in partnership with Said Business School, University of Oxford and researchers from the University of Hamburg has yielded initial insights into consumer attitudes towards climate change. The study aims to inform businesses, policymakers, academia and investors about the drivers of and barriers to sustainable consumption trends.
The first phase of the Investcorp-Oxford research project highlights how global consumer attitudes influence environmentally sustainable behaviors. The study aims to bridge the disconnect between consumers’ stated sustainable behaviors and their actual actions, known as the “attitude-behavior gap.”
Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp, highlighted the collaborative nature of the research. “Tackling climate challenges requires the combined efforts of leaders in academia, science and business,” he stated. “We are honored to support this crucial research and to collaborate with Oxford to produce actionable insights for the benefit of the global community.”
Amir Amel-Zadeh, Associate Professor of Accounting at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Rethinking Performance Initiative, led the research and will present the findings from the comprehensive consumer survey conducted across over 20 countries at the Oxford Rethinking Performance Initiative (ORP) Conference, being held at Balliol College, Oxford on Friday.
“The survey results offer valuable global insights that can help shape effective policies and guide the private sector in developing products, services and marketing strategies to reduce consumption-related emissions,” said Amir Amel-Zadeh.
Household consumption accounts for approximately 60% of global GDP, with consumers in industrialized countries responsible for 70% of the environmental impacts in the housing, transportation and food sectors.
Habib Abdur-Rahman, Global Head of Sustainability at Investcorp, stressed the relevance of this research project for sustainable investment strategies. “Even minor shifts in consumer choices can significantly impact greenhouse gas emissions. Understanding the ‘say-do’ gap is a crucial part of this puzzle,” he remarked.
The conference will also highlight initial findings from various ORP research projects on corporate purpose, sustainability reporting and sustainable investing.
The Investcorp-Oxford research project was initially outlined in a whitepaper released at COP28 titled “Green Hearts to Green Carts: Bridging the Say-Do Gap for Climate Conscious Consumption.”
About the Oxford Rethinking Performance Initiative
The ORP was established in 2020 and since then has assisted companies in identifying and implementing their purpose and in measuring and communicating their performance against their purposes. It has helped institutional investors with engaging with companies, furthering their understanding of the relationship between ESG, impact and financial returns and with determining how regulatory developments affect investor behaviour. The next phase of the ORP research initiative includes ambitious plans to develop further academically rigorous and practically impactful research and the role that different parties can play in supporting the initiative in generating new insights into sustainability measurement and reporting and sustainable investing.
About Investcorp
Investcorp is a global investment manager, specializing in alternative investments across private equity, real assets and credit. Since our inception in 1982, we have focused on generating attractive returns for our clients while creating long-term value in our investee companies and for our shareholders as a prudent and responsible investor. Investcorp has today 14 offices across the US, Europe, GCC and Asia, including India, China, Japan, and Singapore. Currently, Investcorp Group has approximately $53 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third party managers, and employs approximately 500 people from 50 nationalities globally across its offices.
Investcorp’s Climate Solutions business brings Investcorp’s combination of capital, business-building services, international network and investment experience to the leading companies addressing decarbonization and climate change. The overarching objective of Investcorp’s Climate Solutions business is to accelerate the global transition to a zero-carbon economy with a focus on the deployment and rapid scaling of commercially proven climate solutions that have the potential to transform industries.
