British Manufacturing Barometer 2024 - Environment and Society

Welcome to the British Manufacturing Barometer - Autumn Edition, which captures and shares UK manufacturing companies’ current views and voices, highlighting the sector’s commitment and value to the environment and society.

 This issue builds on our economy and industry report that was published in June 2024, and revealed more than 70% of UK manufacturers expect revenue growth over the next year. This strong evidence of business confidence is a positive signal for professionals across industries and a significant benefit for the communities they support.

This report’s findings include:

  • 98% of companies are taking positive action related to the environment or society
  • 86% are doing more environment-related initiatives now than 5 years ago, such as waste reduction, sustainable sourcing and reducing energy
  • Beyond the creation of jobs, 55% will do more to contribute to society over the next 12 months, including offering apprenticeships and training opportunities, as well as promoting employee health and wellbeing
  • Reputation (76%), customer expectations (69%) and long-term cost reductions (49%) are among the main reasons why companies are doing more
  • There is scope to grow the engagement of manufacturing companies with UK and international initiatives

As a business-led, independent trade body, Made in Britain is committed to representing, promoting, and supporting UK manufacturers.  This is underpinned by the licensing of the official Made in Britain trademarks, registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office across 30 product classes.  With a growing membership of over 2,100 UK manufacturing companies - 95% of which are SMEs - our community is an increasingly powerful and positive force.

The Barometer forms part of Made in Britain’s commitment to an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible economy.  It also complements our Buying British Survey and Export Surveys, which show that 8 in 10 UK companies recognise the Made in Britain trademark, and Europe remains the most popular export market for UK manufacturers.

While the data and insights in this Barometer come directly from Made in Britain companies, the findings offer a representative snapshot of the wider UK manufacturing sector. We thank all of the companies that input to this Barometer and, where they have agreed we may, their company is named on page 10.

As we continue to evolve this Barometer, we invite manufacturers, policymakers, journalists, academics and other stakeholders to collaborate with us on future editions. Your input is invaluable as we work together to advance the role of UK manufacturing sector.  If you are reading this and want to know more, or may be interested to work with Made in Britain on future versions, please do get in touch with us.

Download the full report - British Manufacturing Barometer: Environment & Society - by clicking or tapping the image below:

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