Four in five Dutch respondents in the Bosch Tech Compass 2023 consider sustainability an economic success factor. This puts the Netherlands in the leading group worldwide; only in Brazil and India do more people share this opinion.
This is according to the Bosch Tech Compass 2023, which Bosch conducted in nine countries worldwide. In the Netherlands, 600 respondents took part in the survey. Bosch shares the results of Dutch respondents, which are not listed separately in the research report. The Dutch results were also not included in the overall figures, which represent an average of results from Brazil, China, Germany, France, India, the UK and the US.
Sustainability as an economic success factor
Globally, 82% of respondents state that the more a company is committed to sustainable technologies, the more economically successful it will be in the future. Brazil and India lead the way here; in both countries, 87% of respondents share this opinion. Americans are least likely to agree with these statements (73%).
The Netherlands is in the leading group; 85% of Dutch people see sustainable technologies as a necessary requirement for any business and as an economic success factor. 82% also state that the extent to which a company invests in sustainable technologies translates into economic success in the future.
Sustainable energy production
Globally, countries are increasingly switching to renewable energy. At the same time, there is reluctance to completely abandon nuclear and fossil fuels for power generation. Moreover, this reluctance varies greatly worldwide.
Of all respondents, 62% are in favour of promoting solar energy. On the contrary, 44% want to put more effort into wind energy. At the same time, in China and France, support for promoting nuclear power is still relatively high at 36% and 31% respectively. Respondents in the United States (oil: 21%, gas: 24%) and in India (oil: 22%, gas: 23%) are relatively often in favour of fossil fuels.
Bosch cites Dutch as strong supporters of promoting solar and wind energy. 62% of Dutch respondents favour promoting solar energy, while 47% want to promote wind energy. 44% additionally state that hydrogen should be promoted more.
Hydrogen
71% of Dutch respondents see hydrogen/fuel cells as the technology with the greatest potential for boosting sustainability in the future. Biotechnology (47%) and climate engineering (44%) are also popular.
Almost half (45%) of Dutch survey participants expect hydrogen to be a 'mainstream' fuel by 2030. A quarter expect this to be the case between 2031 and 2040.
'Companies can take more climate action'
The Dutch are also above average in their opinion that there is room for improvement in terms of business commitment to climate action. Globally, this percentage is 58%. In the Netherlands, 65% of respondents share this opinion.
"Countering climate change is the biggest task of our time. People therefore rightly expect companies to offer technical solutions to these issues. Bosch takes up this challenge and is resolutely committed to promising technologies such as hydrogen electrolysis," says Dr Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board of management.
Confidence in technology grows
Confidence in technology is growing, the survey shows. Three quarters of global respondents state that technological advances can make the world a better place. The Dutch are slightly more pessimistic at 64%.
However, almost nine in ten Dutch respondents (85%) do think that technological progress should focus more on societal problems. These include health, food supply and climate change. On the contrary, individual needs such as e-commerce or space tourism should receive less attention.
Technology can help combat climate change
The vast majority of respondents see a role for technology in combating climate change. Globally, 83% of respondents share this view, while the percentage in the Netherlands is 82%. Just over half of Dutch respondents (53%) believe that sufficient efforts are currently being made to build out sustainable technologies.
"Digitalisation can play a special role in sustainability," says Hartung. "We are investing in the development and expansion of promising new technologies, with a focus on sustainability, mobility and Industrie 4.0."
Further information is available in the Bosch Tech Compass 2023, which can be found here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: annca via Pixabay
