ERM and Deloitte seen as best brands

Sustainability consultancy ERM and assurance firm Deloitte are two of the best regarded brands in the global environment services sector, according to a poll of practitioners

Research firm Verdantix surveyed 250 directors and vice-presidents responsible for environment, health and safety (EHS) in companies with annual turnovers of more than $250 million on their perception of companies offering EHS assurance, technology, IT and consultancy services.

The respondents, who were based in 13 countries including China, India, the UK and the US, named Deloitte as the most respected EHS assurance and verification provider, with 55% saying they had a positive perception of the firm. Bureau Veritas and KPMG followed closely with 53% and 52% saying they viewed the companies positively.

Certification bodies BSI and SGS, meanwhile, were named in a second group of assurance providers that Verdantix described as having “moderately high” positive brand perception.

When asked about companies offering “environmental services”, respondents placed ERM at the top of the sector, with Environ and CH2M Hill in second and third place respectively. Meanwhile, the list of IT software providers was headed by Microsoft, SAP and Oracle.

According to Verdantix, Microsoft’s popularity reflects the fact that many organisations are still using spreadsheets and databases to manage their EHS data. Of the specialist EHS software suppliers, BSI is revealed as having the highest positive brand perception (30%), followed by IHS (24%) and Intelex (22%).

Verdantix concludes that there is “huge scope” for companies in the EHS sector to improve their brand awareness, citing, for example, that less than 50% of assurance buyers had heard of Intertek or TUV SUD.