NEW YORK, NY — Most Fortune 1000 executives say their companies are going green, but fewer think many other companies are committed to sustainable practices and products, says a survey of consumers and companies.

Almost 90 percent of executives that responded to public relations firm Gibbs and Soell's latest Sense and Sustainability Study said their companies are improving the sustainability of their business operations or working on environmentally-friendly products or services.

While 53 percent believe some other companies are committed to greening their businesses, only a little under 30 percent feel a majority of businesses are serious about sustainability. Even fewer consumers, 17 percent, believe most or all businesses are dedicated to being greener, while half of consumers think some companies are dedicated.

Unfortunately, the survey results don't include reasons for those low figures. As we've seen, bigger companies are becoming more vocal about their environmental and sustainability initiatives, with a growing number are creating regular sustainability reports and putting information on their initiatives into advertising and marketing.

But it might not be a lack of information driving so few to think that many companies are committed to the environment. It could be that for all the talk about sustainability coming out of companies, other businesses and consumers just don't view that talk, or even the associated actions, as true devotion to sustainability.

The survey also looked at what's pushing green efforts forward, and what's also holding them back. The top drivers named by executives were customer demand (42 percent), reducing or reversing climate change (34 percent) and directives from management and investors (31 percent).

The biggest hurdles are insufficient return on investment (70 percent), consumers being unwilling to pay more for greener goods and services (66 percent) and the difficulty of figuring out the sustainability of a product through its entire life cycle (44 percent). Fewer executives this year compared to 2010 cited those three as barriers.

The second annual Sense and Sustainability Study surveyed 2,031 U.S. adults and 302 Fortune 1000 executives online in February. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for Gibbs and Soell.

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