Companies throw support behind carbon labelling

However, only 1% knew how much carbon their businesses emitted.

The Carbon Trust said calculating carbon footprint was a "critical step" towards cutting emissions and making the most of the business opportunities presented by climate change.

The government-backed body has set up a carbon label pilot scheme, which has gained support from companies such as Boots, Innocent Drinks and Walkers.

More than a quarter of businesses (26%) surveyed said they had been affected by climate change, with organisations of more than 250 employees most likely to have been impacted.

The Carbon Trust said growing awareness of climate change was partly due to the flooding across the country this summer, although in the past two years there had been "significant acceleration" in plans to cut CO2 emissions, particularly among larger companies.

While this was "very encouraging", many businesses had yet to move "in some key areas", the organisation said.

The survey found that publicly listed companies (46%) were more likely to have measured their emissions than large (15%) and medium-sized (12%) companies.

"By measuring and assessing a business's impact through undertaking a carbon footprinting exercise, a company can better understand where carbon reductions can be made and cost savings achieved," said Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay.

FDS International conducted phone interviews on behalf of The Carbon Trust with 700 business leaders from publicly listed, large, medium and small companies across the UK.

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