How serious are private companies about saving the planet. Not very, according to a new global survey by accounting firm Grant Thornton.

Grant Thornton's International Business Report 2008 has found that most companies only try rolling out a corporate social responsibility program to recruit and retain talented staff. That was identified by 65 per cent of respondents. But saving the planet was not that important. Particularly not in the US where only 21 per cent of businesses identified it as a driving force.

The findings are important because they show the big gap between US businesses and businesses in other parts of the world over climate change. While four out of 10 businesses globally said concern for the planet was a factor, it only applied to two out of 10 American business owners.

The other reasons cited by companies for embarking on a CSR program were cost management (63 per cent) and brand building (56 per cent).