Business in the Community announces new task force featuring top executives from Drax Group, Sky, Aston Martin, EDF Energy, the Environment Agency, and others
Business in the Community has today launched a new Net Zero Taskforce to support the private sector's transition to a zero carbon economic model.
Timed to coincide with the UK government's confirmation of a legally-binding commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the new group will aim to mobilise companies across the UK as they step up efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Its members include Sky, Aston Martin, EDF Energy, Lloyds, BEIS, and the Environment Agency, and the group will be chaired by the CEO of Drax Group's B2B energy supply business, Jonathan Kini.
"Business in the Community's Net-Zero Carbon Taskforce aims to identify the simplest, most effective actions businesses can take, to collectively have a serious impact on climate breakdown and ensure a just transition that benefits all," Kini said.
The initial focus will be on developing a toolkit to help businesses take action to pursue net zero emissions through their own operations and value chains, Kini added.
"The barriers to sustainability vary from business to business - I know from conversations with our customers that making improvements often appears unnecessarily complicated," he said. "We want to break down those barriers and make the solutions simpler to implement, so UK businesses can quickly and easily take effective steps to address the climate crisis."
Business in the Community was created nearly 40 years ago by the Prince of Wales to champion responsible business. The organisation's environment director, Gudrun Cartwright, welcomed the government's adoption of a 2050 net zero target, arguing that "achieving net-zero carbon is a critical task if we are to avoid leaving a legacy of broken planetary life support systems".
However, she also warned the 2050 target date may not be ambitious enough. "While Business in the Community endorses this target, 2050 may be too late according to current science-based predictions," she said. "UK cities are committing to earlier targets such as Glasgow's target to achieve net zero carbon by 2045, Manchester by 2038, Edinburgh and Bristol by 2030 and Nottingham by 2028."
The announcement of the new task force came as leading businesses from across the UK voiced their support for the new net zero emission target.
The CBI, the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, and the We Mean Business coalition, along with a host of green industry groups, all hailed the new target as a major step forward for the UK's decarbonisation efforts.
Meanwhile, senior executives at some of the UK's largest firms welcomed the news.
"Since the Paris Agreement, BT and others have called on policymakers to set more ambitious targets and provide the right legislation so that we can take quicker, more meaningful climate action," Andy Wales, chief digital impact and sustainability officer at UK telecoms company BT, said. "As BT works towards its own net zero target, it's great to see the government send a real signal of intent which we hope will inspire others as we look to tackle one of society's biggest challenges."
Shell's UK country chair Sinead Lynch said the oil giant "fully supports this ambition for the UK to move faster". "Achieving net zero in the UK by 2050 will require unprecedented collaboration between government, business and society," she added. "Government needs to set clear and ambitious targets and create the right policies to enable companies like Shell to adapt and respond quickly. We stand ready to play our part."
Similarly, Coca-Cola European Partners' vice president and general manager Leendert den Hollander predicted a clear net zero target would help drive corporate action. "A clear sense of direction from the government's policies on climate change is vital to allow everyone in business to plan for a zero carbon future," he said.