The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has this week launched a new pan-European business group, which it hopes will become the leading green business voice in the EU. 

CISL has worked in Europe from an office in Brussels for the past decade, but it said the formal launch of the new CLG Europe grouping will boost its presence in the region and create a more powerful lobbying platform for its influential business members. 

Energy companies EDF, Acciona, and Iberdrola and flooring manufacturer Interface are among the members of the new body, alongside Swedish furniture giant IKEA. The group will work in partnership with CISL's existing Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, which represents a raft of UK-based Blue Chips

It hopes to capitalise on the transfer of power under way in the EU, with the new Commission expected to begin work in early November.

New Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed yesterday her plans to restructure the Commission to appoint three Executive Vice Presidents below her, one of whom will be responsible for delivering a Green New Deal for Europe. 

Meanwhile, climate change has leapt to the top of EU citizens' concerns, now ranking as the second most important issue after immigration. Just a year ago, the issue ranked fifth in a list of voter concerns, according to a recent Eurobarometer poll conducted by the commission.

However, businesses advocating for bolder climate action have long feared that ambitious policies are repeatedly watered down across Europe in response to intense lobbying from some carbon intensive industry groups. As such, leading corporates that are committed to the transition to a net zero emission economy have been exploring a range of new vehicles and tactics to help ensure their support for bolder climate action cuts through with policymakers.

Eliot Whittington, director of the Corporate Leaders Groups, said increasingly businesses understand they need for "clarity, commitment and ambition" in addressing the climate challenge.

"That is why CLG Europe has come together to provide a clear business led voice supporting ambition, identifying where policymakers and businesses must work together, and positioning European economies in the forefront of the new industries and business models that the world will need," he said.