Issued by the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration
Newly formed group of leading corporate businesses with major footprint in Scotland help lead the fight against climate change and inspire action as a legacy of COP26
A group of Scotland’s leading businesses have joined forces to launch a new climate action initiative ahead of COP26 to accelerate the just transition to a net-zero future.
Participating businesses who have come together to create the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration (SBCC) are from a range of key strategic economic sectors. They are: Aggreko; Diageo; EY; FirstGroup; Lloyds Banking Group; M&G; Scottish Power; Scottish Water; and, Wood.
The nine businesses represent around 25,000 employees in Scotland and 570,000 globally, with more than £92billion in global revenue. SBCC’s mission is to leverage combined scale and sustainability ambitions to accelerate the journey towards a net-zero future in Scotland.
SBCC is providing strategic direction and exploring practical, best practice action members can take – corporately and at employee levels – in the fight against climate change. Through a programme of collaboration in the build-up to COP26, SBCC aims to generate a meaningful business legacy from the global inter-governmental conference when it takes place in Glasgow next month.
This work will culminate in a SBCC Pledge, to be announced during COP26, when other businesses will be invited to adopt the measures in the pledge. Following COP26, the group will meet on a bi-annual basis to share best practice, ensure the spirit of the SBCC Pledge is being observed and consider further ways to collaborate to work towards net zero.
David Martin, Executive Chairman, FirstGroup, said:
“Getting people out of cars and planes and onto buses and trains is essential to decarbonising transport and achieving net zero. As a leading private sector provider of public transport in Glasgow and throughout the UK, FirstGroup is ready to play our part. We are proud to stand alongside other leading Scottish business in the SBCC to underline our commitment to net zero and a successful COP26 summit.”
Robin Watson, Chief Executive, Wood, said:
“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our generation. Achieving a net-zero future will require unprecedented levels of collaboration and alignment between government, investors, society and the business community. The SBCC offers an ideal platform for businesses in Scotland to engage in this important dialogue and to help shape some of the solutions we need.”
Sue Dawe, EY Scotland Managing Partner for Financial Services, said:
“As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is right that we focus the same level of resolve on tackling sustainability - the other great global crisis of our time. We are proud to be playing our part, taking action in our own business as well as working with other organisations through initiatives like the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration, the Sustainable Markets Initiative, the S30 forum of Chief Sustainability Officers, and the World Economic Forum. While sustainability presents tremendous challenges, it is also the innovation opportunity of a generation.
“The business community is ready to take positive steps in the fight against climate change. Forums like the SBCC will help to identify opportunities to unlock the full potential of the private sector to drive progress and support the transition to a net zero economy, with business and policy makers working closely together on this shared objective. Through collaboration like this we will find new ways to protect and create value from sustainability for all stakeholders.”
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive, Scottish Power, added:
“As we work to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net zero targets, companies like ours have a responsibility to lead by example and show how we’re making the transition to a cleaner and greener future a reality.
“As a 100% green energy provider, every decision we take as a business is through the prism of achieving net zero. We’ll only make a success of that by joining forces with our peers, competitors and communities through initiatives like SBCC. This is the latest step on our journey to tackle the climate emergency, reduce our own emissions and show how to become a more sustainable business.”
Notes to editors:
- About SBCC:
The Scottish Business Climate Collaboration is a group of nine leading corporate businesses with a major footprint in Scotland who have come together to lead the private sector response to climate change and to inspire action as a legacy of COP26 in Glasgow.
- For more information contact: [email protected]
- Annex – Quotes from other SBCC members:
Dan Ibbetson, Managing Director, Aggreko Global Products & Technology
“Aggreko is committed to being net zero in all operations by 2050, supporting our customers through their own energy transition journeys. By working closely with other leading companies, we believe we can make a real difference. Climate change and protecting our planet needs to be a high priority focus for all businesses, no matter what sector they operate in. We’re proud to stand side by side with these organisations in our fight for a better future.”
Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diageo
“It is encouraging to see companies across Scotland taking responsibility and leadership in the race to Net Zero, but if we are to truly accelerate progress in tackling climate change we need to work together. Collaboration between businesses, working in partnership with governments and taking our customers and our communities with us on the journey is crucial to our future success. That’s why we’re delighted to be part of the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration.”
Darren Flynn, Regional Head for Scotland, Corporate & Institutional Coverage, Commercial Bank at Lloyds Banking Group
“Ahead of COP26 all eyes are on the UK. Our recent research, the UK Green Growth Index, shows that Scotland is in pole position to lead the green economic revolution as the UK seeks to recover from the pandemic. We are proud to be part of the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration and will mobilise support across our business to play our part in transitioning to a greener economy.”
David Macmillan, Chief Customer and Distribution Officer, M&G plc
“We must act now on climate change and M&G is determined to play our part in helping to fix our planet. We look forward to joining forces with our peers and the Scottish Government, through the Scottish Business Climate Collaboration, as we work towards meeting our own carbon net zero commitments, and to help accelerate climate action within the wider business sector in Scotland.”
Douglas Millican, Chief Executive, Scottish Water
“We have our own highly stretching targets to reach Net Zero and support biodiversity but we won’t achieve them on our own, we need the support of our customers, communities and supply chain partners to get there. The SBCC will enable us to work together with other leading businesses in Scotland to ensure we harness our collective potential to achieve a just transition to a sustainable economy”.