In March, GES EMEA launched its ground-breaking Roadmap to Net Zero, which is just the beginning of our journey. We realise we’re not the first to the table with such a plan, but we never saw this as a race. Instead, our focus has been on taking our time to create a plan that is ambitious, but also achievable.
In recent years, businesses across a plethora of industries have made bold commitments to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. These pledges were seen as critical in the fight against climate change, aligning businesses with global efforts such as The Paris Agreement. However, we’re undoubtedly now seeing some delaying, or even softening of some businesses’ net-zero goals. To understand why, we need to look beyond our industry and appreciate that the world is a very different place now.
As world leaders differ on their stance, we’re witnessing lots of change. In Europe, many are talking about the introduction of the European Commission’s Omnibus package , which proposes amendments to several sustainability laws, including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Companies are therefore constantly reacting to changes - not just in expectations but regulations too.
The speed at which technology is being developed also presents a challenge. The government needs to put its money where its mouth is and invest more in technology and innovations in order for tech to keep a pace with demand. Schemes such as The Earthshot Prize, which was launched by Prince William in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges, are brilliant but we need more.
It seems the conundrum for some businesses is that they COULD do more, but why should they if it’s not supplemented or regulated? Where is the carrot or the stick?
This flies in the face of our approach at GES. While some companies see their opportunity to take their foot off the gas, we’re forging ahead with our ESG plans. We’re not shying away from our responsibilities, irrespective of changes in governance and relaxing of regulations. We believe that the thing driving businesses to address their sustainable responsibilities - more than government support or regulation - is consumer demand. Customers are becoming more and more educated in the field of sustainability and want to feel confident about working with partners that recognise their obligations. And we welcome the conversation.
Read our Net Zero Roadmap, which has involved a huge investment from our team, as well as consultation with our partners, and we’re extremely proud of the powerful statement it helps us to make. Despite the challenges we face, we are committed to being on this journey and hope to support others along the way.