COP29 - NBCC

Key areas for COP29

What is the COP?

The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP29, will be the 29th United Nations Climate Conference. COP29 will be held from 11 – 22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The previous COP was held in Dubai, in 2023. The next COP will be held in Belém, 2025.

What will COP29 include?

This event will include the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29), the 19th meeting of the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP19) and the 6ht meeting of COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 6) that will convene to complete the first enhanced transparency framework and the new collective qualified goal on finance, among other matters. The 61st sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61) will also meet.

What is the purpose of COP29?

COP29, like its predecessors, will focus on advancing the goals of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, including efforts to limit global warming, adapt to the impacts of climate change and mobilize financing for these activities. Climate vulnerable developing countries have long called for meaningful climate finance to allow them to carry out emissions reduction plans and build resilience against the accelerating impacts of climate finance. Yet previous pledges of finance and support from developed nations have been largely insufficient, delayed or are yet to be delivered. COP29 is an opportunity to change that by adopting a new global climate finance goal for the first time in 15 years.

What to expect from COP29?

This year’s COP will be the first “COP of PEACE” focusing on the prevention of future climate-fueled conflicts and using international cooperation on green issues to help heal existing tensions. “Azerbaijan continues and will exert additional efforts to make COP yet another success story regarding peace, and to make COP29 a COP of peace alongside the climate action issue ,said Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor to the President in an interview with the Observer in Baku. “We are working on the advancement of the peace agenda”. COP29 will be held amid two big wars – the Ukraine invasion and the Israel-Gaza conflict – raging in neighbouring regions and worsening geopolitical tensions.

The COP29 Presidency Team is formed as follows:

Mukhtar Babayev – COP29 President Designate

Yalchin Rafiyev – COP29 Lead Negotiator

Elnur Soltanov – CEO COP29

Narmin Jarchalova – Chair of COP29 Azerbaijan Operating Company and Chief Operation Officer for COP29

Nigar Arpadarai – Climate Change High Level Champion for COP29

Leyla Hasanova – Youth Climate Champion for COP29

How will the NBCC be involved in COP29?

Since 2021, with the COP26 in Glasgow, the NBCC has been strongly involved in the yearly COP. Every year, we work on the COP roadmap with our NBCC Climate Frontrunners’ to make sure our members get the best out of the COP, meet the right partners and stakeholders, get the best information of the latest developments for them to accelerate the transition to net zero and can discuss the key policy asks.

February 2024

This year, we kicked off our COP campaign in London, during the meeting that was organized by John Patterson of the British Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan at BDO UK.

Prime Minister's Trade Envoy Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne opened the event with H.E. Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the UK, Elin Suleymanov. Chief Operations Officer of the COP29 Azerbaijan Presidency team Narmin Jarchalova next presented current plans to the participants and invited them to join the upcoming Conference in Baku.

Stuart Brocklehurst, Dep. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, showed examples from the UK, US and other economies that we can decarbonize and grow. He predicts that major topics at COP29 will include:

1. Climate finance; 2. The possible – though not yet certain – news that the Global Carbon Budget may report we’ve now passed thepeak of emissions.

Nigel Topping, CMG, UK's UN Climate High-Champion COP26, underscored that the voice of business is critical to put up the ambition. As Miranda Barker OBE said, “It was wonderful to see such a positive embracing of the COP process by climate leaders."

April 2024

The next stop on our roadmap to COP29 took place in London on 30 April with a NBCC Frontrunners’ Lunch at the Innovation Zero Congress. The COP29 Climate Champion Ms Nigar Arpadarai opened the event with a personal message for our NBCC Frontrunners:

"Global problems can not be solved at a national level". Opened by Innovation Zero Chair The Rt Hon Sir Liam Fox MP, the NBCC Frontrunners' lunch, organized and hosted together with the Innovation Zero Congress, brought together frontrunning companies, politicians and stakeholders.

Together we discussed the priorities and policy asks for COP29 in Azerbaijan. UN Climate Champion COP29 Azerbaijan, Nigar Arpadarai spoke an important message to our guests stressing the importance of collaboration and welcoming all to Baku this November.

We thank our keynote speaker UN Climate Champion COP26 Nigel Topping, CMG for his inspiring and important speech about how to use the speed and opportunities of innovations, avoiding falling back.

The Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma MP was awarded the NBCC Sustainability Leadership Award by NBCC Executive Director Lyne Biewinga, Nigel Topping, CMG and Robert Metzke for his valuable contribution to fighting climate change, thereby putting the UK at the forefront of sustainability. He stressed the importance of the COP; "Every COP matters" and concluded his speech by saying that "With every decision you make, think about your children and grandchildren".

The outcomes of the vivid round table discussions, led by Robert Metzke -Philips, Will Jones - FrieslandCampina, Emma Cox - PwC, Miranda Barker OBE - East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and Monalisa Goswami - Avantium were shaped into a joint statement that was handed over to H.E. Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom, by NBCC Chair Diederik Van Wassenaer and the CEO of Dopper, Virginia Yanquilevich.

This Frontrunners' Lunch marks an important stepping stone to Baku. NBCC will continue to engage with our members, making sure we best meet their needs to accelerate the transition to net zero.

We thank our moderator Jeroen Ouwehand, Clifford Chance for professionally and smoothly leading the afternoon!

During the congress, many of our members were involved with speaker slots and moderator roles.

Some highlights of the Innovation Zero Congress are:

Wonderful to meet with Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, about the NBCC Frontrunners’ Lunch. He stressed that clean power is the route to energy independence and lower bills.
Heba Bevan, OBE, CEO of UtterBerry LTD and Vice Chair of NBCC, spoke during the panel “Bridging the gap: derisking and financing innovation” about the important role of green finance when you want to accelerate scaling up of innovations: less red tape and better government policies.
Samantha Deane of the Kelp Forest Foundation spoke about kelp, a Swiss army knife of the ocean when it comes to the transition to net zero: kelp locks away CO2 and can be used for producing sustainable products for agriculture (biostimulants), textiles and pharmaceuticals. She also described the main barriers to overcome to fully seize the opportunities kelp offers for a greener future: financing, innovation, Government policies (eg a license to operate a seaweed farm can take 16 years in some countries).
Robert John, CEO of our member Yellow Alert, chaired the Energy Forum about digitalization, advancements in bioenergy and integrating renewable energy into infrastructure.

Proud to watch our members in action!

A massive thank you to the team of Innovation Zero for making this happen together, already looking forward to next year: Paul Dunn David Stephenson Alistair Drennan Tim Mann Jennifer Arnau.

The main goal of NBCC Sustainability Forum is to help our members to accelerate the transition to net zero and implement ESG regulations. Please contact Véronique van Haaften at NBCC if you want to join our forum and activities.

sus 3

June 2024

During the London Climate Action Week, on 25 June 2024, we organized the high-level NBCC Frontrunners' Round Table at the DLA Piper office in London.

It was an honor to meet COP29 President-Designate Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 Lead Negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev, COP29 Climate Champion Nigar Arpadarai and Youth Champion Leyla Hasanova alongside the exceptional Frontrunners, esteemed academics, public sector leaders, and climate experts.

Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, Managing Director Sustainability and Resilience at DLA Piper, kicked off a deep dive into the priorities, key policy asks, and challenges for the upcoming climate summit in Baku.

A special highlight was Paul Polman’s keynote, emphasizing that our climate actions must ensure no one is left behind.

We were privileged to hear powerful speeches from:
• H.E. Kőrösi Csaba, President of the 77th UN General Assembly
• Honorable Hakima Elhaité, founder of the Marrakech Partnership
• H.E. Rosen Plevneliev, former President of Bulgaria
• H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, former President of Croatia
• H.E. Zlatko Lagumdzija, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina

A huge thank you to speakers Michiel Coenraads and Nick Baker, and to Miranda Barker OBE for her expert moderation and facilitation of an open dialogue. And we are grateful to Dr Sharon Fitzgerald of DLA Piper for hosting us.

This was again an important step towards Baku. Together, we continue to fight for a greener and more equitable future.

Sigrid Verweij

Communications and Sustainability

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Netherlands

Our path to Net Zero

The world is at a critical point and we must all play our part to cut Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. That’s why as Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) in December 2020 we launched the clear ambition to reach Net Zero by 2040, and to reduce our absolute GHG emissions across our value chain by 30% by 2030 (vs 2019). CCEP’s 2030 GHG reduction commitment has been approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Jeroen Ouwehand

Global Senior Partner & Chair ESG Board

Clifford Chance

Climate Action is key

Climate Action is a key imperative for businesses globally, with the pervasive nature of climate concerns touching more areas of the work we do and escalating the importance of enhanced reporting and transparency when it comes to our carbon footprint

Annick Boyen

VP Communications Global Markets and External Affairs EU

Unilever

Net zero by 2039

Our targets include having zero emissions from our operations by 2030, and net zero emissions from our products by 2039. Earlier this year, we put our Climate Transition Action Plan, the roadmap to how we will achieve these targets, to an advisory shareholder vote. Of those who voted, 99% were in favour of our plan – demonstrating the level of support from shareholders and investors for our climate agenda.

Marcel Venema

Managing Director

V-Web Internet Solutions

Sustainable hosting & development

Although we might not see it, the internet has a significant environmental impact. A carbon footprint we need to take into consideration as the internet becomes rapidly more accessible, faster and cheaper. By using carefully selected data centers for our services and investing in sustainable energy our goal is to reduce our web development footprint by 50% by 2025.

Hugo Verkuil

CEO

The Vegetarian Butcher

#SacrificeNothing

As an impact-driven business, sustainability is at our core. We are part of a movement to change the industry for the better – for the planet, the animals, and our health. Our take on impact and sustainability is reflected in our philosophy: ‘Sacrifice Nothing’. Because to us, this isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about unleashing a revolution, without having to sacrifice a thing. Looking ahead to the next decade we are passionate to fulfill our mission, tantalizing taste buds worldwide and...

Maxim Gelmann

Chief Stroodle and Founder

Stroodles

One Stroodle at a time

With Stroodles we show how fun and easy sustainability can be with eco tableware that inspires. Alongside our famous pasta drinking straws, our range features such simple single use plastic alternatives, as edible biscuit spoons, edible wafer cups, edible wheat plates and bowls and edible coffee stirrers. By stroodling one doesn’t have to change behaviours or compromise their eating or drinking experience! In this way, we make a splash against ocean polluting plastics

Wineke Haagsma

Director of Corporate Sustainability

PwC

Internal Carbon Price

Proud that as PwC The Netherlands we implemented an internal carbon price of 100 euros per CO2 ton. We need ambitions, but concrete actions to achieve these. Looking forward to collaborating on actions during COP26

Petra Hissink

Global Director Sustainable Development

Heineken

Net Zero roadmap

HEINEKEN aims to reach net zero emissions in our own production by 2030 and our full value chain, from barley to bar by 2040. This commitment is part of our refreshed sustainability & responsibility ambition - Brew a Better World 2030, which forms an important part of HEINEKEN’s new EverGreen balanced growth strategy. Our Net Zero roadmap thrives to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, in line with the Paris Agreement and approved by the #sciencebasedtargets initiative.

Roel Pronk

Co-Founder

Novasole

Accelerate global 'green' energy

At novasole we make it our mission to accelerate the global ‘green’ energy transition. We do this by enabling our B2B customer to unlock the immense potential of solar power systems to their customers. With our Scan App for example, users can generate an instant quote by inputting their address. Our solutions are easy; they’re accessible, low-cost and highly accurate.

Marcel Magermans

CEO and Founder

MMID

Clean hands, clean conscience

Wash your hands without wasting water, without leaving a huge carbon footprint and without single-use plastic packaging. But with maximum hygiene and convenience. The best of both worlds - and best for our planet. Together, we can transform how the world washes its hands: conveniently, hygienically and without damaging the environment.

Theye Veen

Co-founder, and MD

SkyNRG

sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Our goal is to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) the new global standard. As an industry leader, SkyNRG scales up SAF demand and supply globally. We sell SAF, a more sustainable alternative to fossil jet fuel, to corporate customers while involving all stakeholders: airports, airlines, and business travelers. Sustainability is at our core: Sustainable practices throughout the supply chain drive us. To make the right decisions regarding sustainability, an independent sustainability board...

Alex Bishop

Netherlands Country President

AstraZeneca

For Healthy People in a Healthy Planet

Our Ambition Zero Carbon strategy is to take climate action now for healthy people and a healthy planet. We will do this by becoming zero carbon in our operations (sites and fleet) by 2025 and carbon negative across our entire value chain by 2030. The $1 billion programme includes the launch of next-generation respiratory inhalers, transitioning to 100% electric vehicles and 100% renewable energy for heat and electricity, and a wide range of efficiency and clean energy initiatives to reduce...

Ben Greensmith

UK and Ireland Country Manager

Tony's Chocolonely

A World Free of Slavery and Child Labour

At Tony’s our mission is to make all chocolate worldwide free of slavery and child labour. We do this by showing the way with delicious tasting chocolate and our 5 sourcing principles that enable farmers to earn a living income and get out of poverty. Sadly we’re still the exception and so 2.5 years ago we started selling in the UK to raise awareness and inspire change. This year has been another exceptional year for Tony’s Chocolonely in the UK and not only are we now the fastest growing UK...

NBCC member in the spotlight

In the run up to COP29, we showcased best practices of our NBCC members.

COP29

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