Business Unites For A Greener Future

This dinner was organised by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) in collaboration with Heineken and Unilever as part of their "Chambers Unite for a Greener Future" campaign, tackling climate change through good business. Guests were a wide range of leaders from companies at the forefront of addressing climate change in business.

 
At the start of the evening, Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, gave a keynote speech where she said: “Reaching net zero must be a joint venture between business and government. Businesses will be the innovators who have the ability to drive change, but we cannot afford to leave anyone behind. Politicians, for their part, must find ways to help business do this, especially smaller firms concerned about extra costs and red tape.”
 
The work doesn’t end there!
Next, Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, which has a net zero emissions by 2039 target, celebrated the achievements of COP26 so far, but emphasised that we must also act on social inequality which is one of the biggest threats of our time. He inspired business leaders with Unilever’s pledge to ensure that everyone who directly provides goods and services to Unilever will earn at least a living wage or income by 2030. Invigorating discussions were held on the key challenges for COP26 and beyond. The table discussions gave business leaders the opportunity to share the challenges their company faces and the actions they can take to address these. 

Motivating changes within the value chain
Business leaders agreed that motivating companies within their own value chain is a key step in combatting climate change. Stacey Tank, Chief Transformation & Corporate Affairs Officer of Heineken, described how organising training and workshops for SMEs can make a big difference in implementing best practices in their business processes, as well as investing in their breweries and the pubs they own. Heineken is committed to reaching net zero emissions in their own production by 2030, and in their full value chain by 2040. They also have a goal to move away from working with companies that have not implemented desired sustainability initiatives by 2030.
 
Sustainability choices are all around us
Held in the Ardnamurchan Scottish Restaurant & Pub, the dinner was a truly front-running event with carefully sourced ingredients, demonstrating the sustainability choices that are all around us. Every aspect of the evening had a story behind it; even the menu included a carbon footprint calculator, allowing guests to understand the impact of their choices. The canapés were presented by Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher, ‘bringing new meat to the (conference) table!’ and addressed the elephant in the room when it comes to the carbon footprint of our food. Drinks came in low-carbon Heineken bottles, produced using biofuel and made from 95% recycled glass to reduce their carbon emissions during production. Guests at the dinner were among the first to see the new Heineken bottle!
 
Action plans for a greener future
As the event drew to a close, those in attendance left with concrete, achievable action plans to motivate companies within their value chain to take climate action. 
The dinner will be followed up by regular, virtual roundtable where the frontrunning leaders can report their progress, giving the opportunity to discuss new challenges ahead with their fellow frontrunners. 

The evening as a whole, truly underscored the importance of businesses uniting for a greener future.