B4NZ

🌟 The Official Release of the B4NZ Spotlight Series! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce the launch of our B4NZ Spotlight Series, a celebration of the remarkable efforts and innovative projects spearheaded by our dedicated members and their organisations. This series is a testament to the impactful work being done within our ecosystem, highlighting the strides we are making towards a sustainable and net zero future. As B4NZ turns 5, we take immense pride in the collective achievements of our community. Our members are at the forefront of driving change, implementing sustainable practices, and championing initiatives that pave the way for a greener, more resilient world. A heartfelt thank you to our members for their extraordinary contributions. Your commitment and hard work are truly inspiring. 📢 Join Us: Get in touch if you would like to join the collaboration accelerating the UK towards net zero. Stay tuned for the inspiring stories and insights that will be featured in our Spotlight Series. Together, we can dare to be extraordinary. Tide Santander UK British Business Bank HSBC Allica Bank ClearBank Handelsbanken OakNorth Paragon Impact Paragon Banking Group PLC Triodos Bank Ecology Building Society NatWest Group Atom bank Oxbury Bank Plc Perenna Development Bank of Wales Tred Perenna Aldermore Bank Institute of Directors (IoD) Kamma Data KPMG UK Opna Sage PwC UK WWF-UK Tim Lord Will Smith Tessa Vincent Karen Ellis Carmen Cheng Heather Buchanan Hannah Cool Richard Winder Timothy Coates Oliver Thornton Orla Shields Matt Bullivant Conrad Ford

📣 Join live now to hear B4NZ's COO, Hannah Cool discussing 'Small Businesses, Big Impact: Driving SMEs Toward Sustainable Actions'! Decarbonising SMEs is a core workstream at B4NZ, and to ensure they are not left behind or forgotten in this transition B4NZ currently have two active programmes of works to identify current barriers and challenges and push for feasible yet effective policy options. 1. Project Perseus - alongside Icebreaker One, we are developing Project Perseus, a pragmatic whole-of-market solution to create rapidly scalable, low-effort, low-friction sustainability reporting to help unlock access to capital by automating GHG reporting for every SME in the UK. 2. SME Sustainability Data Taskforce - our reporting programme brings together leaders from across industry, regulation, civil society and finance to align and create consensus around a standard set of sustainability attributes that SMEs can disclose against and provide guidance on improving data quality by creating a clear data quality scale, which promotes the move towards assured data. Learn more about all of our workstreams here: https://lnkd.in/eg6CAtPe Shevaun Haviland Eva-Maria Dimitriadis Ajaita S. Guy Ranawake

🌏 B4NZ welcomes the Autumn Budget and the new Labour Government’s commitment to a sustainable future. Heather Buchanan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of B4NZ shared her thoughts: "The Chancellor’s Budget signals an encouraging direction towards sustainability and clean energy, which sends a clear message to the market and is crucial to unlocking private investment. We’re pleased to see the government’s support for emissions reductions and investment in clean energy initiatives, which lay a crucial foundation for the private sector to ramp up its net zero efforts.    We support the steps taken towards the Warm Homes Plan. Increased funding for building energy efficiency upgrades is a key step toward meeting the UK’s net zero targets and ensuring that households across the country benefit from greener, more cost-effective homes. We are also pleased to see the funding allocated to nature recovery, which is vital for building a resilient, sustainable economy. However, the detail behind the headlines is key. We look forward to working closely with the government and industry to drive forward these initiatives." 

📣 🌍 Countdown to COP29: Just 2 Weeks Until the Climate Action Sustainable Innovation Forum 2024 in Azerbaijan! B4NZ is proud to be partnering with Climate Action to support the 16th annual Sustainable Innovation Forum on November 13-14. This year’s Forum promises to be a pivotal gathering for global climate leaders across business, government, finance, and civil society, all committed to transformative climate solutions and accelerated progress toward net zero. With numerous networking opportunities, this Forum is an ideal platform for connecting with industry pioneers and changemakers shaping the future of climate action. 🎤 Special Highlight: Our own Hannah Cool will moderate the session "Carbon Markets Unleashed: Navigating Net Zero with Carbon Removals and Voluntary Strategies" on November 13. Don’t miss this critical discussion covering: ✅ A deep dive into evolving standards in carbon markets and their role in advancing corporate net zero targets ✅ Key updates from Article 6 negotiations on international cooperation in carbon trading ✅ The strategic impact of CCUS for decarbonisation across sectors via voluntary carbon markets B4NZ is delighted to have complimentary passes for our network to attend. You can apply for a pass here before it expires tomorrow (31st October) - https://lnkd.in/eDC5eChB Amy Merrill Olga Hancock Tina Reine Harry Clarke

📣 🍃 Green Employee Partnership Announcement! B4NZ are pleased to announce that we are supporting the Green Employee Partnership. Stemming from the Sustainability Network at the NatWest Group, which is an employee-led network (ELN), they're looking to connect with other UK corporates who are also interested in using an employee led-network to improve sustainable best practice and initiate bottom-up changes in their organisation. The purpose of the Green Employee Partnership is to enable network Co-Chairs to come together to support the mutual growth of ELNs by collaborating on cross-organisation sustainable initiatives. 📅 A launch event for the partnership is being held on 20th of November in London. If you're interested in going to this event on behalf of your network, or simply want further information, please contact Paul Hickman or Rhodri Evans, PhD from the NatWest team.

📣 🌏 Climeworks joins the B4NZ Ecosystem! We are thrilled to welcome Climeworks into the B4NZ ecosystem, adding their cutting-edge Direct Air Capture technology and carbon removal expertise to our collective efforts to accelerate the journey to net zero across the UK.   At B4NZ, we already work closely with financial institutions and corporates to drive decarbonisation and help meet ambitious climate targets. However, reaching true net zero requires more than just reducing emissions—it also involves removing CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. This is where Climeworks plays a vital role in the puzzle.   Barbara Truyers, Global Head of Strategic Partnerships Financial Services at Climeworks, underscores the importance of collaboration in achieving net zero ambitions:   "The path to true net zero demands both emission reductions and the active removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, as highlighted by the IPCC. Achieving this ambitious climate target is not something any firm or sector can accomplish in isolation but requires collaboration and partnerships with organisations dedicated to high-impact solutions. That is why Climeworks is proud to join B4NZ, providing high-quality carbon removal expertise that aligns with B4NZ's vision and efforts to guide financial institutions in the UK on their net-zero journey."   💭 Why Climeworks Matters: The UK’s ambitious climate targets—reducing emissions by 68% by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050—can’t be reached through emission cuts alone. Carbon removal, especially through technologies like Direct Air Capture, will be essential. By 2030, the UK plans to remove at least 5 Mt CO2 annually, scaling up to 75-81 Mt CO2 by 2050. However, scaling carbon removal is not just about hitting climate targets - it is also about building a new industry, creating jobs, and establishing supply chains. We’re excited to collaborate with Climeworks and our other partners to push forward towards a net zero future! Guillaume Janin Matthias Henzgen Katja Schmid Lisa Maria Hilti Fabian Mettler Louise Matthias Julius de Groot Peter Freudenstein Christoph Gebald Jan Wurzbacher Douglas Chan Andreas Aepli Ann-Kristin Koch Franziska Tück

B4NZ at COP16: Paving the Path for a Nature-Positive Future 🌱 🌸 The last week has been pivotal for B4NZ at COP16 Colombia, where our COO, Hannah Cool, and Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Elena Pérez Celis, have been leading our efforts to drive real impact in nature finance, policy, and partnership-building. Our focus in Cali is clear: we’re here to kickstart our nature finance workstream, build robust partnerships, and gather essential insights to shape policy priorities that support a nature-positive future. At B4NZ, we believe that engaging with nature isn’t just about sustainability—it’s integral to business resilience and long-term success. With nature-based solutions, we can address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and we need businesses and financial institutions to drive this transformation. What Have We Been Up To? 🤝 Engaging with a wide array of old and new stakeholders—including Howden, Unilever, Nestlé, and Bank of America—to foster collaboration on addressing nature risks and mobilising finance into nature and biodiversity. 🌿 Participating in productive discussions with the UK Parliament delegation on the global leadership potential for nature finance, exploring both risks and opportunities for the UK to lead on nature-positive initiatives. 🏛 Facilitating a parliamentary briefing, where members like KPMG showcased their leading work and COP16 priorities directly to policymakers, specifically, cross party MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee and the APPG on Sustainable Finance. Other thought provoking events included The World Biodiversity Summit, Target 18, Bloomberg, Casa Britanica Events and a diverse array of fantastic events at Project Everyone’s Nature House. We look forward to continuing our discussions with industry leaders, civil society, and government representatives in our shared mission to create a thriving, nature-positive world. Sarah Nelson James d'Ath Anthony Hobley Rhona Turnbull Thomas Lingard Owen Bethell Vicky McAllister Amy Robinson Will Evison Emma Cox Paul Benjamin Gloria Perez Torres Jon Hales Eric Wilburn

A month after the UK’s Party Conferences, the road to Net Zero faces new opportunities and challenges 🌱 Our latest Policy Insight dives into the key takeaways from both Labour and Conservative conferences, where discussions on sustainable growth, green finance, and decarbonisation initiatives took centre stage. 🔴 Labour’s Focus: Prioritising sustainable economic growth, green finance, and decarbonisation frameworks for SMEs, with exciting updates on energy efficiency and nature-positive investment. 🔵 Conservative Perspectives: A range of views on net zero, with candidates balancing ambitious goals against cautious pragmatism. But can the commitment to climate action remain strong amid shifting priorities? From support for SMEs to advancing the Perseus program and mobilising green finance, B4NZ is at the forefront, advocating for the robust policies essential to drive meaningful climate progress. 👉 Read our full Policy Insight to explore what these announcements mean for the UK’s net zero journey and how B4NZ is leading the way: https://lnkd.in/eSjSzJzN

Join us on Wednesday 6th for The Conduit's Green Economy Forum 🌱 B4NZ COO Hannah Cool will join Shevaun Haviland, Eva-Maria Dimitriadis and Ajaita S. to discuss 'Small Businesses, Big Impact: Driving SMEs Toward Sustainable Actions'. SMEs are vital to the global green transition, responsible for around 40% of business-sector emissions, but they often struggle to access affordable sustainable finance due to administrative burdens and a lack of awareness of available options. The discussion will explore these barriers, and how we can tackle these - including B4NZ's Project Perseus and SME Sustainability Reporting Exercise, both aimed to simplify sustainability reporting for SMEs.

🌏 💵 Priorities at COP: The Role of Financial Institutions and Professional Services in Delivering the Paris Agreement Goals COP28 marked a significant moment in the fight against climate change, with key outcomes setting the stage for future action. Early agreements on climate loss and damage, the completion of a global stocktake on progress against the 2015 Paris Agreement, and a headline commitment to "transition away from fossil fuels" underscored the urgency of action. But as we look ahead to COP29, the spotlight will shine even brighter on the financial sector, making it clear why this COP is being seen as the ‘Finance COP’—a pivotal moment for mobilising the financial resources needed to achieve climate goals. 🇬🇧 UK Priorities and the Global Financial Landscape The UK’s priorities (as set out in the 2030 Strategic Framework for international climate and nature action) include keeping the 1.5°C target alive, building resilience, and reversing biodiversity loss. However, these ambitious goals will only be met if the financial sector is fully mobilised to support them. As such, COP29’s moniker as the ‘Finance COP’ reflects the crucial role that FIs and professional services will play in delivering the necessary funding and expertise to meet climate goals. The UK boasts a world-leading financial and professional services sector, and there is immense opportunity to harness this industry’s full potential to accelerate the global transition to net zero. Financial institutions and professional services are at the core of the global economy—they influence businesses, shape government policies, and help implement regulations. This unique position enables them to play a critical role in the transition to a sustainable economy. We had the pleasure of delving further into insights and expectations for COP29, the role of the financial and related professional services in supporting the delivery of the Paris agreement and maintaining momentum to COP30 in a pre-COP29 breakfast roundtable yesterday morning - thank you TheCityUK. Get in touch if you will be on the ground in Baku - francesca.oneill@b4nz.co.uk Gillian Lofts Kathy Ryan Charles Sincock Arjun Singh-Muchelle Jessica Skedd Bryony Widdup Heather Buchanan Francesca O'Neill