In the run up to the Greater Manchester Green Summit, we’re previewing what to expect on the day and hearing from our headline sponsors and official partners.
In this blog, headline sponsor Deloitte explores how the GM Green Summit can be a platform for progress.
Click here to find out more about Green Summit 2024.
Whether by improving their business models to become more sustainable or driving forward innovations that will address climate issues, organisations play a vital role in building a green economy.
A critical step in this journey is the transition to clean energy, which is essential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping the UK move closer to achieving its net-zero targets.
The clean energy transition will also have an immense impact at a regional level. As the sector grows, it will drive job growth and economic development in localities like Greater Manchester that are already embracing change in this area.
The current landscape of clean energy initiatives
Global efforts have gained significant momentum in recent years, with an increasing number of nations introducing policies and commitments to catalyse the transition towards net zero. Efforts to achieve global net zero targets were once again brought into focus at the COP29 conference, which set out ambitious new aims and initiatives to ensure we’re on the way to achieving this globally.
The North West has long been a pioneer in energy transition. By leveraging our industrial legacy, along with the world class research and development in our renowned universities, our region has been leading the way in clean energy integration through a series of technological innovations. This includes Warrington’s heritage in nuclear energy and HyNet, a North West initiative which aimed at locking away carbon dioxide emitted by heavy industry and providing locally produced low carbon hydrogen.
Greater Manchester in particular has emerged as a leader in this space, especially with Andy Burnham’s bold commitment to achieving net zero by 2038. Our region holds vast potential and its innovative approach to sustainability underlines its commitment to supporting the rest of the UK in sustainable development.
Deloitte’s role in fostering meaningful change
At Deloitte, we’re committed to supporting the North West’s transition to clean energy. We recognise the power we have in supporting our clients on regulatory, legal, infrastructure planning, compliance and stakeholder engagement to support this work.
However, we also know how important it is to use our influence beyond our day-to-day work, ensuring we’re pushing forward energy transition in the wider business community. We do this by acting as a convener of key decision-makers across the public and private sectors to facilitate conversations and drive forward wider meaningful action in our region.
We recently did this at our flagship Growth 35 event, which brought together business leaders, the public and private sectors, and academia, to discuss how the North West can be the driving force in returning the UK to being a high growth economy. While we discussed a number of key themes that we believe are essential to unlocking growth, one of the key areas of discussion on the day was sustainability. It not only recognised that any economic growth had to be done so sustainably, but also the vast amount of opportunity energy transition and a green economy has in creating jobs and spreading prosperity.
As members of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership (MCCP), we also work with businesses across numerous sectors to shape sustainability action. MCCP brings together organisations from across Manchester to help the city reach its net zero targets, recognising that collaboration is key to addressing climate change matters. By working with businesses across Greater Manchester, we’re helping to align efforts and move towards sustainable collective change.
We’re also helping to drive change through our network of clients and partnerships. A standout example of this is our work with Panasonic, helping it release its innovative hydrogen fuel cell technology in the UK. Using our global Deloitte network, we connected Panasonic with key regional stakeholders such as Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Manchester Metropolitan University, and Electricity North West, leading to an agreement that will make Manchester England’s first-use case for hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Partnerships like this highlight Greater Manchester’s ambitious approach to cutting carbon emissions, working with companies at an international level to introduce new technologies.
Our commitment to sustainable change was also demonstrated by our move to our new office at 100 Embankment earlier this year. The office boasts numerous sustainability credentials, including using no fossil fuel on site. The office also has a variety of low-carbon products, such as carpet made from industrial waste and recycled plastics, and joinery made from local offcut timber and wood dust.
Using the Greater Manchester Green Summit as a platform for progress
An example of this commitment is our upcoming North West Sustainability and Climate Week, which will be kicked off by our sponsorship of the Greater Manchester Green Summit and will involve numerous events to engage our employees and stakeholders.
The summit gives a platform for cross-sector collaboration, allowing people to come together and become more aligned on combating the biggest issues our planet is facing.
This will give a roadmap to the region on what we need to focus on over the next five years. It is expected that there will be a focus on technological advancement and innovation as key drivers for a net zero transition. Given our focus on sustainability and supporting innovative businesses, we’ve long recognised that technological advancement is key to supporting energy transition and the wider green economic agenda.
Attendees should feel inspired to think deeper about the ways that we can come together to combat climate change. New technology and innovation sit at the heart of this so businesses should not feel afraid to try new things and to take risks. It is often only by doing this and supporting these ventures that we can move to a net zero economy.
At Deloitte, we remain dedicated to fostering meaningful change, collaborating with visionary organisations, and supporting Greater Manchester and the UK as a whole in achieving its net zero ambitions. It is by working together that we will shape a more sustainable future.
