Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ)

🇬🇧 🌱 The new government has made its legislative priorities for the next Parliament clear in last week’s Kings Speech. This represents a real inflection point in our journey to a just and resilient economy, and with a renewed focus on sustainable growth. See here our Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) proposal to the new government which sets outs new and innovative ways of maximising pre-competitive collaboration across industry, government and civil society. Our key recommendations call on the government to: 🌍 Establish a centralised civil society & industry working group at the heart of government 🌏 Develop proportionate guidance for SME emissions reporting 🌎 Prioritise the data protection and digital information (DPDI) bill 🌍 Establish a national retrofit working group 🌏 Reform energy performance certificates We look forward to continuing to work with our partners across the market on our shared journey to net zero. 👇 Explore these recommendations in full below 👇 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero HM Treasury Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

🌿 We are delighted to share that one of our valued members, Santander UK, has released important findings outlining the challenges SMEs face in becoming environmentally sustainable. The research reveals that while SMEs are eager to become more sustainable, they urgently need increased support through government grants, sustainability workshops, climate hubs and clearer policy guidance. This report highlights Santander’s dedication to supporting SMEs and advancing environmental sustainability. At Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ), we are proud to collaborate with and support such committed partners.

We are delighted to announce that Daniel Hanna, Global Head of Sustainable Finance at Barclays, will be presenting a case study titled as “Transition Finance in action” at our summit: "Making the UK a Global Hub for Transition Finance: New Opportunities for the Financial & Professional Services Industries."    The programme for the conference, which will take place in London on 10 October, has been designed in close consultation with Vanessa Havard-Williams, Chair of the Transition Market Finance Review. Vanessa will be giving a keynote address. The review was set up by HM Treasury to examine what the UK financial and professional services ecosystem needs to do to become the leading global centre for transition finance. Its report will be published shortly before the date of the conference.   The programme features a very strong line-up of other speakers including: 🎤 James Roe, Partner, A&O Shearman 🎤 André Abadie, Managing Director, Centre for Carbon Transition, J.P. Morgan 🎤 Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive Officer, Green Finance Institute 🎤 Chris Leeds, Executive Director, Head of Carbon Markets Development, Standard Chartered 🎤 Gemma Lawrence-Pardew, Director - Legal and Head of Sustainability, Loan Market Association (LMA) 🎤 Matt Townsend, Partner, Global Co-Head of the Environmental, Climate and Regulatory Law Grou, A&O Shearman 🎤 Sean Kidney, Chief Executive Officer, Climate Bonds Initiative 🎤 James Emmett, Chief Operating Officer, UK Infrastructure Bank 🎤 Tom Tayler, Head of Climate Finance, Aviva Investors 🎤 Kate Levick, Associate Director, Finance & Resilience, Third Generation Environmentalism (E3G); Co-Head, Secretariat, Transition Plan Taskforce (TPT) 🎤 Mardi McBrien, Director of Strategic Affairs, IFRS Foundation 🎤 Elena Pérez Celis, Head of Policy & Public Affairs, Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) 🎤 James Close, Head of Climate Change, NatWest Group 🎤 Spencer Powell, Director of Climate Finance, Just Climate   Please click here to see the programme and here to watch a recent interview we conducted with Vanessa about the Review’s work: https://lnkd.in/eZ-D74QF ✨Sponsored by A&O Shearman, Loan Market Association (LMA) and Slaughter and May ✨ #TransitionFinance #GreenFinance #GreenEconomy

🌟 Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) at the Open Banking Summit hosted by TrueLayer🌟 Last night, the B4NZ team had the pleasure of joining Open Banking for their OBL Strategy Summit kindly hosted by TrueLayer The team were delighted to engage with our friends and partners and discuss the next phase of open banking and how we maintain momentum and increase adoption. It was great to hear from experts such as Marion King, Alison Maund, Francesco Simoneschi, Ghela Boskovich, Wayne Brown, Henk Van Hulle, Andy Sacre, Anna Harvey, Adam Jackson, Phillip Mind, Chris Pointon, Luke R., and Lord Iain McNicol. It was wonderful to see so many experts from government, civil society, and business working together towards our net zero goals. Thank you Open Banking! Meghan Green Hattie Turner Hannah Cool Clare Ambrosino

🌎 🚀 The deadline to apply for our 'Climate for SMEs: 4 Steps to Action' is quickly approaching, and we're encouraging all City-based SMEs to register by 6 September 2024 to take full advantage of this unique opportunity! Delivered through workshops, masterclasses, online resources and expert mentoring, the course is delivered over four Modules that guide SMEs through demystifying the world of #NetZero, building a business case for it, measuring carbon footprint and completing with a Net Zero action plan. The course is funded by the City of London Corporation as part of their Climate Action Strategy, and is FREE to SMEs based in, or with more than 50% of their operations in the Square Mile. 📚 🔗 Find out more and apply via our website here > https://lnkd.in/ek99DbCH #SMEClimateAction #Climatecrisis #ClimateAction

📢 New Policy Recommendations for UK Climate Finance 📢 Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) are proud to share a new climate finance policy playbook edited by David Carlin, David Aikman, Dr Marc Lepere, and Luca Taschini which included a chapter from our CEO, Heather Buchanan. Heather used her chapter *Empowering SMEs for a Net-Zero Future: Challenges, Solutions, and the Importance of Collaboration* to explore the challenges SMEs face in sustainability reporting and to recommend the UK government develop standard reporting frameworks and automated tools like Project Perseus to streamline data collection and improve access to green investment. The e-book brings together experts from business, finance, international organisations, and academia and makes several climate finance policy recommendations for the new UK government. Key recommendations include: 🔼 Higher Capital Gains Tax for heavy carbon emitters ✅ Streamlined listing rules for green companies The e-book features contributions from nearly forty thought leaders, including with contributions from World Benchmarking Alliance, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, E3G, PwC, Climate Bonds Initiative, Chapter Zero, Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and many others. The 25 practical evidence-based recommendations in the e-book could help to transform the UK into a net zero finance hub within the next six months. 🌱 Explore the recommendations in full using the link below! 🌍 King's Business School University of Edinburgh Business School

Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ)'s Reaction to new government’s pledges in the King’s speech Yesterday King Charles III announced 39 bills that the new Labour Government seeks to introduce in the next Parliament. A number of these bills could significantly accelerate the transition to net zero and we at B4NZ are pleased that the government appear to be making this a key priority from day one. We are especially pleased with the following announcements: ⚫ Great British Energy Bill: This Bill will see the creation of Great British Energy to invest public money in renewable energy projects and facilitate private sector investment.  ⚫ National Wealth Fund (NWF): Confirmation that a National Wealth Fund will be created to invest in net zero projects including carbon capture, EV battery manufacturing, and low-carbon steelmaking,   ⚫ Digital Information and Smart Data Bill: This bill will be presented to Parliament and includes proposals to set up Smart Data schemes which will allow the sharing of a customer’s data upon request with authorised third-party providers. The creation of this infrastructure will support Project Perseus, our SME GHG reporting framework being developed with Icebreaker One. We also note that the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill seeks to boost housebuilding but does not explicitly reference key points such as EPC reform or energy efficiency measures. The government did commit to a £6.6 billion Warm Homes Fund in their election manifesto, which would support investment in insulation, solar panels, low carbon heating, and batteries. We look forward to seeing the government’s plans in this area in the coming weeks.

Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) at the PRASEG - All Party Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group Parliamentary Reception 🌍 ☀ Last night, the B4NZ team had the pleasure of joining PRASEG for their parliamentary reception on the day of the State Opening of Parliament. It was a beautiful evening, and the team was delighted to see so many new and returning parliamentarians. It was inspiring to see attendees from across the political spectrum coming together to discuss the political outlook for renewable energy under the new Government and how we can accelerate the transition to clean energy and net zero. Evenings like this leave us excited to continue engaging with partners through the year at party conferences, New York Climate Week, COP29 Azerbaijan and beyond! Laura Bailey Heather Buchanan Hannah Cool Agnes Kay

🌟 Exciting Announcement: 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

⚡ Stiff headwinds facing Starmer's clean energy plans... In a recent article by Reuters, Angeli Mehta discusses the ambitious clean energy plan proposed by the new labour government, which aims to make Britain a leader in clean energy by 2030. Heather Buchanan, CEO of B4NZ, emphasises the critical role of public and private sector collaboration in achieving these goals. She notes that while the plan presents a strong start, its success hinges on overcoming several challenges such as ensuring adequate funding, maintaining political stability, and securing long-term commitments from all stakeholders. Heather also highlights the importance of creating thousands of quality jobs in the renewable energy sector and the need for a just transition to ensure no community is left behind. Rachel Solomon Williams Laith Kharus Whitwham Chris Stark https://lnkd.in/etQNF9NC