COP26: SUST4IN hosts Net Zero event with the International Chamber of Commerce​

4th November 2021. SUST4IN, sustainability experts, has hosted the event “Net Zero Metrics and Reporting: how to respond to investors and other stakeholders” during the Make Climate Action Everyone’s Business Forum, organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) at COP26.

Marcio Viegas, Founder and Managing Director of SUST4IN, opened the event live from COP 26 in Glasgow explaining “the the Net Zero journey started with science, it was set in the Paris Agreement, now we are seeing standards, such as the SBTi Corporate Net Zero Standard, some action, metrics, reporting and verification. Moreover companies and investors should go beyond their operations and work with their value chains, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders”.

The event continued with an open conversation with David Hone, Chief Climate Change Advisor at Shell, who explained the challenge: “Shell has clearly set out its net-zero emission goals, covering Scopes 1, 2 and 3. But the transition is a challenge for all and both society and Shell will have to rely on the ‘net’ to get there making use of nature based solutions and geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. Nevertheless, net-zero emissions is in our future, in step with society.”

Going beyond Net Zero, Andrew Winston, author and sustainability expert, detailed in a keynote the Net Positive concept he and former Unilever CEO Paul Polman set in their new eponymous book. Andrew detailed their five Net Positive core principles: ”1. Ownership of all impacts and consequences, intended or not; 2. Operating for the long-term benefit of business and society; 3. Creating positive returns for all stakeholders; 4. Driving shareholder value as a result, not a goal; 5. Partnering to drive systemic change”.

Marcio then closed the event highlighting the evolution of the Net Zero concept, the inspiration of the Net Positive ideas and urging companies and investors to act together with other stakeholders in a transparent way: “No big investor, no big company, indeed no big country can achieve net zero alone. Trust is needed to reinforce and keep partnerships: standards, metrics, reporting and independent verification can help. In that sense the United Nations announcement, at COP 26, of new global standards for net zero is welcome and timely”.

The ICC’s Make Climate Action Everyone’s Business Forum continue till the 13^th November.