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STRIVING FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AFTER COP26

Nov. 16 2021

With COP26 now complete and a new climate deal in place, Bureau Veritas is proud to be playing our part in delivering a more sustainable future.

We were happy to take part in numerous events and opportunities throughout the Glasgow conference, with experts from across our business there to contribute to the debate and offer innovative solutions to many of the climate challenges that we face.

To round-up our activity around COP26, here’s a summary of the key sectors, themes and topics that we’ve been involved with over the last two weeks.

Marine and Offshore

A delegation from our renowned Marine & Offshore team were in Glasgow, where Bureau Veritas  was a partner for three key events shining the spotlight on the need for a more sustainable shipping industry; ‘SHIPZERO26’, ‘Shaping the Future of Shipping’ and ‘Shipping after COP26’. You can read more about our Marine and Offshore involvement here.

Making change happen

As the conference began to take shape, we were urging UK businesses to ‘make change happen’ following Boris Johnson’s pledge to take action on ‘coal, cars, cash and trees’. In this article, Julia-Anna Smith, South & West Europe Sustainability Services Leader at Bureau Veritas, gave her support for the commitments and ambitions that were presented in the opening few days, noting the role that businesses have to play in delivering on those ambitions.

Sustainable financing

Next came the discussion around mobilising public and private finance flows, and we were quick to describe Government’s sustainable financing pledges at COP26 as an ‘important step in shaping a world of trust’ when it comes to making sustainable investments. Click here to see our initial response to the Government’s green finance plans.

The transition to renewable energy

On day four of COP26, global leaders discussed accelerating the global transition to clean energy, but Mauricio Pereira, Head of Renewable Energy at Bureau Veritas, warned that there is a long way to go before the world is ready to commit to – and adhere to – a coal phase-out. Read why we think the COP26 ‘coal pledge’ was not enough.

Calls to end deforestation

When the conference focus turned to deforestation, we urged global industries to support the COP26 pledge to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, because a political commitment, albeit from over 100 governments worldwide, is not enough to enforce change. David Murray, Business Unit Manager - Sustainability at Bureau Veritas, comments on the issue here.

The shift to Electric Vehicles

COP26 Transport Day rightly focused on Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the imminent ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, but there’s a bigger picture in the rush to roll out zero emission vehicles. In this article, Richard Maggs, Head of Environment & Sustainability at Bureau Veritas, highlights the wider environmental impact to EV manufacture supply chains and the need for a quality first approach to ensure a network of reliable EV charge points.

Accelerating decarbonisation of buildings

Finally, when the conference agenda turned to the built environment, so too did our focus. Following the launch of the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) milestone roadmap for the UK built environment, we urged the UK construction industry to accelerate its efforts to support the decarbonisation of buildings. Here is more reaction from Richard Maggs.

We all have a role to play in helping to combat climate change, including governments, organisations and individuals worldwide. This includes Bureau Veritas, and our clients – and as global leaders in sustainability services, we’re excited for the opportunity to contribute towards a Net Zero future.