This knowledge hub includes thought leadership from the European Corporate Leaders Group and the UK Corporate Leaders Group on how policymakers and business leaders can back a green economic recovery that puts Europe and the UK on the path towards economic renewal and climate neutrality.

Background

The world has experienced an unprecedented social and economic shock as a result of the spread of Covid-19 into a global pandemic. The tragic implications of the healthcare crisis has forced countries to declare ‘lockdown’ measures, and close down schools, shops and factories, resulting in a sharp decline in economic activity.

In response, policymakers are putting together recovery packages to build more resilient economies. These recovery packages must however build back better - they need to be socially and environmentally responsible, supporting decarbonisation and delivering an economy that works for people and avoids repeating the mistakes made in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The transition to climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest and urgently ramping up ambition in the next decade remains critical. The EU must establish an ambitious and effective Green Deal policy framework, including a stronger 2030 target of at least 55 per cent. The UK must rapidly raise the ambition of delivery, building on its early successes to get back on track to net zero. It is in no one’s interest that the response to the Covid-19 pandemic undermines efforts to address the challenge of climate action, which is well aligned with action to restart the economy and build new industries, delivering better health outcomes, and more pleasant places to live.

This knowledge hub captures the work of the Corporate Leaders Groups in demonstrating why it is essential to ensure the economic recovery is consistent with building an economy that is climate neutral by 2050 at the latest.

Key outputs

CLG Europe: The Green Deal and Europe’s recovery report: Building a prosperous, resilient and climate neutral EU The report sets out four key areas where combined business and political action can support a strong recovery that addresses both the social and economic crisis from Covid-19 and the wider climate and environmental crisis.	CLG UK: More than 200 leading businesses urge UK Government to deliver a clean, inclusive and resilient recovery plan  clg_uk_logo_883x431-01.png Over 200 leading UK businesses, investors and business networks call on the UK Government to deliver a Covid-19 recovery plan that builds back a more inclusive, stronger and resilient UK economy.	CLG Europe: Rapid reaction and analysis of Next Generation EU, the proposed €1.85 trillion recovery plan for Europe CLG Europe analyses the EU Recovery Package proposed by the Commission on 27 May 2020.
CLG Europe urges EU to maintain its climate ambition CLG Europe underlines its strong support for the EU’s climate ambition and the Green Deal as the EU’s growth strategy in letters to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Ministers.	Thought leadership on a green recovery  Thought leaders call for compassionate leadership and a continued commitment to climate neutrality to build back better.	Building back a strong net zero UK economy building-back-strong.jpg Efforts to rescue and repair the economy following the Covid-19 pandemic must be aligned with actions to meet the UK’s legislated goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest.

The Corporate Leaders Groups Europe (CLG Europe) strongly supports the EU’s climate ambition and the Green Deal as the EU’s growth strategy. CLG Europe, its members and its network of sister groups across the EU, have worked extensively to build business support for a green recovery through initiatives like the Green Recovery Alliance, led by MEP Pascal Canfin, Stiftung 2° in Germany, Entreprises pour l’environmnent in France, the Spanish Green Growth Group, the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition and the Center of Energy Efficient Solutions in Slovenia, Green recovery and green growth in Croatia, and Změna k lepšímu in the Czech Republic. In addition to these initiatives, EU environment ministers have issued a joint call for a green recovery. As a founding member of the We Mean Business Coalition, the Corporate Leaders Groups support the international Build Back Better campaign.

The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) strongly supports the recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) in its annual progress report to the UK Government on securing a green and resilient recovery. In July 2020, Eliot Whittington, Director of the CLG gave evidence to the UK Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee answering questions on the implications of these recommendations to business and the need for their urgent implementation. The CLG also led coordination on behalf of the UK Business Group Alliance for Net Zero of an open letter from over 200 business leaders to the Boris Johnson, urging the UK Prime Minister to provide clear vision for recovery efforts that align with the UK's wider social, environmental and climate goals. 

"We welcome the "Next Generation EU" Recovery Plan. It is crucial to Europe’s success that the green and just principles are at its heart. Europe’s future prosperity and growth depend on advancing our green technologies, and so many of these can prosper through doubling the renovation rate of buildings, the biggest job machine we can set to work. Second a just recovery requires that we distribute the workload equally. This means having an interim 2030 target of at least 55% GHG reduction. Let’s make our children proud by taking these green and just decisions that will guarantee a safer and better future for them."

Frank van der Vloed, CEO Signify Europe

"To make the world a brighter place, we need to pull together and build back better from the covid-19 pandemic. We strongly support directing investments to drive new collaborations, innovative solutions and initiatives to create a more sustainable world tomorrow"

Edith Schippers, president DSM Netherlands