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Greater Manchester is set to become the easiest place in the UK to be a zero-carbon businesses under an ambitious commitment from the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP) and an alliance of businesses of partner organisations.
The GM LEP have launched Bee Net Zero, a new platform to signpost advice and support for the business community to reduce and eliminate their CO2 emissions and urging organisations across the city-region to start their journey towards zero-carbon.
The initiative was unveiled at the 2021 Greater Manchester Green Summit which took place on 18th October at The Lowry in Salford ahead of the global COP26 climate conference taking place in Glasgow later this month.
Bee Net Zero aims to help Greater Manchester businesses play their part in meeting the city-region’s 2038 target for becoming carbon neutral, with the UK targeting zero-carbon by 2050.
Backed by an alliance of partners from across Greater Manchester and delivered by the Growth Company, the initiative builds on commitments made to government in the Greater Manchester Levelling Up Deal and the Economic Vision – the plan for a greener, fairer, and more productive city-region economy beyond the pandemic. It is estimated that a shift to a greener economy could deliver up to 256,000 new jobs in Greater Manchester by 2038.
Steve Connor, Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP) lead for the Environment, said:
“Our ambition is to make Greater Manchester the easiest place in the UK to become a net zero business. Businesses have a huge role to play in the transition to a zero carbon economy and it’s vital we make that process as simple as possible.
“Bee Net Zero brings the networks, organisations and support programmes available across the city-region and nationally together in one place, guiding businesses who want to become greener but are unsure about where to start. We’re now calling on businesses in Greater Manchester to begin their net zero journey.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
For Greater Manchester to become the UK’s leading green city-region, we need to help all businesses develop a net zero carbon plan, so that every business is a green business and every job they create is a green job. Bee Net Zero is there to provide support and guidance, while also inviting more businesses to join us on the journey to net zero.
“Businesses that make investments in carbon reduction ensure a liveable future for us all and create new opportunities that improve quality of life for everyone in Greater Manchester. A green economy is a levelled-up economy, which in turn creates a healthier, happier place to live.”
Amy House, Head of Green Technology and Services at GC Business Growth Hub, said:
All businesses have a part to play in addressing the climate crisis. Coming out of a global pandemic, we’re acutely aware of the challenges and pressures Greater Manchester’s thousands of business leaders face. We need to play our part by providing support, guidance and advice on how to make the transition to net zero, as well as connecting buyers to providers of green tech to complete the journey.
“Decarbonisation is a challenge, but there are also opportunities for businesses to seize – to save costs, or reach new customers. As we launch Bee Net Zero we encourage anyone who wants to learn more to get in touch.”
Partners backing the Bee Net Zero initiative are: GM LEP, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Business Growth Hub, Electricity North West, and Manchester Climate Change Agency.