Highlights from the Business Pavillion at COP28
We Mean Business Coalition
We Mean Business Coalition pavilion hosts voices driving action across nature, energy, finance, transition planning and supply chains, and provides base for the Fossil to Clean campaign.
As the destination for business, policy makers and civil society to meet and work towards a more sustainable future for all, the Pavilion hosted more than 50 event sessions and receptions with more than 90 business speakers and over 5,000 attendees. We also served more than 2,750 cups of coffee to our tireless guests. Watch live recordings of our COP28 events on our YouTube channel here.
We came to COP28 backed by the voices of more than 200 business leaders who stood behind us in calling for the urgent phase out of fossil fuels. And the numbers continued to rise throughout the summit. Read the letter and sign your business up today.
We were also pleased to welcome more than 15 Ministers and policymakers to join us at our pavilion in the Blue Zone, including a delegation of U.S. Senators.
None of this would have been possible without the backing of our 20+ sponsors and supporting partners whose kind support facilitated the success of the Business Pavilion and the discussions held there. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them dearly.
Flagship events at the Pavilion
Fossil to Clean
We Mean Business Coalition hosted several key events at the Pavilion, including a major convening of signatories to our Fossil to Clean letter. This event brought together business leaders, policymakers, journalists and wider stakeholders to seize the historic opportunity to lay the foundations for fossil fuel phase out.
We were joined by some of the 200+ signatories of our advocacy letter including Jesper Brodin, CEO, IKEA Ingka Group who spoke of the policy support necessary to enable business to go faster, adding ‘This is the COP where the problem [of fossil fuels] needs to be called out’. Watch the event recording here.
Mobilizing corporate climate action through high-integrity voluntary carbon markets
We were proud to co-host an event focused on the high-integrity voluntary carbon markets with VCMI. The panel discussion showcased climate leadership by the companies who are pioneering action in a new era of high-integrity voluntary carbon markets and featured speakers from Natura &Co, Netflix and Salesforce. Watch the event recording here.
Cascading climate action in supply chains with innovative practices to empower SMEs to decarbonize
Week two saw an event hosted by the SME Climate Hub focused on cascading climate action in supply chains with speakers from Netflix, Mars and Amazon. Here we learned how achieving net-zero goals and preserving the 1.5°C target hinges on addressing Scope 3 emissions, which typically contribute over 70% to a company’s carbon footprint. Watch the event recording here.
Final reflections
With our fantastic sponsors and partners, we hosted a wide array of cross-sector events on business-climate leadership in the Business Pavilion to help move the dial on global climate action.
The COP28 climate talks in Dubai ended with a new deal known as the UAE Consensus. And while this deal does not deliver on everything that progressive businesses called for, we can still recognize the outcomes in the negotiated text as marking the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era.
For the first time in history, we have a global agreement to accelerate the transition away from all fossil fuels, this decade, in line with the science. Inevitably, there are gaps, and the devil will be in the detail, but the direction of travel is clear. Read our full statement on the COP28 outcomes here.
As 2023 comes to close, we reflect on a successful year of campaigning, convening and knowledge sharing with a keen sense of achievement, safe in the knowledge that 2024 will bring even more opportunities to call for action, raise ambition, support advocacy and drive accountability. But for now, a short rest.
Special thanks are also due to Josh Harris, Berthilde Heijmeskamp; Will Connolly; Glyn Hooper and Karl Vella for their support on the ground at the Business Pavilion, and to the remaining We Mean Business Coalition colleagues who provided in-person support and remote support from all over the world.