Looking back on 2025
We Mean Business Coalition
2025 began with wildfires blazing across California and news of intensifying climate extremes. The multilateral action needed to respond felt more fragile than ever: geopolitical tensions topped the World Economic Forum’s global risk list. Amid growing talk of greenhushing and fears of rollbacks on climate commitments, global optimism was in short supply.
Twelve months later, the picture is shifting. Stories of real-economy action have climbed up the news agenda, showcasing how progress on clean energy is creating jobs, boosting competitiveness and driving growth. Companies are getting on with the hard work of implementation because it is the route to generating lasting value.
Yet climate impacts continue to decimate communities worldwide from Jamaica to Indonesia, a stark reminder that the transition must accelerate rapidly this decade.
The global economy continued to embrace the clean energy transition, because it makes business sense to do so. The Coalition and partners are helping companies to walk the walk by creating tools like our Business Action Checklists and responsible policy engagement framework to help them capitalize on this shift. We continue to support them to talk the talk through well-timed advocacy, and communications campaigns that make the positive case for action: lower bills, increased energy security and growth.
Despite a challenging backdrop, we continued to raise up business voices in 2025, with business leader polling, clear narratives, and activations to secure robust policies — as well as work to develop practical tools and guidance.
Working with our seven founding partners, more than 80 implementation partners, and tens of thousands of businesses, we delivered impact. Explore some of our most impactful work from 2025 below:
Powering Up business poll
We worked with E3G and Beyond Fossil Fuels to poll business leaders across 15 countries and revealed a decisive shift: 97% of executives support moving from fossil fuels to renewable-based electricity. Coverage of the poll across top tier media in 41 countries elevated a clear message: clean energy is now central to growth, competitiveness and energy security, and governments must accelerate the policies that enable it. There was a warning to governments of the dangers of inaction: 62% of companies plan to relocate their operations if governments fail to transition away from fossil fuels, while 68% indicate the same for their supply chains.
Discover the Powering Up poll.
Realigning incentives to accelerate the transition
Redirecting public finance and policy support away from fossil fuels and towards affordable and reliable clean energy solutions is one of the most powerful, strategic choices governments can make. Ahead of COP30, the Coalition convened 35+ organizations, representing over 135,000 businesses, to sign a letter in support of this vital message.
Elevating the business voice on incentives gave business leaders a seat at the table in prominent discussions on aligning economic incentives with the transition away from fossil fuels, with new partners such as the Coalition for Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Incentives, Including Subsidies (COFFIS).
Strengthening NDCs to unlock investment
If the Coalition had a word of the year, it would be implementation. Working with in-country partners across nine key economies on country-specific analysis, we set out what ambitious, investible NDCs look like in practice. Together, we called for robust targets backed by clear and coherent policies and plans for implementation to unlock private sector investment.
Our analysis helped shape national conversations and policies. At COP30 South Korea committed to end new unabated coal plants — a commitment that we advocated for in our joint South Korea-focused NDC report with Solutions for Our Climate.
Business backing for a Fossil Fuel Roadmap
As momentum behind a fossil fuel roadmap grew at COP30, supported by over 80 countries, we drew on the strength of our Coalition to mobilize more than 150 real-economy voices to sign a Coalition-coordinated letter urging governments to pursue the roadmap, including:
- Leading businesses: ACCIONA, Buro Happold, EDF, Fortescue, H&M Group, Ingka Group, Natura, Saint-Gobain, Signify, SSAB, SSE plc, Strega, Unilever, Vattenfall, VELUX and Volvo Cars;
- Business groups representing more than 100,000 companies;
- Investors and investor groups representing more than 400 members with over £50 trillion in assets under management;
- C40 and ICLEI subnational government representatives, major health organizations and other implementation actors.
While the roadmap was not included in the negotiated outcome, a strong foundation was laid to enable this emerging “coalition of the willing” to move forwards in 2026.
SMEs advancing the transition
“SMEs may be small individually, but collectively they are a powerful force in the global transition,” noted Jennifer Austin, Director of Strategy and Policy at the UN Climate Champions Team, during our flagship SME Climate Hub event at COP30.
In 2025, the SME Climate Hub cemented its position as a capacity builder for SMEs, with tool registrations doubling compared to 2022-2024 levels. This surge reflects growing demand for practical, SME-tailored resources that can help businesses prepare for the transition. The newly launched Small Business Carbon Calculator has more than 6,500 users to date, underscoring the need for reliable, standardized data to support emissions measurement and build resilience across supply chains.
Beyond: From the ground up
Carbon markets are not just about carbon avoided or removed on paper. They’re about real people making choices for their families and futures. At Climate Week NYC, the Beyond Alliance launched From the Ground Up: Voices of the Carbon Market, a mini documentary highlighting the experiences of farmers and landowners participating in U.S. carbon markets.
Viewed more than 460,000 times to date, the film amplifies local voices and shows how carbon removals are grounded in community priorities and real-world action.