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Accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy

Together we have made great strides in scaling up clean solutions to the climate crisis, yet global emissions continue to rise. That’s because we have not done enough to scale down the primary driver of climate change – burning fossil fuels.

Faced with resounding demands for action across the globe, world leaders made a historic commitment at COP28 to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy solutions. People are calling on them to make good on that commitment.

Now it’s time to get down to business.

About the campaign Stay updated Business Action Checklists

Accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy

Business Action

Leading businesses are phasing out fossil fuels in their operations and actively advocating for more progressive policies, sending a strong demand signal to their value chain to phase-out fossil fuels and scale clean solutions.

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Policy Advocacy

Business cannot do it alone. We need our world leaders to act with the urgency that the climate crisis demands, whilst protecting people and economies through the transition from fossil to clean. Wealthy countries have a responsibility to be the first movers.

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What business says about the campaign

Ingka Group | IKEA

Ingka Group | IKEA

Karen Pflug, CSO at Ingka Group | IKEA spoke to us about the need for loud business voices to counter doom and gloom and move beyond the status quo to drive change and climate action.

Nestlé

Nestlé

Global Public Affairs Lead, Environment at Nestlé, Owen Bethell talks to us about the company's plans for decarbonization and why moving to cleaner solutions is an early win for business.

Philips

Philips

Robert Metzke, SVP and Global Head of Sustainability at Philips supported the Fossil to Clean campaign during COP28 in Dubai, Climate change has become a global health emergency. Regulation, concrete plans to phase out fossil fuels and green public procurement guidance from governments can help the healthcare industry decarbonize faster.

Volvo Cars

Volvo Cars

We spoke to Anders Kärrberg, Chief Sustainability Officer, Volvo Cars about how going from fossil fuels to clean energy is essential, and how businesses cannot do it alone.

Volvo Cars is one of 200+ businesses that have signed the Fossil to Clean open letter urging governments to address the primary cause of climate change: burning fossil fuels.

Business and government must take decisive action to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. By working together, we can create equitable solutions for communities everywhere.

Renée Morin, Chief Sustainability Officer, eBay

EDP

EDP

We spoke to Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, CEO of EDP about about how the transition away from fossil fuels is imperative if we are to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.

EDP is one of 200+ businesses that have signed the Fossil to Clean open letter urging governments to address the primary cause of climate change: burning fossil fuels.

In order to stay below the 1.5°C threshold and avoid catastrophic and irreversible damage, it is time to give up business as usual. Green energy is the most impactful solution for fighting global heating, and in our race against time, we need to build it now. We know that to lift this agenda, bold decisions and unprecedented collaborative action are required at all levels of society – within and between industries, businesses, and countries.

Mads Nipper, CEO, Ørsted

ReNew

ReNew

We spoke to Sumant Sinha, Chairman and CEO of ReNew about how going from fossil fuels to clean energy is essential for the company to reach its 2030 goals and net zero targets.

ReNew is one of 200+ businesses that have signed the Fossil to Clean open letter urging governments to address the primary cause of climate change: burning fossil fuels.

The world is not decarbonizing fast enough. That’s why we're calling for ambitious action to rapidly scale clean energy solutions, to help businesses transition from fossil fuels and meet net-zero targets.

Joe Franses, VP Sustainability, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

As a manufacturer of domestic appliances mainly powered by electricity in millions of homes around the world, we need society to shift from fossil to clean sources of power to be able to meet our climate targets. But more importantly, the phase out of fossil fuels globally must happen as quickly as possible to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change – for both current and future generations. Ensuring domestic appliances are powered by clean energy would be a significant step in the right direction.

Jonas Samuelson, CEO, Electrolux Group

Ingka Group / IKEA

Ingka Group / IKEA

We spoke to Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group / IKEA about the big steps that we must take in a hurry to go from fossil to clean.

With renewables already producing cheaper electricity than fossil fuels, turning to clean energy is just good economics for businesses and governments alike.

We must see an urgent and rapid transition from fossil fuels. Natura &Co is taking action both in our own business and through our power to advocate for system-level change to policy and culture. We know this is a moment that matters. We know the science is telling us we need to act now. And we know that taking action to transition from fossil to clean is being on the right side of history.

Keyvan Macedo, Sustainability Director, Natura &Co

Business and governments have shown that it is possible to make progress for the health of our planet. Still, there is a huge gap between climate ambitions and actions. It is essential that world leaders not only raise ambitions but also deliver on those ambitions so we can accelerate the transition to net-zero.

Ester Baiget, President & CEO, Novozymes

Mahindra Group

Mahindra Group

We spoke to Deepak Thakur, Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Susten about how the company will play a pivotal role in India’s clean energy transition.

Mahindra Group is one of 200+ businesses that have signed the Fossil to Clean open letter urging governments to address the primary cause of climate change: burning fossil fuels.

What we're campaigning for

The science is clear: We must phase out fossil fuels and phase in clean energy solutions as quickly as possible to protect people from catastrophic climate change.

Our vision is that by 2030, global fossil fuel consumption has peaked and declined, and the transition away from fossil fuels continues to accelerate.

Shape Global Discourse

We mobilize business voices ahead of international influencing moments, such as G7, G20, Bonn Intersessional and COP to campaign for change in one voice and further the Fossil to Clean messaging with key policymakers and influencers.

Ambitious & Investible NDCs

We engage governments on what makes for ambitious
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and investible policies, as informed by corporate and industry leaders globally and across sectors; and mobilize concerted business advocacy with a clear narrative for what business needs from these plans.

Transformational Local Policymaking

Through our grants programme and in-country networks of business and policy stakeholders, we mobilize funding and drive responsible corporate policy engagement towards policies and regulations that have the potential to unlock barriers at speed and scale to enable business go from fossil to clean.

Business Action

We support business in taking both near-term and long-term steps to phase out fossil fuels and scale up clean solutions through our grants programme, guidance development and showcasing sector leadership.

About the campaign

The Fossil to Clean campaign is a global movement of businesses going from fossil fuels to clean solutions. Those that take action to phase out fossil fuels will help send a clear market signal that will lead energy suppliers, capital providers and governments to accelerate the provision of affordable, reliable and safe alternatives.

Business can be the catalyst for change.

Decisive action by business help embolden policymakers to enact policies for phasing in clean solutions and phasing out fossil fuels on a science-based timeline.

This is the ambition loop in action - a positive feedback loop in which private sector leadership and bold government policies reinforce each other, and together take climate action to the next level.

Timeline of the Campaign

Timeline of the Campaign

2022

80+ nations supported India's call at COP27 to phase out all fossil fuels.

Read our response to the COP27 outcomes

Q2

Q2

2023

In 2023, the G7 endorsed an accelerated phase-out of unabated fossil fuels - creating a unique moment for global action.

Read more about the G7 outcomes

Q3

Q3

2023

We Mean Business Coalition and its partners launch Fossil to Clean at Climate Week NYC.

The campaign and principles were launched just ahead of the UN Secretary General's Climate Ambition Summit.

Read about the launch of the campaign

Q3

Burj Khalifa skyscraper and Dubai city view in a sunny morning

Q3

2023

Fossil to Clean campaign gains momentum.

Maria Mendiluce, CEO of We Mean Business Coalition speaks on Fossil to Clean at the COP28-IEA International Climate Energy Summit.

Read how fossil fuel phase out rose up the policy agenda

Q4

High voltage pylons with electric power lines transfering electricity from solar photovoltaic sells at sunrise. Production of sustainable energy concept.

Q4

2023

Businesses with an annual revenue of over USD $1.5 trillion are mobilized ahead of COP28 through the Fossil to Clean campaign.

Their voices were heard loud and clear by negotiators.

Read about the launch of Fossil to Clean

Q4

Q4

2023

18 NGO partners align to support the Fossil to Clean campaign.

UNICEF, WWF, GRA, CLG Europe and Ceres and others recruit businesses to join the campaign and speak with one loud, unified voice.

Read about the impact of this collaboration

Q4

Q4

2023

Fossil to Clean is covered in 1,300+ media articles, with a news reach over 2 billion across 70 countries.

WMBC and partners published a full page ad in Financial Times on Nov. 30 ahead of COP28.

View the advert

Q4

Q4

2023

WMBC hosts the Business Pavilion in the Blue Zone at COP28.

Policymakers and businesses are hosted at the Pavilion, and the Fossil to Clean advocacy letter was delivered to governments during COP28.

Read highlights from the COP28 Business Pavilion

Q4

Q4

2023

Businesses call out for Fossil to Clean, using our social media and advocacy toolkits, including Unilever, IKEA, Volvo Cars, ReNew, Coca-Cola European Pacific, AstraZeneca, Iberdrola, SAP SE.

See the list of Fossil to Clean signatories

Q4

Q4

2023

The UAE Consensus is agreed. This marks the first time we have a global agreement to transition away from fossil fuels in line with climate science. It's not perfect, but it's a historic step forward.

Learn what the UAE Consensus means for business

Q2

Vieste - beautiful coastal town on the rocks in Puglia. The church of San Francesco di Vieste. Gargano peninsula, Apulia, southern Italy, Europe.

Q2

2024

More companies lend their voice to the Fossil to Clean campaign, bringing the number of signatories to more than 260.

Read our recommendations to G7 leaders

Global Business Poll: Powering Up

New global polling reveals that corporate leaders overwhelmingly support moving away from fossil fuels, with 97% advocating for a rapid shift to renewables-based electricity.  
 
Spanning 15 countries and polling 1,477 business leaders globally, the polling is collaboration between E3G, We Mean Business Coalition and Beyond Fossil Fuels, with polling conducted by independent leading pollster, Savanta.   
 
The transition to a renewable energy future is not only an environmental imperative, it is a market reality and an economic inevitability. The research shows that business leaders worldwide associate renewables with stronger energy security (75%), lower electricity bills (50%) and higher profits (42%).

Download the report Read blog

Global Business Poll: Powering Up

Resources and insights

The following resources are freely available to all businesses and wider stakeholders to use:

For Patagonia, phasing out fossil fuels means “getting the oil off our backs”

Fossil to Clean supporter Patagonia is phasing fossil fuels out of its value chain by targeting no more virgin petroleum fibers by 2025.
Read more

Principles for Global Fossil Fuel Phase Out

Guidance for fossil fuel suppliers, corporate energy users, investors and national governments to keep 1.5 ̊C within reach.
Download PDF

Fossil to Clean FAQs

About the campaign, the principles, how to get involved and more.
Download PDF

Policy Letter: Businesses urge governments to phase out fossil fuels

Downloadable copy of the Business-sign on Policy letter to Governments, including the signatories and business quotes.
Download PDF

Time to deliver: How governments can drive private sector investment through their NDCs

Call to action for ambitious & investible Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
Download PDF

Celebrating a decade of progress on corporate climate advocacy

The past decade has proven that businesses can be powerful agents of change, capable of driving large-scale reductions in GHG emissions.
Read more

Scaling up private sector action on climate change

Developing corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting guidance that aligns with the Paris Agreement.
Read more

Campaign partners

Interested in getting involved?

Contact [email protected] to set up a 1:1 business call

For press enquiries, please email Pascale Palmer, [email protected]

For grant-making trusts and foundations, please email Paris Scott, [email protected]

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