Press Release: BritCham commits to the ‘Chambers Climate Coalition’ and releases its inaugural Sustainability Report; member companies comment on why they have pledged to meet the United Nations ‘Race to Zero’ commitments

The British Chamber of Commerce Singapore (BritCham) today announces the next step in its journey to support a net-zero future by signing the Chambers Climate Coalition pledge(1). The Coalition, recognised in the Climate Ambition Alliance, was launched by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to mobilise Chambers to take climate action and is aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

Today’s pledge follows BritCham’s announcement in September 2020 that the Chamber is carbon neutral, a first in the international Chamber community within Singapore, with the support of member Swire Pacific Offshore to quantify and offset carbon emissions generated during 2019. The British Chamber plans to offset its emissions for 2020 this year.

British Chamber of Commerce Singapore President Richard Warburton said:

“This year, perhaps more than ever, sustainability is firmly at the forefront of conversations within the business community. Many members have approached us to work together in this crucial area, and sustainability is one of the UK's key agendas this year in the build-up to the COP26 summit in November. It has garnered equal consideration in the country we call home with the launch of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 earlier this year.

The Board and I are immensely proud of the Chamber's achievements in raising awareness around sustainability and the commitments made. We look forward to benchmarking this progress in future years. I hope that our first Sustainability Report, our public commitment to the Chambers Climate Coalition, and our Road to Net Zero Information Hub inspire businesses to join the movement for a more sustainable future.”

The British Chamber’s progress in sustainability is unveiled today within the Sustainability Report for 2020, which includes stakeholder consultation and aligns impacts to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report, peer-reviewed by our Sustainability Committee, features impacts and knowledge-sharing achievements in climate change (SDG13), sustainable consumption and production (SDG12), gender equality (SDG5), reducing inequalities (SDG10), quality education (SDG4), and decent work and economic growth (SDG8). Throughout the report, BritCham illustrates how these subjects align with the Chamber themes – the Road to Net Zero, Diversity and Inclusion, Education and Learning, the Future of Work and the Future of Trade.

Beyond BritCham’s direct impacts and activities, the report includes a special feature on the United Nations Race to Zero initiative. The global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, and investors aims to build momentum around the shift to a decarbonised economy ahead of COP26, hosted in Glasgow later this year.

When asked why companies have made public commitments within the Race to Zero pledges, Tan Yoong Heng, Office Leader, Singapore, Arup said:

“We all need to join the Race to Zero if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Starting with ourselves and with our clients, we are committed to seizing every opportunity to accelerate the transition to a net-zero resilient world. Arup has committed to achieving net zero emissions across our entire operations by 2030, covering everything from the energy used in offices to goods and services purchased. Our target is to reduce our scope 1, 2 and 3 global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 per cent within the next five years from a 2018 baseline. The target, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, has been classified as ambitious as it exceeds the minimum requirements for keeping global temperature rise under 1.5°C.”

Christian Ulbrich, Global Chief Executive Officer and President, JLL said:

“Climate change is the defining issue of our time. We recognize that tackling global warming requires an urgent and comprehensive response from all parts of industry and society which is why we have chosen to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2040 and also to sign The Climate Pledge. At JLL, we are determined to play our full part by working with our clients, people and communities to shape the future of real estate for a better world.”

Dr Bicky Bhangu, President of South East Asia, Pacific & South Korea,  Rolls-Royce and former President of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore, said:

“Achieving net-zero carbon will require a wholesale transformation of the systems that make up the backbone of our global economy, including power, transport and the built environment, which are the very sectors in which reducing emissions is the hardest. At Rolls-Royce, we believe there are technological solutions to decarbonising these vital parts of the economy. With the right policy, environment and public support, we have the potential to pioneer game-changing technology that will help deliver a net-zero carbon future.”

Professor Julie Sanders, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Newcastle University, said:

“In 2019, we signalled our commitment to climate change action by joining organisations in the UK and all over the world in declaring a climate emergency. We committed to net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2040 and set out to achieve this by improving activities and infrastructure across many areas of the University. Following detailed considerations by Council and Executive Board this year, the University announced in March that it has brought forward its net-zero target by a decade.”

• To advocate for climate action within their business networks and for well-conceived policies to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C.
• To support the goal of achieving net-zero emissions globally by 2050.
• To mainstream climate mitigation and resilience guidance into chamber services.
• To work with public and private entities to support effective climate solutions as part of a transformational change that works for people and the planet.
• To reduce the greenhouse footprint from chamber activities without delay.