A cornerstone of the campaign, the Climate Action Pledge, invites signatories to commit to cut their GHG emissions by 50% or 30% by 2030, ahead of the UK government trajectory to achieving Net Zero by 2050.
The Campaign puts Northern Ireland businesses at the forefront of action on the climate crisis. Danske Bank is part of the campaign steering group of Climate Champions, made up of leading business representatives that support the campaign and have been instrumental in setting and agreeing the terms of the Pledge.
Kevin Kingston, Chief Executive of Danske Bank, said:
“Climate change is of increasing importance to society, communities, our customers and the financial services sector, which has an important role to play in supporting the transition towards a zero carbon economy.
“It is time for NI businesses to take action and to work together to address the climate crisis.At Danske Bank we are passionate about our responsibility to our colleagues, customers, partners and wider society. We have put sustainability and climate change at the top of our responsibility agenda and we are serious about playing our part. We welcome this new initiative from Business in the Community and strongly encourage businesses to get involved.”
To support signatories to achieve their targets, Business in the Community will provide a range of guidance and support including: climate literacy training; workshops and advisory support on climate related risks and opportunities; and GHG footprinting and guidance on measuring emissions. Through the campaign, BITC will share best practice examples from organisations in Northern Ireland and beyond and provide opportunities to network and collaborate with organisations in similar and different sectors, as well develop links to local carbon offsetting initiatives.
Kieran Harding, Managing Director, BITC, said: “We’ve had warnings about the very real threat of the climate breakdown for decades, but the COVID-19 crisis has shown that, even in a world stopped in its tracks, our GHG emissions have not decreased enough to meet the Paris Agreement and limit global temperature rise under 1.5°C.
“As we invent a new business norm, bolder, collaborative, and practical action is not only necessary, it’s urgent.
“Addressing climate breakdown and reducing our GHG footprint is integral for business, to enable us to build back better after COVID-19 for the benefit of business, our communities and the economy. Not only that, it’s necessary to ensure a liveable future and to create new opportunities that generate greater prosperity and wellbeing for all.
“There’s no time to waste - now is the time for business to collaborate and take action on the climate crisis, and the responsible business network can help.”
For more information on the Business Action on Climate campaign and the Climate Action Pledge NI, please visit BITC NI’s website 
or email environment@bitcni.org.uk.
- Danske Bank is working with Business in the Community on a new collaborative campaign – Business Action on Climate - that challenges businesses to take action on the climate crisis
- The Campaign puts Danske Bank and other Northern Ireland businesses at the forefront of action on climate breakdown
- Businesses are being asked to sign the Climate Action Pledge NI, a public commitment to measure, reduce and report their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
- Business in the Community will provide practical support to achieve the targets of the Pledge, set by NI businesses including: ABP Food Group, Danske Bank, ENCIRC, NI Water, Power NI, SONI and Translink
