Geneva/Glasgow, 10 November – Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and Glasgow, the COP26 host-city in the UK, announced they will develop a new Corporate Mobility Pact (CMP). Building on work previously done in Lisbon, the new CMP in Glasgow will provide a platform for city-business collaboration and accelerate the implementation of sustainable mobility solutions.
Glasgow has already been successful in reducing emissions in the last few years, but transport emissions have remained constant. The city has set the target of becoming net-zero carbon by 2030, and addressing emissions from transportation of people and goods will be crucial to deliver against this goal. Some of the main challenges to solve in the city are low access to active transport modes such as biking, high rates of single-occupancy car trips and a need to rethink the public transport system in the post-COVID context.
Within the frame of the CMP, WBCSD and Glasgow will focus on three priority areas:
- Change the way people choose to move around in the city
- Enable multimodality and switching to low-carbon fuels and vehicles
- Develop infrastructure that makes transport more sustainable and accessible
The CMP will be instrumental in bringing the city and the local business community together to implement Glasgow’s Transport Strategy. Businesses are essential partners as they can influence the transport offer and transport demand in the city through measures targeting their customers, suppliers, partners and employees. The CMP will also complement and enhance the Sustainable Glasgow initiative, a commitment by leading Glasgow-based companies to take action within their own organizations and sectors to contribute to a green COVID-19 recovery and reduce the city’s carbon emissions.
Thomas Deloison, Director, Mobility, WBCSD, said: “Corporate Mobility Pacts offer a unique framework for cities and leading businesses to tackle the three global sustainability challenges our world faces – the climate emergency, the loss of nature and mounting inequality. The Pact will catalyze business action in line with the Sustainable Glasgow targets and help to reduce emissions, congestion and transport costs and to improve employee well-being. Our goal is to make mobility clean, safe and efficient for all.”
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader, Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow is a city that continues to embrace change. We're building resilience to climate change with a strong focus on health, inclusion and prosperity. The decisions we take now on our mobility will be critical for delivering on both climate and social justice. Glasgow's work with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development on the Corporate Mobility Pact complements that: A key intervention that puts forward recommendations on more sustainable travel choices that our partners have helped to shape and can trust.”
Businesses in Glasgow are already contributing to building the Pact. Along with Arcadis, who is a partner of the Pact, some of the currently engaged organizations are Anderson Strathern, ARUP, Deloitte, PwC Glasgow, ScottishPower, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and the University of Strathclyde. As a next step, WBCSD and the City Council will continue reaching out to local businesses in Glasgow, inviting them to join the Pact and the official signing ceremony in 2022.
If you are interested in joining the Glasgow Mobility Pact or building a Pact in a different city, please contact Milena Klasing Chen.
Click here to learn more about the CMP in Glasgow.
