Reducing carbon emissions by 2030 is possible. This is the wish of Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, and of the CEOs of 11 other European companies that make up the European CEO Alliance, in line with the Paris 2050 targets, the Green Deal and the ambition to broaden the EU's climate targets. Already committed to investing more than €100 billion in their respective decarbonisation action plans over the next few years.
The European CEO Allinace was born with the aim of joining forces for a greener future and a more resilient Europe. It represents members of key industry sectors: ABB, AkzoNobel, Eon, Enel, Iberdrola, AP Møller Maersk, Philips, SAP, Scania, Schneider Electric, Siemens and Volkswagen. With over 600 billion euros in annual revenues and 1,7 million employees.
In the inaugural meeting - which was held on Thursday 1 October in Stuttgart - the alliance underlined that “our industries do not block, rather they promote the transition to a carbon neutral economy. We see growth potential for all sectors over the long term. If we successfully manage this historic transformation, the result will be sustainable development and future-proof new jobs.”
However, to achieve these goals, the CEO Alliance believes that a business of cross-sector collaboration, together with the promotion of projects and investments for a sustainable economy that manages to obtain public approval. The CEO Alliance is willing to help achieve it by intensifying the dialogue between stakeholders. At the same time, however, members are calling on political leaders to build the necessary political support and incentives.
The collaboration of the Alliance will develop in 6 fields. In the energy systems: Renewable energy production must be scaled up quickly and electricity grids modernised. In the mobility and transportation, we need to expand the EV charging infrastructure and step up the transport or shipping of low-emission goods.
As far as the buildings and urban environments, the focus is on zero-emission offices and sustainable urban planning. While for the new ones business models, the focus is on carbon tracking with digital technologies in the supply chain. Finally, also the field of sustainable finance will offer new opportunities.
This first face-to-face meeting underlined the urgency of acting quickly for a substantial transformation, necessary for future competitiveness.
