Talk is cheap when it comes to climate change. Something that went further than chatter was the historic 2015 Paris Agreement made at COP21. Recent research from the World Meteorological Organisation, however, now predicts there's now a 66% chance we will pass the 1.5C global warming threshold between now and 2027. Now more than ever, such agreements are crucial. Reset Connect thinks a collaboration between finance and business is what’s needed.
Can industry events ever manage to help build a viable, green future for all? Although it’s not got the heft of COP, Reset Connect certainly has the ambition. On the 27th – 28th June, investors, businesses and policymakers will unite at Reset Connect London, the UK’s largest sustainability and net zero event, a flagship of London Climate Action Week. Impressively - and unusually - it’s totally free to attend.
Collaboration
Reset Connect has a collaborative proposition. It aims to bridge the gap between sustainability change-makers, business leaders, government and funding. This self-identifying ‘disruptive event’ wants to provide present and future net-zero business solutions and the financing to implement them.
The free event - held at the ExCel Centre - will be a chance for businesses to explore solutions and share best practices, build relationships with fund managers to attract responsible capital, discover new tech to support sustainability strategies, reduce emissions, and reach their targets in line with UN SDG and Net Zero goals. Crucially, it focuses on actionable takeaways, not just conversation.
Duncan Reid, CEO and Co-founder of Reset Connect, told Maddyness UK: “Each year there is a huge build up to COP. But each year policymakers and business leaders come away from the event feeling disheartened. Not enough is being done to encourage collaboration, and the format of COP itself fosters exclusivity over accessibility. We’re responding by breaking down those barriers.
“Radical collaboration is needed to achieve ambitious climate targets. But we know businesses can’t do this alone. Reset Connect London is about equipping businesses with the necessary support, connecting investors with viable proposals and creating solid, and pragmatic solutions.”
In order to bridge the gap between sustainability change-makers, business leaders, policy and funding, Reset Connect London is designed around interactive panel sessions, exhibitors, and seven knowledge-sharing hubs, targeted towards addressing pressing sustainability issues, challenges and proven solutions, including energy security, the circular economy, decarbonisation, mobilising investment and creating green urban spaces of the future.
Doughnut Economics
The event will provide access to global and local heavyweights in sustainability talking through best practice case studies, frameworks, regulations, future trends, investment insights, support for start-ups, to give businesses, investors, and innovators relevant, actionable takeaways to reach their targets.
Influential keynote speakers include Chris Skidmore MP, Chair of The Net Zero Review who signed the UK’s commitment to net zero into law, Rhian Kelly, Chief Sustainability Officer, National Grid, and Kate Raworth, Co-Founder of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab.
Economist Kate Raworth sits in the middle ground, and her talk will likely tease out these issues and be a highlight of the event. Her theory of Doughnut Economics emphasises the need for businesses to operate within the "safe and just space for humanity." This entails avoiding ecological overshoot by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, embracing sustainable practices, and transitioning to renewable energy sources. It also requires addressing social inequalities by ensuring fair wages, social protection, and access to basic resources.
Other highlights from the event that will be of interest to startups include:
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Overseeing the Sustainability Transformation within Major Corporates and Global Brands
- PANEL DISCUSSIONFuture City Infrastructure
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Building Brands and Behaviours: Creating Customer Propositions that Deliver on Sustainability Goals, Avoid Greenwash and Destroying the Planet
- Keynote: Rethinking the Science, Economics, and Diplomacy of Climate Change
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Creating the Right Financial Support and Ecosystem Collaboration to Fast Track the Climate Tech Revolution
- PANEL DISCUSSION: A Fast-Track to Supply Chain Decarbonisation
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Driving climate action through responsible technology production and consumption
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Developing New Metrics of Business Performance
- Purposeful Profits Pitchfest - No dragons, only kindness.
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