My Reflections from COP26

One meeting is never going to solve climate change on its own. But I am very encouraged by the discussions over the last weeks in Glasgow at COP26. This is not primarily because of any headline commitments by political leaders. Instead, what has inspired me most is seeing so many companies stepping up to claim a leadership role in climate action.?

My experience at COP26 made it crystal clear that if we are to win the race to net zero, the private sector needs to lead, not follow. We need to take collaboration among like-minded companies, governments and nonprofits to the next level. Businesses have to be fearless in turning climate action into an opportunity for growth.?

At Holcim we are on the case, with our green building solutions, making low carbon and energy efficient buildings possible at scale, from our ECOPact green concrete, all the way to our green and solar roofing systems.?

The biggest highlight of my time in Glasgow was the launch of the First Movers Coalition with Secretary John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. In partnership with the World Economic Forum, the FMC brings Holcim together with like-minded companies from a variety of sectors, from Amazon and Apple to DHL and Volvo in order to put our purchasing and innovation power to work to achieve our climate goals.?

Secretary Kerry said something very powerful, “The private sector is at the table and, frankly, leading in a way some governments are not. There isn’t enough money in any government in the world to effect this transition. It can only be achieved if this kind of initiative takes hold.”

Secretary Kerry is right. An efficient and coordinated global transition to a net zero future demands collaboration. Like Holcim’s partnership with Volvo to jointly deploy the world’s first commercially available EU-certified electric autonomous trucks in Switzerland. In Glasgow I engaged with a range of partners to explore how to rapidly scale up initiatives like this, so we can meet the FMC’s goal to reach 30% of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks by 2030.?

We still need governments to act. At the moment, for example, Switzerland is the only market where we can sell our green cement ECOPlanet with 20% material from recycled construction and demolition waste – meaning 20% less resources taken from nature.?

I urge all governments to review their building norms to ensure that they are incentivizing innovations like this. In the future every new building should be made from 50% of an old one. Cities are the greatest potential source for building materials – but “urban mining” requires a paradigm shift in the building supply chain and the associated regulatory framework.?

How cities develop will be critical in our net zero transition: they will need to accommodate 2.5 billion more people by 2050. Governments can help by setting the right regulatory standards and incentives, while putting their green procurement to work.?

Net zero will not be easy, but I take great confidence from how demand is shifting. Five years ago, relatively few of our customers were willing to pay a premium for greener products. Now they are demanding them. Scaling up green demand enables us to invest more in green innovation, which ultimately brings down the costs of decarbonized products.?

Building a net zero future is our greatest opportunity. COP26 has reaffirmed my belief that it is within our reach. Green building is possible today, with more green demand we can scale it up more quickly. Are you ready for a fearless green transformation? I am. Let’s make it happen together!??