COVID-19 is making organisations 'Net Zero-ready'
Our research shows that, perhaps contrary to some predictions, the private sector seems to be taking the impact of COVID-19 as a wake up call to increase action on climate mitigation. We call this an emerging 'Net Zero-ready' mindset, where an avalanche of companies are setting Net Zero targets and dialing up their sustainability efforts despite the uncertainty and financial and social chaos of the past year.
Excitingly, many companies are actually using this pandemic to recognize and analyze their vulnerabilities, and accelerate climate action. Most organisations' climate mitigation efforts (65%) have either remained the same through COVID-19 (38%), or even actually accelerated (27%).
The majority of our survey respondents reported an increased focus on innovation and collaboration, plus supply chain resilience, following the pandemic. This is an exciting indication that the incremental change we have seen over decades is possibly being replaced by bigger, bolder climate action, which certainly supports the journey to Net Zero.
South Pole's new report reveals that COVID-19 has been a catalyst for innovative thinking and building resilience to disruptive events
Most popular drivers and enablers among survey respondents for reaching Net Zero targets