Severfield share COP26 ambitions

Severfield has been managing and reporting our carbon emissions since 2014. More recently we’ve aligned our strategy to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and committed to set Science Based Targets to reduce our emissions and reach Net Zero by 2050.

Our sustainability strategy is ambitious, we’re aiming to reduce our carbon emissions by 25% by 2025 which is aligned to the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement was set in 2015 at COP21 and challenged members of the United Nations to set ambitious climate targets to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. This year sees COP26 come to Glasgow for the annual climate change conference.

Subheading – What is COP26?

COP26 is the 2021 United Nations annual climate change conference. COP stands for Conference of the Parties. Parties are the signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994 which has 197 Parties (196 countries and the EU). The 2021 conference, hosted by the UK, together with partners Italy, in Glasgow, will be the 26th meeting of the Parties, which is why it's called COP26.

United Nations climate change conferences are among the largest international meetings in the world. The negotiations between governments are complex and involve officials from every country in the world as well as representatives from civil society and the global news media.

What happens at a COP26?

Activity at a COP takes place in two different zones - the Blue Zone and the Green Zone.

The Blue Zone is for people registered with the UN body tasked with coordinating the global response to the threat of climate change – the UNFCCC. In the Blue Zone you might be part of a national delegation, work for the United Nations and related organisations & agencies or be a member of the media or not-for-profit observer organisation.

In the Blue Zone, delegates from countries meet for both formal negotiations and informal consultations. They may also take part in meetings with other delegations to clarify their position and interests with the aim of reaching agreement or overcoming a negotiating deadlock. The UNFCCC will also host a range of events, including technical briefings, to support the negotiations process.

The Green Zone is for the public. There will be a wide range of events, including workshops, art exhibitions and installations, as well as presentations, demonstrations of technology and musical performances for everyone to attend.

How will Severfield participate?

Our Group Sustainability Manager, Sara Halliday, will be attending COP26 to take part in a round table discussion, hosted by The Climate Group, on the topic of “Shifting Systems - industry: A net zero materials revolution”. Taking part on Tuesday 9 November, 8:00am – 9:30am, Sara will be discussing our recent commitment to SteelZero and how important the transition to low embodied carbon steel production is to the construction sector.

Keep an eye out on our social media channels for how we are doing our bit in the race to Net Zero – we’ll be posting throughout COP26. We’re also involved in an exciting project with Balfour Beatty, showcasing how we are engaged in their ambition to “Green The Chain”. The project will unfold across the course of COP26.

Want to know more?

If you’re interested in reading more about COP26 you can find further information here.

In the run-up to COP26, the BBC's correspondents from around the world will be presenting a special series of programmes helping us make sense of the challenges facing our planet. From primers on the big issues, to the latest technological solutions, they explore what climate change means for us.

Watch the series here

If you have any suggestions, or questions about our sustainability strategy please get in touch with Sara Halliday (sara.halliday@severfield.com).