Edinburgh Climate Compact

The Edinburgh Climate Compact is the latest output of the Edinburgh Climate Commission, a cross-sector network established in February 2020, which was set up and is hosted by ECCI.

ECCI lead, Jamie Brogan, said: "ECCI had a critical role in defining the ambitions and commitments of the Edinburgh Climate Compact, targeting some of the city’s biggest and most influential organisations to show leadership and commitment to action.

"We want the compact to grow as a city-wide commitment, shared by businesses that have an interest in making Edinburgh a thriving, zero carbon city." ECCI lead, Jamie Brogan

Joining forces

The six signatories of the Edinburgh Climate Compact are the University of Edinburgh, Baillie Gifford, NatWest, NHS Lothian, Robertson Group and the City of Edinburgh. 

It is the first time in Scotland that employers spanning the education, health, finance, construction and public and private sectors have come together to agree a change in their working practices in order to address climate change. 

The agreement outlines commitments organisations will adopt to contribute to a green recovery and reach Edinburgh’s target for net zero emissions.  

Accelerating action

The signatories have agreed to 16 actions which will lead to clear change in their business practices in order to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Actions include: prioritising sustainable travel and investing in a switch to zero-emissions vehicles; retrofitting buildings to become more energy efficient; and training staff to increase awareness of issues around climate change and encouraging a change of behaviours.

Each organisation will also publicise what action is currently taken to address climate change including the disclosure of current emission levels and plans for how they plan to reduce their carbon emissions further. 

World-leading expertise

The Edinburgh Climate Compact is the latest output of the Edinburgh Climate Commission, a cross-sector network established in February 2020, which is hosted by ECCI and co-sponsored by the University and City of Edinburgh Council.

The Commission is part of the Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN), which works to translate climate policy into action on the ground in Edinburgh, Leeds and Belfast.  

PCAN aims to accelerate action and impact on climate change in the city, and provides independent, expert advice to enable and support the best choices being made for Edinburgh.