Business
Ambitious climate agreement announced by Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, Newham council and business leaders
Today the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, Newham Council and key organisations including ExCeL London, University of East London, Lendlease, London City Airport, and T & L Sugars have signed an ambitious climate agreement to help London reach net-zero by 2030.
The agreement will support the Royal Docks in its bid to reduce carbon emissions as it becomes a more sustainable urban development and take climate action that delivers better outcomes for people who live, work, and visit the Royal Docks. The partnership will also serve as a best practice case study for other areas in London who are also working towards a better climate transition at a neighbourhood level.
In addition to the climate agreement, the cohort have committed to working together to accelerate and enhance the speed of climate transition plans in Newham, holding each other to account and collaborating on joint initiatives from tree planting to the development of green skills and the sharing of expertise to address key challenges.
Commitments include:
- Supporting the design and delivery of the Royal Docks Blue Green Corridor making the waterfront more accessible and useable, restoring and promoting biodiversity (planting wildflower meadows and trees), funding green community initiatives and promoting green public spaces.
- Developing a joint proposal for developing a Digital Twin, an open-data platform that creates virtual replica of the Royal Docks, which can be used to test different sustainable scenarios to help planning and decision making
- Exploring waste management strategies to encourage a circular economy; diverting waste from landfill and reducing the use of single use plastics
- Exploring opportunities to minimise food waste and address food security as part of a new Royal Docks Food and Beverage strategy.
The agreement will build on the successes of the Enterprise Zone and enable the Royal Docks, Newham and local businesses to take clear and decisive action to reduce carbon emissions.
Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy
The agreement brings together four key climate strategies under the banner of the Royal Docks’ Sustainability Network. This includes the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone’s ambitions to position the area as a place for climate innovation, Mayor of London’s world-leading climate action plan, Newham’s pioneering Just Transition Strategy and the University of East London’s (UEL) new Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability (RDCS). Members’ share ambitions to further their own performance in climate action.
Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, said: “This Climate Agreement is exactly what we need to be doing to achieve the Mayor of London’s ambition to achieve a net zero capital by 2030. The agreement will build on the successes of the Enterprise Zone and enable the Royal Docks, Newham and local businesses to take clear and decisive action to reduce carbon emissions. Working together with partners in this way will help to build a fairer and greener London for everyone.”
Paul Marshall, Vice President, Global Campus and Pro Vice Chancellor, Careers and Enterprise, University of East London, said: “Work to accelerate climate action requires collective action and we are proud to join forces with organisations across the Royal Docks on this agreement to drive positive change in east London and beyond. The Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability is fast becoming a leader in this space, positioning Newham as a place for climate innovation and championing collaborative system change across the city since our launch last year. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with fellow anchor organisations, to deliver a climate resilient society and environment.”
Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and President of University of East London said:
“Sustainability is deeply embedded in the fabric of the University’s ethos, permeating our research and academic endeavours, our estates and facilities, and underpinning our greentech strategy. We are driving sustainability in all areas, as part of an ambitious goal to help address global inequalities and build a carbon net zero campus, with a commitment to support underrepresented groups and drive engagement between the University, east London and national and global communities. It’s time to think again about the role universities can play in the fight against climate change. As a civic anchor in Newham for over 125 years, community wealth building is in our DNA – we know the power of partnership and how critical it is in effectively tackling some of society’s biggest challenges. By working collectively with other anchor organisations, we can foster the development of green skills, harness cutting-edge technologies, and create sustainable, inclusive opportunities and a greener, healthier world for the communities we serve."
Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, said: "The Royal Docks Climate Agreement not only supports our broader Just Transition Plan but also builds on our commitment to work together with the community, including leading institutions, global businesses, the voluntary and community sectors, and residents. Together, we aim to tackle the climate emergency and accelerate the transition to Net Zero locally in the Royal Docks and across the borough.
“We will launch joint place-based initiatives to achieve a greener, healthier, fairer, and more energy-efficient Newham, addressing the unequal impacts of climate change. Low-income and disadvantaged groups, who contribute the least to the climate crisis, often bear the highest costs for climate adaptation.
“By working in partnership with members of the Royal Docks Sustainability Network, we will ensure that our residents and communities experience the benefits - from developing green jobs, skills, and volunteering opportunities for local people, to transforming the Royal Docks into a thriving haven of biodiversity by planting greenery as part of a Blue-Green Corridor. We will also develop a cutting-edge ‘Digital Twin’ model to support our ambitions for the area, attracting businesses as part of a Clean Tech Super Cluster."
Jacob Heitland, Director of Climate Action, London Borough of Newham, said: "The Royal Docks Climate Agreement enshrines just transition principles into the climate actions of leading partners based in Newham. Taking inspiration from international climate agreements, such as the Kilmatkonrakt 2030 in Sweden, we are one of the first local authorities in the UK to formalise an agreement which brings together anchor institutions from the public and private sectors focused on delivering unified climate action."
London City Airport’s CEO, Alison FitzGerald said: “London City Airport is proud to be a signatory and Anchor member of the Royal Docks Sustainability Network. The journey to achieve net zero is complex and challenging, but we can achieve more by working together, which is why this group is so important.”
Signatories to the Royal Docks Climate Agreement
- Buhler UK
- Berkeley Group – (St William Homes and Berkeley Capital Homes)
- Royal Docks Enterprise Zone
- ExCeL London
- London City Airport
- Lendlease
- London Borough of Newham
- T&L Sugars
- University of East London
- London Design and Engineering UTC
- RAD London
