Accountancy group PwC has become the latest firm to join the Bristol Climate Leaders Group, which was launched last November to help make the city carbon neutral within 10 years by sharing experiences and best practice.
PwC, which employs 580 people in its West of England office at Temple Quay, said the move was part of a raft of environmental initiatives it has made recently. 
The Bristol Climate Leaders Group supports and showcases public and private sector organisations that are leading the way in reducing their own carbon emissions by committing to achieving net zero, to accelerate Bristol’s progress towards becoming carbon neutral.
Set up by Bristol Green Capital Partnership, the group welcomes organisations that have committed to be carbon neutral in their own operations by 2030 and have a plan for how they will reduce their emissions.
This dovetails with the goals of Bristol’s One City Climate Strategy, which provides a pathway for Bristol to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030.
The group was set up last November with 15 member organisations from across Bristol, ranging from the city council and two NHS trusts to ethical tea firm Pukka Herbs and architects’ practices Alec French and Stride Treglown.
PwC Bristol senior partner Tom Ayerst, pictured, said last weekend’s G7 summit in Cornwall had once again put preserving the planet in the global spotlight. 
“As a business, we are very conscious of our environmental impact and we are always reviewing what we can do to minimise it, along with that of our suppliers,” he said.
“It is important for us to be able to support and learn from other businesses on the same journey as we are.
“The Bristol Climate Leaders Group is a great local forum to share our journey in committing to reach Net Zero by 2030, but it’s just one element of the work we have been doing around sustainability.”
Earlier this year PwC’s Bristol office held its first Net Zero roundtable, bringing together business leaders to share their own learnings and inspire others.
Employees across the region have also signed up to the Enviropledges scheme, in which individuals commit to small changes that would reduce their environmental impact. Within two months, they collectively saved a total of 4.5 tonnes of carbon.
Mr Ayerst added: “Building on this, we are currently taking part in Count Us In, a global 10-year project aiming to inspire a billion people to significantly reduce their carbon impacts, and challenge leaders to deliver the necessary changes to support Net Zero by 2030.”
PwC West & Wales regional market leader John-Paul Barker added: “The work that’s been led by our entire staff team and backed wholeheartedly by senior leaders in the region has been fantastic so far.
“The impact made by the pledges of our people was measurable in terms of carbon saving, and it has promoted competition across our UK business for people to do the best they can in terms of their new Count Us In pledges.
“We hope that our work in this area, along with how we’re supporting clients, will inspire other businesses to make similar commitments that will allow them to reach Net Zero by 2030.”
Other members of the Bristol Climate Leaders Group include Bristol Beacon (formerly Colston Hall), Business West, the Diocese of Bristol, green energy group Ecotricity, engineering and environmental consultancy Jacobs, SS Great Britain, UWE Bristol and We The Curious.
For more information on the group, click here
