Make your organisation greener

The state of our environment in Greater Manchester underpins all aspects of our daily lives. We face urgent and significant environmental challenges in Greater Manchester. They require us all to take action now.

Greater Manchester has published our Five-Year Environment Plan, launched in March 2019 during the second Greater Manchester Green Summit. The plan sets out our long-term environmental vision – to be carbon neutral by 2038 – and the urgent actions we all need to take in the next five years to help achieve this.

Greater Manchester is the first city-region in the UK to develop a Natural Capital Investment Plan - a plan that will help us encourage investment in our natural environment to secure financial and social returns. 

Working together as part of the Green City family are the region’s leading businesses, community and voluntary, third sector and charity organisations, green influencers, schools and individuals. We are adopting a Mission Based Approach which breaks down our goals into discrete challenges. GM Green City provides tips for action, resources and information about campaigns and other projects in which you might wish to get involved.

Together we can work to address the major environmental challenges to our city region:

1. Mitigating climate change
2. Air quality
3. Production and consumption of resources
4. Natural environment
5. Resilience and adaptation to the impacts of climate change

Suggested Actions

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• Use the tools available at Bee Net Zero. Launched at the 2021 Green Summit, Bee Net Zero is making Greater Manchester the easiest place in the UK to become a net zero business, supporting the transition to a zero carbon economy.
• Become part of the Greater Manchester green tech and services supply chain and provide the labour and skills needed to achieve the 2038 Net Zero Carbon ambition with support from the Business Growth Hub Green Tech and Services Team
• Eco-Innovate by developing new-to-market environmental products and services with support from the GC Business Growth Hub Eco-Innovation Team
• Use the GM green technology and services supply chain for low carbon, environmental and renewable projects & contracts with support of the Low Carbon Network
• Adopt transformative digital technologies designed to maximise industrial efficiency with the support of the Made Smarter programme
• Organise carbon literacy training for all employees so that they can understand how to reduce their own carbon footprint
• Begin your Journey to Net Zero with support from the GC Business Growth Hub Resource Efficiency Team who work with GM small-medium businesses looking to cut their carbon footprint, reduce costs, minimise risk and maximise opportunities
• Maximise energy efficiency and local low carbon energy generation in your work place – ensure new build maximises Eco standards, or retrofit your offices and buildings
• Build climate change resilience measures into your risk management and investment plans and business continuity planning
• Help enable a Plastic Free GM - Re-use (or stop using) single use plastic
• Create less waste – with support from Recycle for Greater Manchester or the Business Growth Hub
• Manage any green spaces at your workplace for wildlife and promote environmental volunteering days for your employees