For almost half a century, the global leaders have been coming together at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos to exchange ideas, tackle the big issues of the day, and plan for a better future. This year, leaders representing 1,808 organisations went to Switzerland – including, for the first time – LeasePlan.
The theme at this year’s annual meeting was “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World” and featured a packed program, with sessions from business leaders, politicians, NGOs and more. Attendees included the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Malala Yousafzai and will.i.am.
Ahead of the meeting, LeasePlan released its first annual Sustainable Fleet Benchmark, which showed that attendees at Davos could save 3 million tonnes of CO2 by switching to low-emission fleets. All that’s required for most companies to adopt low-emission fleets is a decision from the top. The executives attending Davos simply need to say “we will make the switch”. No change of strategy is required. It can be done with the stroke of a pen.
Then on Monday LeasePlan joined nearly 200 forward-thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. This partnership is another step in our sustainability journey as LeasePlan takes a leadership role in the transition from internal combustion engines to alternative powertrains. FleetEurope reported on this and also highlighted our ambitions for Davos.
LeasePlan participated in a panel about ‘Paving the way for autonomous transport’ where LeasePlan’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Michael Lightfoot, explored what steps people, businesses and governments need to take to prepare for the world of autonomous vehicles.
At an event of The Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, businesses came together to lead on climate change and launch a report titled Two Degrees of Transformation. This paper reveals what is already happening with climate change, bringing together examples from around the world of smart working, new thinking and innovation. It highlights examples that others can follow, and that will make transformation happen faster than ever before. LeasePlan CEO Tex Gunning was also named a CEO Climate Leader Sector Champion.
At an event hosted by the Prime Minister of The Netherlands, LeasePlan spoke to Neelie Kroes, Former Vice President of European Commission for Digital Agenda, who explained the fascinating opportunities ahead in digital technology and the future of mobility.
LeasePlan also held an event together with EV100 organizer The Climate Group, the We Mean Business coalition and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) on ‘Accelerating the zero emission mobility revolution’. During the event, LeasePlan spoke about the important role low-emission vehicles can play in the fight against climate change.
We were joined by leaders from the automotive industry who explained the most recent developments in zero emission mobility technologies, as well as CEOs from some of our largest global companies, who shared their perspectives on the need for zero-emission mobility.
At the dinner, LeasePlan interviewed Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the WBCSD, and he shared his views on the zero emission mobility revolution with us.