Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has called on businesses to follow Richard Hagan and Crystal Doors’ lead on reaching zero carbon as quickly as possible to capture the ‘early adopter’ benefits.

In an interview for Rochdale Ambassadors on 14 October, Andy was asked about Greater Manchester’s goal to become zero carbon by 2038:

The government have set a target of 2050 to be net zero. You’ve set Greater Manchester’s ambition of being 2038. Richard Hagan set his ambition of being net zero by 2022. What part can businesses play?

“Follow Richard’s lead. Why do I say that? Because this is the future. The two big things of the 21^st century, I would argue, will be digitalisation and decarbonisation. The businesses that become fully digital and zero carbon the quickest are going to be better set up for the 21^st century before their competitors.

“I think as a city region, if all of our businesses buy into that, we will get the benefits of being the early adopters because we will be the place where the energy is with regard to this agenda. So when the rest of the UK catches up, because they’re on a slower path towards zero carbon, they’ll have to come here to tap into our expertise, our workforce, our businesses.

“It’s a business opportunity, and the quicker you get there, the quicker you’re set up, and then the more the benefits will flow.”

A recording of the interview can be found here, from 33 minutes in.