Collaborating for Climate Impact: Insights from UK Parliamentary Roundtable

As London Climate Action Week 2025 reignited vital conversations about how to unlock climate finance and deliver real-world impact, one theme stood out: the need for credible, science-backed pathways to action. The world needs to increase climate finance sevenfold by 2030 to stay on track for global climate goals. At the same time, companies are searching for credible, impactful, and recognizable ways to take climate action.

This resonates with a UK Parliamentary roundtable we recently hosted, which focused on driving action beyond the value chain and highlighting the importance of nature and collaboration. Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM), launched by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), encourages companies to reduce and remove emissions that are outside of their value chain. It helps catalyze funding for both existing and new climate solutions, supporting global net zero goals – all in addition to meeting near-term and long-term science-based abatement targets.

Joined by our client Deloitte, partners National Oceanography Centre and Project Seagrass, and MPs Barry Gardiner and Tristan Osborne, we explored the vital role the voluntary carbon market (VCM) can play in driving climate finance, BVCM initiatives and partnerships to turn ambition into action.

Key Takeaways from the Roundtable

Business Must Act – Now and Credibly

One of the biggest challenges in accelerating climate action is aligning it with short-term business priorities. With most CEOs and investors focused on immediate returns, companies are finding ways to build a compelling business case that spans the short, medium, and long term. Some shared how they leverage employee, customer, and investor demand to justify near-term investments, while also positioning climate action as essential to maintaining a future license to operate.

The discussion also highlighted the need for more robust frameworks that capture not just carbon outcomes, but also social and biodiversity value – making the full impact of climate strategies visible and measurable.

The Role of Government in Accelerating Climate Action

Government has a critical role to play in accelerating corporate climate action – through both incentives and regulation. A signal of government endorsement gives businesses the confidence to invest, innovate, and scale efforts that align with national and global climate goals. There was strong support for a balanced approach: using regulation  to compel action, while also creating pathways for companies to gain recognition for their efforts in the VCM.

The group also highlighted the need for a clearer, more compelling public narrative, grounded in a framework that is tangible, verifiable and rewards meaningful actions. Terms like "net zero" and "beyond value chain mitigation" often fail to resonate with broader audiences; a more relatable story is essential to build widespread societal support for climate solutions.

Business action is vital to unlock climate solutions

Business action is vital to unlocking climate solutions and scaling the impact of nature. One powerful example discussed during the roundtable was our award-nominated program, Accelerate Seagrass, which demonstrates how corporates support and cross-sector collaboration can help restore ecosystems and deliver measurable environmental impact.

The early-stage blue carbon program was developed in collaboration with Project Seagrass and the National Oceanography Centre and supported by Deloitte through its Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) portfolio. This program helps advance research and unlock large-scale funding for seagrass restoration in the UK and beyond. The discussion highlighted that initiatives like Accelerate Seagrass are essential to achieving our global climate and biodiversity targets.

Learn more about blue carbon solutions and Accelerate Seagrass here.

What’s Next?

This roundtable was just the beginning. We’ll continue to convene businesses, government leaders, and partners to unlock the potential of climate solutions and ensure the VCM delivers real and measurable impact. Let’s work together to turn climate ambition into climate action.

In response to the recent Voluntary Carbon and Nature Markets (VCNM) consultation in the UK, Chris Duck, our Centre of Excellence and External Affairs Lead, outlines Climate Impact Partners’ key recommendations to ensure the UK creates a high-integrity, high-impact market. Read the full article on Open Access Government.