Microsoft announced as a Principal Partner for COP26

• Microsoft joins SSE, ScottishPower, NatWest Group, National Grid, Sky, Sainsbury’s, Hitachi, Reckitt and GSK as Principal Partners for UN climate change summit COP26 in Glasgow
• Businesses playing a key role in climate action by setting science-based targets to reach net zero emissions

Microsoft has been named a Principal Partner for the vital climate change summit, COP26, taking place in Glasgow later this year.

The global technology company is the tenth Principal Partner which will support the delivery of a successful and ambitious COP26. Microsoft joins SSE, ScottishPower, NatWest Group, National Grid, Sky, Sainsbury’s, Hitachi, Reckitt and GSK.

Through these partnerships, the COP26 Presidency is showing a clear commitment to working with businesses who are taking real steps towards net zero.

Microsoft is accelerating progress toward a more sustainable future by reducing its environmental footprint, advancing research, helping its customers build sustainable solutions, and advocating for policies that benefit the environment.

In 2020, Microsoft announced an ambitious commitment and detailed plan to be carbon negative by 2030 and to remove from the environment all the carbon the company emitted since its founding by 2050. The company has built on this pledge by adding commitments to be water positive by 2030, zero waste by 2030, and to protect ecosystems by developing a Planetary Computer.

COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, said:

I am delighted to welcome Microsoft as a Principal Partner of COP26. Tackling climate change is one of the greatest and most urgent challenges we face, and companies like Microsoft are helping to create the technology the world needs to reduce our own impact on the environment.

Businesses have a key role to play in helping us ensure COP26 is a success and I look forward to working with Microsoft as we continue our work ahead of the summit in November.

Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, said:

Building a pathway to net zero will take all of us working together and technology will play an important role in enabling it. Through Microsoft’s partnership with COP26, we look forward to engaging across public and private sectors to establish the conditions, measurement and markets that can help us all accelerate progress in the fight against climate change.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

1. For press queries contact COP26media@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
2. Principal Partners are the top tier of sponsorship for COP26.
3. We will release information on the details of sponsorship agreements after the event.
4. We are ensuring that COP26 provides value for money for the taxpayer.
5. All sponsors have committed to the Science-Based Targets initiative; this requires them to set ambitious targets for emissions reductions, including having a credible action plan, all in line with what the latest climate science says is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.