MRS calls for net zero emissions by 2026

The pledge, which has been launched in the run-up to the United Nations’ World Environment Day on 5th June, will require participating companies to track their carbon emissions, which will be published as part of an annual industry report.

There are 13 companies that have already signed up to the pledge, including Opinium, BritainThinks, Ipsos Mori and Imagine.

Signatories will also be expected to share their own experiences and best practice with the rest of the sector, and support discussions within and outside their organisation about the environment.

The pledge was developed by the MRS Sustainability Council, which is chaired by Steve Phillips, chief executive of ZappiStore, and was established in 2020 to review the key environmental issues facing research and insight.

The UK is hosting this year’s major climate change summit, called the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26 ), which will take place in Glasgow.

Jane Frost, chief executive of MRS, said: “With COP26 taking place in Glasgow later this year, the eyes of the world will be on the UK.

“The pledge is a way of committing to being on the right side of history, providing an ambitious goal that the whole research sector can work towards.

“The environmental crisis is the most significant long-term issue facing humanity today and I ask all chief executive officers involved in research and insight to sign their organisation up to the pledge.”