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Nicky O'Malley, Director of Corporate Partnerships

‘Everyone is affected by air pollution, and it is everyone’s problem.’ Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Sir Chris Whitty’s Annual Report on Air Pollution is unequivocal:

• Air pollution is affecting us all in the UK, with health impacts including stroke, coronary heart disease, asthma, lung cancer, diabetes and dementia.
• The main sources of air pollution are transport, industry, agriculture and domestic burning.
• Air pollution is a societal problem, but it is solvable.
• The onus of responsibility to solve air pollution sits with government and business.
  

As well as highlighting the business responsibility to act on air pollution – as already recognised by the UN Human Rights Council – Professor Whitty also highlights the business opportunity that this presents. To breathe clean air, we need to see business solutions.

"The CBI welcomes the report from the Chief Medical Officer on the damaging impacts of air pollution. We encourage our members and the wider business community to build these recommendations into future plans. I hope to see businesses seizing that opportunity with both hands.”

-Jordan Cummins, Programme Director for Health, CBI (Confederation of British Industry)

Global Action Plan’s top takeaways to build action on air quality into your business plans

1. Continue the push towards fewer and cleaner vehicles on our roads
   The largest of the solutions chapters in Professor Whitty’s report is on technological solutions for cleaner vehicles, with numerous examples of business innovation stepping in to improve efficiency and emissions across a range of vehicles.
   
2. Take note of the new NHS commitment to halve its contribution to poor air quality
   The NHS has made a new commitment to halve its contribution to poor air quality within a decade while reducing health inequalities. NHS organisations will increasingly be seeking out companies acting on air pollution to be their preferred suppliers or partners and will welcome business innovation on clean air in the health sector.
   
3. Prepare for legally binding targets on emissions
   New legally binding targets for particle pollution (PM2.5) and the number of people exposed to it were announced by the government recently. When approved by parliament, those targets will no doubt be devolved to both public and private sector organisations, as we have seen with both net zero and carbon reporting.
   
4. Plan for increased scrutiny on indoor air quality as a workplace health issue
   In the CMO's report, indoor and outdoor air quality are treated with parity, with particular attention given to the workplace, recognising indoor air quality as a workplace health issue. Employers – across both private and public sectors – will increasingly be looking for solutions to reduce air pollution within their buildings to reflect the impact on staff.
   
5. Consider the indoor air quality impact of your customers’ home heating decisions
   When looking at the topical issue of home heating, Professor Whitty’s report highlights how solid fuel burning is the most polluting way to heat your home. Cleaner home heating options – such as heat pumps – and insulation are likely to turn the tide on burning biomass. Domestic log burners in particular are, like diesel, counter-intuitive to zero carbon emission pathways.

There is plenty of food for thought on taking action on air pollution for businesses both large and small in the CMO’s report. Now is the time to seize the opportunity to act by adapting business operations, improving indoor air quality for employees and being at the forefront of developing innovative societal solutions to the problem. As Sir Chris Whitty states so clearly, air pollution is everybody’s problem – one that together we can solve, and one in which industry and businesses have a crucial role to play.

To find out more about Global Action Plan’s work with businesses on clean air, get in touch with me at [email protected]