Last Updated on 01/09/2025
Further to the details provided in the Livery Impact Report 2025, we have pleasure in giving an update on the Livery initiatives that were featured in the report. Our second is from the Livery Climate Action Group.
Alderman Alison Gowman, CBE reports:
The breadth and depth of work that our Livery Company members undertake continues with enthusiasm and commitment. We now have 107 members and are keen to engage everyone.
Following our strategic review in November 2024 (marking our first 3 years) we agreed a Vision and Mission and decided we needed a formal constitution. We determined to focus on each Livery Company having an individual climate action plan. Since January 2025 we have added 16 plans; so doubling the total published and accessible on our website. Each one is crafted to meet the need of its own operations and aspirations but committed to the focus of reducing our carbon footprint and building a sustainable City. For example the Mercers’ Livery included in their annual report an update on their environmental plan; the Stationers have alerted us to greenwashing comments on the issue of paper vs digital; and the Leathersellers have published their commitment to investing in specific ESG products and to Science Based Targets.
In June 2025 we held our first Annual General Meeting as an unincorporated association with our new constitution and we elected a new Executive with Alderman Alison Gowman as our Chair. The AGM also heard three excellent presentations on how Liveries are working on their response. The Skinners in retrofitting a “new” net zero Hall; the Furniture Makers in engaging with their profession and the Water Conservators focussing on measuring and reducing emissions.
Our Single Points of Contact, one for each Livery, are still the heart and soul of our work and provide engagement and news as a link to each Livery. Our regular meetings draw on their expertise to help others and we have seminars planned into next year with topics including optimising sustainable work practices with the Chartered Architects, Green Health (Nurses) and modern lighting and the public realm ( Lightmongers and City Corporation).
Please look at the video of our October 2024 Conference that shows the range of topics and interest in the attendees and speakers.
We are now planning our next Conference on the theme of Are we prepared? This will be open to all and held on January 26th 2026 at Merchant Taylors’ Hall. We will be publicising this further very soon.
