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Throughout October, Green Alliance’s Circular Economy Task Force will be spotlighting the opportunities a circular economy could unlock for businesses, people and the wider economy, and why every day of inaction is a day wasted. One year of action lost. Let’s not lose another.

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Government committed to deliver a complete, 10 year plan for a circular transition by October 2025. Businesses are ready. Now, Andy Burnham and his new government have the opportunity to get this moving.

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A circular economy can strengthen supply chains, create jobs and growth and reduce our reliance on vulnerable global resources. It also makes a difference to people’s everyday lives, ensuring products last for longer and are designed for more repair and reuse, less waste and lower costs.

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This isn’t just about a missing plan. It’s about a missed opportunity to build a more resilient economy. And businesses are ready to invest. Back in May, more than 50 businesses and trade associations wrote to government calling for the plan to be published.

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One year of action lost. The government promised to release its Circular Economy Growth Plan by October last year. 365 days later, we’re still waiting.

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4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... 5. www.gov.uk/government/p... 6. green-alliance.org.uk/publication/... 7. green-alliance.org.uk/wp-content/u...

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The benefits are clear. Let’s keep up the pace and electrify transport now, not later. See links below for more information: 1. plc.autotrader.co.uk/news-views/p... 2. cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk/electric-veh... 3. green-alliance.org.uk/wp-content/u...

At its current level, the ZEV mandate will be responsible for 14% of all the greenhouse gas emissions cuts the UK needs by 2032.

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EVs help cut the cost of driving and make the economy more resilient. The mandate is the UK’s most powerful climate policy. Our analysis shows weakening the mandate could make emissions cuts for the late 2030s and early 2040s harder to reach.

Halving new EV sales targets would leave a 70Mt CO2 gap in the emissions cuts needed to keep climate action on track, shifting the responsibility onto other economic sectors.

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Pressures on the industry are real, but the government should back the businesses getting ahead, and help others to catch up. This would mean more cuts to power costs for manufacturers, expanding consumer incentives to buy electric and updating trade protections. See our report (link 6).

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The ZEV mandate is designed to futureproof the UK car manufacturing industry. The car industry is going electric globally. China and others are racing ahead. UK carmakers risk falling behind if they don’t keep up.

4 in 10 cars made in the UK are now EVs.

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Once you factor in the mandate’s flexibilities, the compliance bar is actually closer to 25% - about 6% of total output. Crucially – no UK carmaker has ever paid a ZEV mandate fine – the whole industry met its targets in 2024 and 2025 without penalty.

The ZEV mandate is working. It’s giving industry certainty, with £7bn+ investment in the battery supply chain, supporting over 10,000 jobs.

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Some carmakers claim that a weaker ZEV mandate is needed to save the UK car industry. This doesn’t add up: around 75% of UK-built cars are exported (so not affected by the mandate). Of the 25% sold here, only 33% need be fully electric in 2026.

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🫴 Choice. EVs have never been more attractive to buy. Home charging and plug in solar offer more flexibility. More street charging, charger grants and setting VAT at the same level for public charging as home charging, would spread the benefits to even more households (link 5).

There are now over 170 EV models to choose from and more public chargers than fuel pumps.

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🫀Public health. EVs have no tailpipe emissions, so replacing petrol and diesel cars significantly cuts air pollution and the illnesses it causes, easing pressure on the NHS (link 4). That’s especially true in hot weather, when toxic ground-level ozone is an even greater health risk.

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🌐 Resilience. Electrifying vehicles would increase energy security and shield drivers from price shocks. Even a slight reduction of the mandate could cumulatively increase petrol and diesel consumption by 28Mt by 2040 vs the current path, keeping us dependent on risky global oil markets (link 3).

Since February, the Iran war has pushed up UK road fuel costs by £183 million a week. Current EV sales trajectories would almost halve UK reliance on oil imports by 2040.

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🪙 Consumer savings. New EVs are cheaper on average than petrol and diesel cars, and used EV prices are falling. Drivers save up to £1,400 in running costs a year. Because most UK electricity is generated domestically, more of that running cost stays in the UK economy than with oil (link 1 & 2).

For drivers, EVs are cheaper on average to buy than petrol or diesel cars, and can cost 9x less a year to run

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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 15h

Last month a record number of new EVs were sold, with more than 99,000 leaving showrooms, 28% of all cars sold. The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate is the main policy the government has to grow the UK's EV sector - despite record sales, it risks being weakened. This is the wrong direction ⬇️

Green background, text says: Electric vehicle sales hit almost 100k in September 2026, a new record. Here’s why the policy driving it: the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate should stay ambitious, for drivers, industry, national security and the climate.

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The measures included in the ‘Our plan for a stronger economy’ plan would: 🔹Scrap net zero building regulations 🔹See the UK leave the Aarhus Convention 🔹Abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency 🔹Implement the Fingleton nuclear recommendations in full 🔹Support Heathrow's third runway

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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 15h

Today, the Conservative Party is due to announce an economic plan that would oversee a wave of deregulation, one that runs counter to the urgent need for ambitious climate action in the UK. Our CEO, Mike Davis, responds ⬇️

A quote from our CEO, Mike Davis, with a photo of him in the bottom right corner. His quote: "By vowing to scrap bodies that tackle serial polluters and restore nature, while making homes less futureproof, the Conservatives would be turning their back on their legacy of supporting ambitious environmental policies. They would also leave people more exposed to ill health and soaring energy bills when geopolitical shocks hit. The "little known" Aarhus Convention gives people across the UK the right to have their say on decisions affecting their local environment and to seek justice when polluters cross the line. A party seeking to abandon these rights is dangerously out of touch with the public mood."

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UK food security in a climate changed world » Green Alliance

We warned about this earlier this year & had 3 solutions: 🤝 A new Food System Resilience Task Force 📊 Food businesses made to report their climate risks & adaptations 🎯 Food system targets under the 2028 National Adaptation Programme (NAP4) #foodsecurity green-alliance.org.uk/publication/...

green-alliance.org.uk

Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment

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The Illusion of Resilience in a Degrading Supply Chain — Inside Track

Senior executives at big UK food cos are warning investors over the threat of climate change to #foodsecurity They say industry isn't responding & without major change the UK faces severe yield losses, disrupted supply chains & higher food prices 👇 www.insidetrack.org.uk/releases/foo...

insidetrack.org.uk

This morning, Inside Track x Food published a memo from senior food industry professionals on the threats facing supply chains. As climate and biodiversity risks grow, they are concerned that persiste...

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The government is currently considering weakening its policy designed to get more EVs on the roads, but that just makes no sense in this global context. Drivers and businesses need help to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster #ZEVmandate

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US pressures Europe to release diesel reserves as Trump threatens export ban

⚡One more reason to electrify transport faster. EVs are better for drivers, including businesses that depend on diesel. They're up to nine times cheaper to run, an advantage that will only increase as fossil fuel prices soar. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

President Donald Trump has threatened to ban diesel exports in a bid to ease prices in the US ahead of the November elections.

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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 01/10/2026

Listen to it now🎧 🌐Website green-alliance.org.uk/podcast/weat... 🎵Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/2qlt... 💻Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...

green-alliance.org.uk

Weather check: can the UK take the heat? » Green Alliance

Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment

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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 01/10/2026

What lessons can we take from this summer's extreme heat on how to prepare for climate change? On the latest episode of our podcast, deputy mayor of London, Mete Coban MBE, explains how the city has provided a blueprint for action on adaptation, with a heat plan for the capital.

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The map below gives an initial look at what opportunities for new sites could look like, a government plan should develop this approach in far greater detail. ➡️ Read the briefing: green-alliance.org.uk/briefing/the...

A map of the UK showing what plans for expanding glasshouses could look like. Different locations on the map show things such as planned AI data centres, wastewater treatment plants, industrial sites, existing glasshouses, and low carbon energy generation and carbon capture. The proposed government plan would need to go much further than this initial plan.

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In our new briefing we put forward a proposal to address this. By developing a national spatial strategy, as part of the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan, the government could ensure profitable production, identify suitable sites, and fast-track their development.

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💡How do we get there? Highly productive glasshouses will be vital to keep fresh fruit and vegetables on our tables year-round. But their expansion is held back by a lack of available sites, slow planning decisions, and high running costs.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴 | The UK’s reliance on imported fruit and vegetables leaves the nation’s healthy food supply vulnerable to growing global instability and worsening climate impacts. To address this the UK must expand homegrown fruit and vegetable production.

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Our analysis shows this could mean burning an extra 3Mt of petrol and diesel every year from 2030, leaving us more exposed to price shocks like this one. Every EV on the road cuts that dependence. Join our webinar tomorrow, 13:00 to 14:00, to hear more about what's at stake.

Graphic promoting the Green Alliance webinar titled 'Is cutting EV targets a good idea? Exploring what weakening the UK's biggest climate policy would mean'. Below are photos of each of the four people on the panel: Roz Bulleid (Green Alliance) who will chair, Ben Nelmes (New Automotive), Bob Hancké (PEACS), and James Court (Octopus Electric Vehicles).

#GAevent | Diesel is reportedly hitting £2 a litre, with petrol not far behind. This is the cost of our reliance on a volatile fossil fuel market, and it's bad news for drivers and our supply chains. Yet, this month the government is also considering weakening electric vehicle targets.

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It's time to #GoGo (get off gas and oil) now and create a more resilient and safer future for everyone. 👛 Move levies off individual electricity bills and onto government spending ⚡ Expand support for industrial electrification 🏠 Accelerate the Warm Homes Plan

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Not only will it bring costs down but it will also ensure a liveable climate. The PM's energy plan would help to cut systemic costs within the next decade. But there are things he could do right now to cut bills today, and release industry from the stranglehold of uncompetitive energy costs 👇

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⚡Cutting the cost of electricity and accelerating electrification of the whole economy, from home heating and transport to industry, is vital to get us off the fossil fuel rollercoaster which is making life so hard for far too many people.

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👏 Great to see the PM aim for GB’s energy prices to match those across Europe within 10 years and to speed up grid connections.

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Green Alliance’s head of social impact, Cath Smith, spoke to meteorologist, @gemmaplumbweather.bsky.social, and Mete Coban, about what it will take to turn the lessons of this summer into lasting resilience for the future. ➡️ Listen on our website: buff.ly/R666PDu

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This summer didn't just break records for extreme heat, the amount of work required of London's emergency services also set new records. In the latest episode of our podcast, deputy mayor of London, Mete Coban, explains why this should be an alarm bell for action on adaptation.

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Adapt to thrive: preparing the UK for climate change » Green Alliance

With our Adaptation Task Force, we’ve been working with leading companies to highlight the need for, and opportunities of, adapting to climate change. Climate action should be at the heart of UK industrial strategy. Adapting is thriving. green-alliance.org.uk/publication/...

green-alliance.org.uk

Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment

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We want to see the government follow through with faster electrification, to support industry and families, and not weaken its zero emission vehicle mandate, just when diesel is at its highest price ever and demand for EVs is soaring. Protecting people means getting the country off gas and oil.

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In her speech, @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social recognised the threat climate change poses to people and communities but that tackling it is also the reindustrialisation opportunity the whole country needs.

It was good to hear such a resoundingly strong message from the DESNZ Secretary of State @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social, in her speech to the Labour Party conference today, on the need to go further and faster on climate action.

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Is cutting EV targets a good idea?

Featuring: 🔸 @rozbulleid.bsky.social, Green Alliance 🔸 Ben Nelmes, New AutoMotive 🔸 Bob Hancké, PEACS 🔸 James Court, Octopus Electric Vehicles ➡️ Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-cutting...

eventbrite.co.uk

Exploring what weakening the UK’s biggest climate policy would mean.

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Pressure is mounting on the government to water down its most powerful carbon saving policy: the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Join us this Thursday, from 13.00-14.00, to discuss what is at stake for drivers, the car industry and climate.

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Green Alliance @green-alliance.org.uk · 24/09/2026

#GAevent | Final speaker announced 🗣️ The government is consulting on whether to roll back the most powerful policy mechanism it has for delivering against near-term climate targets.

Promotion of the upcoming webinar: Is cutting EV targets a good idea? Exploring what weakening the UK’s biggest climate policy would mean. Below are photos of each member of the panel: Roz Bulleid (Green Alliance), Ben Nelmes (New AutoMotive), Bob Hancké (PEACS), James Court (Octopus Electric Vehicles).

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The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate is the biggest single policy mechanism the UK government has for delivering against near term climate targets. As the government consults on possible changes to the mandate, join us to unpack what is at stake for drivers, the car industry and the climate ⬇️