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UL Solutions sent a representative to share the company’s extensive sustainability and energy transition expertise at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Rick Ziegler, Director of Trade and Multilateral Affairs at UL Solutions, accepted invitations to formally participate in two events, highlighting the company’s role as a global leader in applied safety science.
COP29 participants included scientists, government officials, business leaders, international organizations, not-for-profit organizations and members of the academic community. These diverse stakeholders assembled in November to collaborate on advancing the energy transition, sustainability efforts, trade of environmental goods and related policies.
Ziegler helped design and then moderated the panel “Built Environment Resilience: Addressing Climate Hazards in Fire Safety and Energy Systems,” held at the COP29 Standards Pavilion. The panelists included representatives from the other two UL organizations, UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, along with representatives from Standards Australia and the International Code Council.
As moderator, Ziegler guided panelists to discuss built environment challenges associated with global warming and changing precipitation patterns and intensity. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of safety procedures as a foundation for innovation.
Ziegler also participated in the panel “U.S. Industry Climate Solutions for Global Partners,” organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The panel featured officials from those government agencies, along with chief sustainability officers from the private sector.
Ziegler emphasized that the confidence customers have in UL Solutions’ renowned testing, inspection and certification services has brought attention to the company’s sustainability offerings.
“UL Solutions is at the forefront of de-risking new, clean energy solutions,” Ziegler said. He explained that UL Solutions collaborates with innovators, applying science to help them ensure that their ideas are safer and more effective, emphasizing that this effort “accelerates and helps scale the positive impact for both safety and sustainability objectives.”
Ziegler highlighted some UL Solutions service offerings that help companies bring transparency to their sustainability performance, including the Product Carbon Footprint Verification program and environmental, social and governance (ESG) advisory and assurance services. He mentioned that UL Solutions has been assisting companies with their ESG reporting for more than two decades.
Looking ahead, Ziegler noted that “over the next 10 to 20 years, we will keep seeing innovation in how we define and track sustainability.”
He also shared examples of UL Solutions’ public–private partnerships in the Asia Pacific region, referencing the company’s expertise in energy transition, wind power, and microgrid and direct current (DC) power.
Ziegler concluded his remarks by focusing on risk management, referring to safety challenges associated with some new energy transition technologies. “It’s not just the reputation of the companies at stake; it’s the reputation of the energy transition,” he said. “We need to move forward concertedly, with safety top of mind.”
COP29 drew more than 55,000 attendees from nearly 200 countries, and many experts view it as the largest annual public–private gathering for energy transition and sustainability stakeholders.
Learn more about sustainability and environmental services at UL Solutions.
» Publication Date: 17/01/2025
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