More than 100 firms, including global names such as Nestle and Uber, have issued a joint appeal asking governments to make electrification a central pillar of economic planning. The open statement, supported by 112 businesses spanning sectors from industrials and consumer goods to healthcare, argues that continued dependence on fossil fuel markets leaves economies exposed to disruptive price shocks and undermines competitiveness.
The group, which reports combined annual revenues of roughly $1.5 trillion, lists other signatories including Iberdrola, Volvo Cars, Mahindra Group, Nikon Corporation and Levi Strauss. The statement was coordinated by the We Mean Business Coalition and the Global Renewables Alliance.
Policy and market reforms needed
Signatories stressed that achieving a large-scale shift toward electrification will rely on clear, predictable government policies and targeted reforms. The statement identifies several policy priorities: improving electricity market design, directing investment to modernise and expand grids, and accelerating permitting processes to speed deployment of electrification technologies.
According to the statement, such measures are essential because volatility in fossil fuel markets can lead to price spikes, supply-chain disruption and delayed investment - outcomes the group says weaken competitiveness. The document explicitly links recent price shocks to geopolitical tensions, citing price spikes tied to the Iran conflict as an example of the kind of volatility that has prompted companies and governments to reassess energy strategies.
Scale and readiness of technologies
The signatories noted that many of the technologies needed to electrify key sectors - specifically transport, buildings and industry - are already commercially available. They add that wider electrification could also reduce overall energy demand, contingent on supportive and predictable policy frameworks that enable rapid scaling.
Kim Hellström, Senior Sustainability Climate Manager at retailer H&M, is quoted in the statement stressing the role of enabling policy: "To reach the required scale, the transition to electrification notably needs to be accelerated through predictable and enabling policy frameworks."
Context and momentum
The intervention coincides with the opening of London Climate Action Week, an event expected to draw over 75,000 attendees to more than 1,000 events featuring policymakers, investors and company executives. The corporate appeal also aligns with a proposal from Turkey, host of the COP31 talks this November, which is pushing for a global target of having electricity supply 35% of the world’s energy demand by 2035.
A recent poll referenced in the statement found that 90% of business leaders expect their operations to be electrified within the next decade, indicating private-sector anticipation of a rapid shift in energy consumption patterns.
Impacted sectors
- Transport - cited explicitly as a sector for electrification.
- Buildings - identified as another primary sector for electrification.
- Industry - named as a sector where commercially available technologies can be deployed.
The corporate appeal places a clear emphasis on the need for policy clarity, grid investment and permitting reform to enable these sectoral shifts without introducing new vulnerabilities to business operations.