25 August 2025

When the world’s climate negotiators, activists, scientists and business leaders descend on Belém, Brazil, this November for COP30, the symbolism will be impossible to ignore. The Amazon—often described as the “lungs of the planet”—will provide the backdrop to the most consequential climate talks since the Paris Agreement was struck in 2015. But if Paris was about setting goals, Belém will be about proving that global industry is willing to stand alongside governments and civil society in delivering them.

According to a recent analysis by Reuters, the central message is clear: companies cannot afford to sit this one out. Corporate engagement at COP30 will be critical—not just for reputation management, but for steering policy ambition, shaping the rules of the game and demonstrating that business is part of the solution rather than a laggard.

From Paris to Belém: a summit at a crossroads

Every year, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change convenes to review progress and update commitments. Some summits are remembered for breakthroughs—Kyoto, Copenhagen, Paris—while others are marked by frustration and stalemate. COP30 comes at a delicate moment.

The Paris Agreement’s first “global stocktake”, concluded at COP28 in Dubai, made brutally clear that the world is far off track. Despite record investments in clean energy, greenhouse gas emissions remain stubbornly high, and the window to hold warming to 1.5°C is narrowing. COP29 in Azerbaijan delivered incremental progress on climate finance but failed to resolve key disagreements between developed and emerging economies.

Now attention turns to Belém, in the heart of the Amazon basin. For Brazil, hosting the summit is a chance to showcase its renewed climate diplomacy under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to halt deforestation and position Latin America as a hub for green growth. For the global community, it is a reminder that the Amazon’s fate is inseparable from the climate fight: unchecked destruction could push the forest past a tipping point, undermining global carbon budgets.

Against this backdrop, COP30 will carry an expectation of greater corporate presence and accountability than ever before.

The We Mean Business Coalition: business voices in chorus

Central to this push is the We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC), a network formed in 2014 to rally corporate ambition on climate. Headquartered in London but global in scope, the coalition brings together seven major non-profits—such as BSR, Ceres, CDP and the Climate Group—to help companies set science-based targets, disclose emissions and advocate for stronger policies.

WMBC represents more than 600 companies and investors, spanning virtually every sector of the economy. Collectively, its members account for trillions of dollars in market capitalisation and millions of employees worldwide. Its philosophy is simple but strategic: when business leaders speak together, governments listen.

In the run-up to Belém, WMBC has been explicit. It is urging companies to “show up in force” at COP30—not only in attendance, but in active participation. The reasoning is twofold. First, fossil fuel lobbies will be there in numbers; without strong corporate voices pressing for ambitious policy, the balance of influence could tilt the wrong way. Second, with clean energy investment now double the flow of capital into fossil fuels (roughly US$2.2 trillion versus US$1.1 trillion in 2025), the private sector has a direct interest in making sure regulatory frameworks keep pace.

Why COP30 matters for business

For executives weighing whether to send a delegation to Belém, the case extends well beyond public relations. Three factors stand out.

1. Rules, standards and disclosure

The next phase of climate action will be defined not just by pledges but by reporting frameworks, carbon markets and disclosure rules. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is already reshaping how multinationals account for emissions. Internationally, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is gaining traction. COP30 will be a venue where governments and regulators test alignment—and companies that engage can help shape feasible standards rather than passively absorbing them.

2. Market access and trade policy

Carbon border adjustments, green public procurement and low-carbon product standards are no longer theoretical. The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has already entered its transitional phase, and similar policies are under discussion in the US and parts of Asia. For manufacturers, exporters and retailers, understanding and influencing how these mechanisms evolve is a competitive necessity.

3. Capital flows and investment signals

Global investors are watching COP30 closely for signals that governments will honour climate finance commitments and support emerging market transitions. Clearer frameworks could unlock private capital into renewable energy, hydrogen, sustainable agriculture and carbon removal. For corporations, being part of that conversation can unlock opportunities in project finance, joint ventures and supply chain resilience.

Lessons from past summits

It is not unusual for companies to attend COPs in large numbers. COP21 in Paris saw a surge of business activity, with firms keen to be associated with the breakthrough agreement. COP26 in Glasgow drew hundreds of CEOs, but the presence was criticised as fragmented—individual announcements rather than collective advocacy.

What WMBC is calling for in Belém is different: not symbolic attendance, but organised, strategic participation. That means aligning around key policy asks, supporting science-based pathways, and resisting the temptation to use COP solely as a platform for marketing. In practical terms, it could mean CEOs joining official side-events, corporate scientists presenting evidence on decarbonisation pathways, and cross-sector groups advocating for accelerated phase-out of unabated fossil fuels.

The Amazon factor: local voices, global stakes

Hosting COP30 in Belém is no accident. The Amazon is both a regional development challenge and a planetary climate regulator. Corporate presence in Belém cannot ignore the local context: indigenous communities, forest conservation and sustainable agriculture. Companies will need to show sensitivity—any hint of “greenwashing tourism” will be met with scepticism.

Yet there is also an opportunity. Supply chains in food, timber, minerals and energy all intersect with the Amazon basin. Corporations that engage constructively—supporting deforestation-free supply chains, investing in forest-positive commodities, or funding local resilience projects—can demonstrate that global business is capable of advancing both environmental and social goals.

Students and scientists: the other audiences

While the corporate case for COP30 is strong, the presence of students and scientists adds another dimension. Universities and research institutes will use Belém to present cutting-edge science on carbon cycles, biodiversity and tipping points. Student delegations, many from Latin America, will highlight the intergenerational stakes.

For corporate leaders, engaging with these groups is not just optics—it is intelligence. Emerging research on soil carbon, methane management or forest regrowth can directly inform corporate strategy. Student networks are often a pipeline for the talent companies need to decarbonise operations. Ignoring these communities would be a missed opportunity.

A call to seriousness

Sceptics might argue that corporate attendance at COPs often yields more rhetoric than results. Indeed, the criticism of “net zero by PowerPoint” is not without merit. But there are also examples where business advocacy has tilted the balance. The mobilisation of renewable energy companies helped secure stronger policy support in Europe and parts of Asia. Automotive industry commitments influenced the timeline for phasing out combustion engines in multiple jurisdictions.

The challenge for COP30 will be to convert presence into pressure—clear, consistent demands for policies that accelerate decarbonisation, coupled with credible commitments from companies themselves. In this sense, showing up is only the beginning; showing leadership is the real test.

Conclusion: Belém as a business turning point

The Amazon will frame COP30 as a reminder that climate is not an abstract negotiation but a tangible, living system under strain. For business, the decision to attend should not be seen as optional. The cost of staying away is not just reputational; it is strategic.

With clean energy investment now eclipsing fossil fuels, with regulatory frameworks tightening, and with civil society increasingly attuned to accountability, the companies that turn up in Belém will be the ones shaping—not chasing—the next chapter of climate governance.

The We Mean Business Coalition has put it bluntly: show up in force. The reason is equally blunt: in the contest between those advocating for rapid transition and those delaying it, numbers matter.

Belém will test whether global business is ready to add its weight to the scales of ambition. And in doing so, it may reveal whether the private sector has finally moved from climate follower to climate leader.