20 December 2024
ReLondon today announced the Mayor of London’s appointment of Mete Coban MBE, London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy as Chair of its Board.
ReLondon is a partnership of the Mayor of London and the London boroughs to improve waste and resource management and transform the city into a leading low carbon circular economy.
Mete Coban MBE became the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy in July 2024, overseeing the Mayor’s world-leading climate action plan for the capital. Mete was previously a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits.
As ReLondon Chair, Mete will oversee the strategic direction and governance of the organisation and its work. His key priorities will include fostering an effective partnership between the Mayor of London, ReLondon and the London boroughs to achieve our shared goals of reducing waste, increasing recycling and putting in place the policies, programmes and infrastructure that are required to transition the capital to a circular economy that benefits all Londoners.
ReLondon’s Board is made up of the Mayor or his representative as Chair, plus one other independent member appointed by the Mayor; four London borough elected members appointed by London Councils; and two further independent members, also appointed by London Councils. Details of members can be found here.
Mete replaces Dr Liz Goodwin OBE, Senior Fellow and Director of Food Loss and Waste, World Resources Institute, who served as Chair between 2017-2024.
Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and EnergyI’m honoured to be appointed as Chair of the ReLondon Board. ReLondon’s work is at the heart of delivering the Mayor’s commitment to reduce waste, increase recycling, and drive the transition to a circular economy in the capital. As Chair, I will lead and support ReLondon’s effort to reduce emissions and create a thriving green economy that benefits all Londoners, as we build a greener, fairer city for everyone.
Wayne Hubbard, CEO, ReLondonI’m really pleased to welcome Mete Coban as Chair of ReLondon’s Board. Our Chair is appointed by the Mayor, and it’s particularly exciting to have the new Deputy Mayor for Energy and Environment leading our Board. His work in Hackney and more widely with young people means he is uniquely placed to understand the benefits to London’s communities of building a zero waste economy, an economy which helps deliver the Mayor’s climate action plans and fulfils our shared vision of a greener city for all Londoners. His relationships with stakeholders across the capital and beyond will be a real asset in helping our work to make London prosper, while wasting less and reusing, sharing, repairing and recycling more.
ENDS
For more info, contact Ali Moore, head of communications, ReLondon – ali.moore@relondon.gov.uk – 07732 681821
Notes to editors
ReLondon is a partnership of the Mayor of London and London’s boroughs to accelerate London’s transition into a low carbon circular city. Our mission is to make London a global leader in sustainable ways to live, work and prosper by wasting less and reusing, repairing, sharing, and recycling more.
ReLondon delivers tailored support to government, businesses and citizens, working to accelerate London’s transition to a low carbon circular economy by:
- Building evidence to inspire action
- Equipping local authorities to embed circular practices
- Empowering businesses to grow the circular economy
- Encouraging Londoners to embrace circular lifestyles
ReLondon was established as a statutory Board under the Greater London Authority Act 2007 as the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB). Find out more.
Mete Coban MBE became the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy in July 2024, and was previously a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits.
Mete is widely credited with making politics more accessible to young people as the founder of the youth-led charity My Life My Say. He led the Give an X voter registration campaign, which resulted in over 488,000 newly registered voters ahead of the UK general election in July 2024.
In the New Year’s 2020 Honours List, Mete received an MBE for services to young people, recognising his efforts to make politics and democracy more accessible to the younger generation. Mete also serves as a Trustee at the London Marathon Foundation and My Life My Say.
