No 10 hosts green business summit

Executives from some of Britain's biggest firms, with a combined total of 250 million customers, met at 10 Downing Street yesterday to work out a combined plan for a new range of "green" products, to be launched in the new year.

Companies such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, HSBC, BSkyB, B&Q, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse have committed themselves to "accelerating the roll-out of practical, simple solutions" to help consumers reduce carbon emissions.

The BBC director general Mark Thompson, and the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, also joined the breakfast summit with the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary, David Miliband. A statement from the firms described their action as "a partnership of collective effort: major brands and organisations reducing their own impact, while simultaneously facilitating action among their customers". Their campaign starts in March.

BSkyB's chief executive James Murdoch said tackling the issue should be "exciting" for customers.

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