If the UK is going to achieve its net zero ambitions, the manufacturing sector will have to play a major part.
Industrial sectors account for large proportions of national emissions – one-sixth of the total in the UK, for example, according to the country’s Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, published in 2021. With these emissions expected to have to fall by two-thirds by 2035 and 90% by 2050 – and offsetting needed to pick up the slack – there’s much work for businesses to do.
That’s especially true given the demands of decarbonising the manufacturing sector – which, according to the report, include increasing use of carbon capture, developing low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, and maximising energy efficiency.
These challenges also come at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, placing extra pressure on supply chains that were already stretched by Covid-19.
So how do you invest in decarbonisation in the manufacturing sector – balancing the demands of planet and profit? Our new practical guide, Making it your Business: How to pursue net zero, offers ideas for the steps you can take now.
Our practical guide explores the ‘sweet spots’ where you can achieve both your economic and environmental goals. It provides a step-by-step guide to building your unique pathway to resilience, competitiveness and sustainability. Three recommendations include:
Setting clear objectives is critical – including using data to understand where your energy spend is currently going. But that also means working with others, inside and outside your business.
With about half of UK emissions concentrated in industrial clusters, a cluster-based approach will be critical. The UK plans to create its first net zero cluster by 2040.
Internal collaboration is important, too. This has been demonstrated by Aldo Cirilli, General Manager at the Italian plant of manufacturer Magna PT, who has set up knowledge-sharing channels to drive internal dialogue.
“We share our best practices regularly, so that other plants can follow,” he explains. Sometimes, more regular or ad-hoc collaboration may be necessary, for example when energy prices spike. “I have put in place an energy crisis team that meets daily – in order to explore very quick solutions that should make us more autonomous in a green sense and reduce our environmental footprint.”
An expert partner such as Centrica Business Solutions can also help. Find out how we are working with Magna PT – and how it plans to be carbon neutral by 2025.
Our practical guide offers a useful plan to help you map the feasibility of solutions you could be considering – and which you can ‘plan, cut, convert and complete’ to reach your targets. Options could include cogeneration, as chosen by St Gobain at an Italian plant creating gypsum boards, which should save 2,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Or, it could mean adding Solar PV, like car manufacturer Toyota, who use 17,000 PV modules to generate 5% of their plant’s energy requirements.
Robust inspection and maintenance protocols are critical. Continuous remote monitoring can help – our PowerRadarTM cloud platform means businesses can monitor system parameters remotely in real time.
This serves as a reminder that moving to the operational phase should not be an endpoint – and, as energy-saving technologies improve and mature, there’ll always be the chance for further gains and optimisations in the future.
Download our practical guide to find your next step to reducing emissions in the manufacturing sector. At each step of the journey, it includes key action points for you to follow.
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