Innovate UK launches Sustainable Carbon Ambition for chemicals industry
The UK advanced manufacturing base is fundamentally reliant on inputs from the chemicals industry.
However, the chemicals industry is inherently carbon and energy intensive, and unlike other industries, uses fossil resources as both a fuel and as a feedstock – contributing to both fossil-derived production emissions plus release of embodied fossil carbon at end of life.
Innovate UK has partnered with senior leaders from industry and academia to create the Sustainable Carbon Ambition for the UK Chemicals Industry to help identify the support required by the Sector as it transitions to a Net Zero future, specifically looking at the opportunity move away from virgin-fossil carbon as feedstock.
Ambition 2050
The Ambition has been informed through an intensive 5-month study, commissioned by Innovate UK, and undertaken by expert consultants NNFCC, FREY Consulting, and Perspective Economics.
The report provides lots of valuable data, evidence and further detail which includes:
- Highlighting exemplar projects and innovators in the UK and globally
- Analysis of the public and private investment in sustainable chemicals
- Analysis of investment in the UK chemical sector compared with other countries
- A summary of the stakeholder feedback collected through engagement with more than 250 individuals
- Exploration of multiple future scenarios for the chemical sector towards 2050
- SWOT Analysis on each feedstock pathway and analysis around the amount of each feedstock we will need as we scale-up the ambition towards 2050.
Watch & listen to Peter Clark (Head of Chemistry & Industrial Biotechnology, Innovate UK Business) share key findings of the report at GRIPS here. (Fast forward to 2:15:22)
To share feedback, or find out more about this activity, contact Peter Clark or David Elson (Head of Materials & Manufacturing, Innovate UK)