Sustainability

At Innovate UK Business Connect, we are helping to empower organisations in their journey to Net Zero.

As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, we are changing the demand profile on many materials. But at the same time, as the world population rises, resulting in an ever increasing demand for energy and products which puts increasing pressure on materials (and their supply chains), we are also generating more and more ‘waste’.

The Decarbonising Ports & Harbours Innovation Network’s overarching objective is to raise the profile of the critical part ports and harbours need to play in Maritime transport’s transition to net zero by 2050 and accelerate this transition by giving clear direction.

Governments across the globe are working and deploying plans to reduce carbon and particulate emissions to improve the environment for generations to come.

Connecting the UK’s growing Chemicals community with industrial collaborators, research-base expertise, investment opportunities and funders.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the offshore wind industry as a major contributor to the ORE Catapult innovation hub funded by BEIS, as well as supporting the companies who are making applications for funding for offshore renewables.

UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, is the largest and most ambitious UK government investment to date in sustainable plastics packaging research and innovation. The Challenge is underpinned by the delivery of the 2025 UK Plastics Pact targets. The SSPP Challenge’s ambition is to establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging for consumer products.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the SuperSolar Network Plus with the Head of Infrastructure acting as Chair to the Network Industrial Advisory Group. Through this group, and programmes such as Energy Catalyst as described above, we are actively brokering B2B and B2A linkages.

Liquid fuels will be a requirement for long-haul air travel in the longer term and a requirement for short haul whilst new technologies such as electric and electric/hybrid are developed. Aviation contributes around 2-3% to global CO₂ emissions; through the International Civil Aviation Organization, the industry is committed to carbon neutral growth from 2021.

The world is changing at an ever greater pace, and manufacturers are responding – improving the products they make and the way they make them. This enables reduced environmental footprint and improved resource efficiency, but also creates benefits such as competitive advantage and a closer alignment with the customer’s needs.