Climate change is everybody's business

Lining up for the obligatory group photo, a host of world leaders took centre stage as the latest efforts to turn words into action in the race to tackle climate change got underway.

November’s COP27 climate summit took place in Sharm el-Sheikh, an Egyptian resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea.

The gathering looks to have produced little when it comes to further reductions in carbon, but a number of initiatives did emerge, including a strong ‘loss and damage’ agreement which will provide funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters.
Miranda Barker, who attended the gathering, says growing calls came out of Egypt for responsible companies to step up urgently and reap the multiple benefits of net zero by closing the low-carbon gap. She believes Lancashire’s economy is well placed to help that drive.

The message that East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Miranda and chamber director of sustainability Stephen Sykes took to Egypt was that the county has world-leading innovative low-carbon technologies and businesses making great strides to develop and export them across the globe.
Lancashire can help countries across the world when it comes to the low carbon agenda
The pair were busy on the ground throughout the conference making new contacts for the county and she believes there are “serious opportunities” for its businesses moving forward. To that end work is already underway to ensure Lancashire companies attend COP28 in Dubai later this year.

Miranda, who also co-chairs the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s business-led energy and low carbon sector group, says: “Lancashire is well placed to meet two priorities. The first is developing globally viable technologies, and this is where RedCAT attracted a lot of interest. For advanced manufacturing, we also have the AMRC at Samlesbury.”

RedCAT - the Lancashire Centre for Alternative Technologies - is working to place Lancashire at the heart of the low carbon revolution and net zero drive.

The ultimate vision is to see innovative low carbon products manufactured in Lancashire and exported across the globe to power developing communities.

RedCAT’s mission is to build ‘end-to-end commercialisation funding’ and support for those technologies, accelerating that journey through capital investment at every stage – from R&D to demonstration, first sale and onto scale-up.

Miranda says: “We had some really positive conversations at COP27 with people ranging from UK government ministers to the director general of the World Trade Organisation.

“Lancashire can help countries across the world when it comes to the low carbon agenda and that is the message that we took to Sharm el-Sheikh. Getting those technologies that we are leading on into developing countries is the key and it is about being more pro-active.”

The growing hub of low carbon technology businesses in the county and the funding and support opportunities found in Lancashire are also starting to attract more inward investment, Miranda adds, with companies looking to relocate from other parts of the country. The eco-system is growing and developing.

Turning her attention to the “second priority” she says: “We must decarbonise Lancashire quickly, particularly our transport systems, buildings, and energy systems. But we have a head start.

Lancashire has the highest potential number of future regional low-carbon jobs in the UK, according to the Local Government Association.”

The prize for success in that is great. Net Zero projects and investments across the North West have the potential to create 300,000 new and safeguarded jobs within the region, according to the Net Zero North West group.

The North West Net Zero Skill Charter, unveiled in November, now aims to help businesses to step up to ensure these new opportunities can be harnessed for the benefit of communities and people across the region.

Carl Ennis, who chairs Net Zero NW and is chief executive of Siemens UK and Ireland, says: “The North West is already leading the UK’s net zero future, slashing carbon emissions and carving a new path by creating a green industrial economy with a workforce of more than 660,000. However, the availability of the right skills will be a significant risk to reaching our climate goals if we don’t act now.

“The joined-up approach that the Net Zero Skills Charter aims to deliver, will ensure we set the blueprint for how to train and retain low carbon talent in the region, and then export that expertise out to the rest of the UK, Europe and the world.”

A report by NatWest published last year also highlighted a £160bn-plus “revenue opportunity” for UK SMEs thanks to the drive to tackle climate change.

‘A Springboard to Sustainable Recovery’ said that 30,000 new companies could be created to support the UK’s transition to net zero and half the nation’s carbon reduction ambition could be delivered by its SME sector.

Lancashire businesses are responding to the challenges. Climate damage caused by landfill and unmanaged waste was on the agenda at COP27.

And a Preston headquartered recycling firm is looking to reduce that damage with a ground-breaking approach to hard-to-recycle car parts which could mean zero car landfill within four years.

Recycling Lives, the UK’s largest end-of-life vehicles processor, has developed a revolutionary process that uses the hard-to-recycle automotive shredder residue (ASR) to generate power and green hydrogen energy – through cutting edge thermal treatment technologies.

Chief executive Gerry Marshall says: “As the largest end-of-life car processor in the UK, we responsibly recycle upwards of 150,000 cars a year, and ASR has traditionally been a major issue, accounting for up to a quarter of every vehicle’s material.

“Preventing this valuable material from taking up landfill space and contributing to a cleaner, safer environment that benefits our people and our planet has been a key driver for this innovation, and we are thrilled to have played a crucial part in turning a problem into a positive solution.

“‘We’re aiming to have our first operational plant up and running by the end of 2023, and we’ll be generating power across our other main plants during 2024 and 2025, and thereafter, working on providing power back to the grid over the following 12-18 months. We’re lookingto achieve zero percent landfill from ASR within four years.”