Sustainable Production and Consumption
Innovative technologies can also help to create new markets, promote competitiveness and enhance corporate reputations, whilst simultaneously providing social and environmental benefits. The scope for innovation is extremely wide. In many areas it spans the entire production and consumption process, encompassing for example:
- Designing out waste and unsustainable use of raw material sin products and processes and introducing cleaner process technologies;
- Fostering resource efficiency (including energy and water) during production and use;
- Tackling end-of-pipe treatment, pollution management, monitoring and remediation;
- ‘closing the loop’ from manufacture to use through the employment of recycled and remanufactured materials.
The environmental goods and services sector alone in the UK is currently valued at around £25bn across 17,000 companies and supports 400,000 jobs. The global market exceeds £350bn and is growing rapidly in response to strong legislative and economic drivers. The Technology Programme is delivering £50m for technologies addressing these areas, on behalf of Defra’s Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme. In addition the Programme intends to launch an Energy Efficiency Technologies initiative to complement its existing support for Low-Carbon Energy Generation.
Activity to date
The Technology Programme currently funds two Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) in this area: the Resource Efficiency and Waste Minimisation KTN (formerly Mini-Waste Faraday) focused on minimisation and recycling of industrial waste and the Integrated Pollution Management KTN (formerly FIRST Faraday) focused on contaminated land and groundwater remediation.
Collaborative R&D funded by BREW through the |
| November 2004 | Succeeding through innovation: waste management and bioremediation (£10m): technologies and processes to eliminate, reduce, re-use, recycle or treat waste products |
| April 2005 | Meeting the challenge of the Zero Emission Enterprise(£20m): innovative ways to eliminate industrial and commercial waste and create more resource-efficient processes |
| Autumn 2005 | Succeeding through innovation: design and manufacture of sustainable products: collaborative research and development. (£5m): reducing waste and environmental impact across a product's life-cycle The Technology Programme: Succeeding through innovation: contaminated land remediation technologies. Collaborative research and development(£5m): techniques for assessing and remediating contaminated land and groundwater. |
Successful Collaborative R&D Projects:
November 2004 - Waste Management and Minimisation