Material Security and Towards Zero Emissions

1
Material Security and Towards Zero Emissions

• Nicholas Morley July 2007

2
Business policies on resource efficiency

• The restorative enterprise
• Visionary companies
• Towards zero emissions
• Emerging from groups/government
• Zero waste
• Company policies
• Zero to landfill

Increasing ambition

Company policies
3
Zero emissions themes

• Biomimicry / Natural ecology and systems
• Solvent free processes
• Novel highly eco-efficient systems
• Co-ordinated approaches to minimise production
  impacts
• Re-configuring supply chains

4
Sustainable Technologies Initiative

• Funding allocated 2000-2003
• 55 projects
• 7 emergent themes
• Biopolymers
• Towards zero emissions processes
• Improved coloration and preservation
• Durability through surface modification
• Design management
• Decision support tools
• Re-inventing traditional technologies

5
Towards the Zero Emissions Enterprise

• Two collaborative RD funding competitions within
  the DTI Technology Programme 2006-7
• 30 projects, c. 25m value
• One competition still in progress

6
Zero emissions RD funding by sector
7
Examples by theme

• Single innovations
• Reversible joining technologies
• Repair of surfaces
• High pressure casting for ceramics
• Molten-salt production of titanium dioxide
• Reconfigured supply chains
• Product service systems and remanufacturing in
  office furniture
• Co-ordinated actions
• Recovery of flat panel LCDs
• Reduction of waste in lead smelting
• Solvent free processes
• In-mould coating for plastics

8
Zero emissions RD funding by theme
9
ZEE Forum

• Companies with Zero Emissions / Zero Waste
  aspirations
• Organisations with funding under the two Towards
  the Zero Emissions Enterprise competitions
• How far is it possible to go towards ZEE?
• Are there examples of sectoral best practice?
• What is the likely impact?

10
Conclusions

• Range of ambition and approaches
• Government and business promotion
• Material security not a major driver at present
• Could change if more projects encouraged in
  downstream sectors
• ZEE forum gives opportunity to progress thinking
  in this area