#205 The Green, Green, Shores of Home

In recent decades, companies have moved manufacturing to countries offering low cost labour. Today, as they aim for Net Zero, they must also consider their carbon footprint. And that is almost impossible to do if raw materials are sourced from around the world, from countries with highly emitting energy systems and poor record keeping. Sam Turner, Net Zero champion for the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, proposes a new approach: not offshoring, but ‘greenshoring’. The strategy would see countries competing not just on their ability to supply cheap labour and materials, but on their ability to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental harms. It’s an approach that has been adopted by Frog Bikes, a manufacturer based in the UK’s Bike Valley, a regional cluster of businesses that aims to develop bicycle manufacturing in the country.  But the company has struggled to find the data it needs to prove its ability to compete in terms of carbon costs. Doing this will require the development of new carbon accounting tools, and of standards that allow them to be validated.  Guests Katherine Bennett, CEO, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Sam Turner, Net Zero champion, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Russ Hall, Chief engineer – Net Zero, High Value Manufacturing Catapult Shelley Lawson, director, Frog Bikes Jerry Lawson, chief frog, Frog BikesThe post #205 The Green, Green, Shores of Home first appeared on Engineering Matters.

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.