Environmental Innovations
- Innovation
- 5 Min Read
Climate change dominated the news agenda in 2019, and recent YouGov research has revealed that three out of five Brits believe that climate change is the biggest threat to civilisation. We recently carried out research to understand the broader opinions of the UK public around sustainability and the effect of changing consumer demands on different industries, and looked at the way UK businesses are responding.
Motor and Travel
In the UK, the transport sector is responsible for about a third of all greenhouse gas emissions. Change needs to happen, learn about how innovations in this industry are set to reduce the alarming impact of travel on the environment.
Most of these new technologies have succeeded in making the sector more sustainable, but more work needs to be done to enable such developments to be made cheaper and more accessible.
Food and Beverage
Each year, approximately 10 million tonnes of food and drink is wasted in the UK, while the industry is also responsible for emissions equivalent to at least 32 million tonnes of carbon.
This industry is starting to look at the bigger picture and create a circular economy, aiming to reduce both waste and its use of resources. New technologies and innovations are needed to speed up this process, which will involve improvements to all aspects of the supply chain, from farming, to transport, to consumer waste.
Read more
Product and Materials
Packaging is a major contributor to UK GDP, generating annual sales of around £11 billion and employing a workforce of approximately 85,000 people.
Intelligent materials and packaging can go a long way towards helping the UK tackle the plastic problem. The government’s recent investment in sustainable manufacturing indicates that it believes such innovations can help reduce the British industry’s environmental impact and companies like those in our article are leading the way.
The UK, and the wider world, must develop new ways of packaging and producing goods to break the trend of damage to our planet.
Thankfully, research and development is underway all over the country, helping to guide UK industry to a more sustainable future.
Read more
Such innovations can qualify companies for the government’s R&D Tax Credit scheme, which allows eligible businesses to claim back up to 33% of their investment in research and development. The initiative is designed to encourage UK businesses to invest in innovation, so they can continue to help both the country and the world overcome substantial environmental challenges.
Get in touch
