ENERGY EFFICIENCY SHOULD BE ‘ECONOMIC PRIORITY’

ENERGY EFFICIENCY SHOULD BE ‘ECONOMIC PRIORITY’

Energy in Buildings & Industry – November/December 2015

Energy efficiency and resource should be an economic priority in the UK as the country is in need of a second Industrial Revolution, argues a report from the Manufacturing Commission.

The need for the government to introduce low-interest loans, tax credits and carbon reduction schemes in order to promote energy efficiency is top of the cross-party group’s list of 24 recommendations.

The study also encourages an embedded sustainability mindset within big businesses, whilst outlining the vital measures that the government and industry must take to bolster Britain’s manufacturing trade.

The 130-page report, entitled Industrial Evolution: Making British Manufacturing Sustainable and launched in Parliament yesterday, comes a month ahead of the UN’s Paris climate conference, where it is hoped that world leaders will consider its findings.

Chi Onwurah MP, who co-chaired the inquiry with Professor Steve Evans for the Institute for Manufacturing, believes it sets out how we can start redesigning our Industrial system.

“This report states how to make our current system more sustainable, improve our national security, and ultimately enhance our quality of life,” she said.

“We believe that we must take advantage of this leadership moment to make the UK more produce, efficient and resilient, and be a provider of solutions to the rest of the world.”

The research criticises the amount of responsibility for energy efficiency and resource that is give to middle-management personnel, arguing that policymakers should aim to focus the attention of companies’ higher-management on the potential gains from a long-term strategic investment in sustainability.

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