The Bradford Manufacturing Futures partnership, led by Bradford Council, has awarded a contract to global sustainable development and engineering consultancy Arup to help manufacturing companies across the district of Bradford decarbonise and move towards net zero.
Arup will work with several project partners to produce a district-wide Decarbonisation Master Plan. This blueprint will offer pathways to energy efficiency and an energy strategy with feasibility assessments identifying where renewable energy sources can be matched with industry requirements.
The consultancy’s work with the partnership will also produce a Prospectus for Inward Investment based on Industrial Decarbonisation. The Prospectus for the Bradford District is aimed at realising lowest cost renewable heat and power, to increase inward investment. It is anticipated that investment in renewables would be accelerated by the Industrial Decarbonisation Roadmap set out in the Master Plan, encouraging businesses keen to decarbonise to locate in Bradford.
The partners in the project are Solenis UK Industries Ltd, Calbee Group (UK) Ltd, Produmax Limited, Texfelt Ltd, Teconnex Ltd, Denso Marston Ltd, Bradford Council, CR Plus Ltd, University of Bradford with support from the business-led District Sustainable Development Partnership. The project partners are carrying out manufacturer site and cluster specific energy efficiency surveys, identifying opportunities for energy efficiency, fuel switching, and localised alternative energy to support manufacturing energy cost reduction and decarbonisation.
Bradford Manufacturing Futures is a local partnership delivering a collaborative, progressive and investible approach to decarbonisation. The £1m+ project has received Local Industrial Decarbonisation funding of £726,729 from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
This Council led project identifies opportunities for decarbonisation across the Bradford district in some of the highest emitting sectors such as Chemicals, Food, Basic Metals, Mineral Products and Metal Fabrication, which produce 52% of the district’s CO2 emissions. Manufacturing, core to Bradford’s success over centuries, faces existential energy cost and decarbonisation challenges. The sector is diverse, with 1,220 businesses accounting for 12.6% of jobs in Bradford District, generating 0.7Mtpa CO2 emissions.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “We are excited to be leading this groundbreaking project with partners from industry that will provide a district-wide roadmap for decarbonisation, an investment prospectus for the district and shared learning across manufacturers in the district and West Yorkshire region.
“Tackling climate change is important to Bradford, reaching the District Net Zero targets by 2038 will only be achieved if all organisations in the district are working together building a sustainable and prosperous economy that works in the interests of everyone to minimise waste and the use of finite natural resources.”
Catherine Darby-Roberts, Arup’s Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Leader, said: “It’s exciting to join the Bradford Manufacturing Futures programme and work with the project partners to deliver a decarbonisation roadmap for the district. This project is significant as it is led by manufacturing companies and the public sector, working together and recognising that clustering and a system-led approach will support wider regional decarbonisation.
“The roadmap will be impactful for major manufacturers, support individual companies to hit their net zero goals and incubate the growth of smaller businesses to engage and benefit from local investment. We’re pleased to collaborate with Bradford Council, Bradford University and wider partners to consider the district challenges, develop investable propositions and help secure a sustainable future for manufacturing in the city.”
The Bradford Manufacturing Futures project will run until the end of December 2024 when the results of the project will be shared with businesses across the district and beyond.
