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Zero-Emission Road Freight

Connected Places Catapult is helping to accelerate the transition to zero-emission road freight.

Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) are vital to industry and represent the backbone of trade and commerce worldwide. They are responsible for ensuring we have access to food, medicines, and goods of all kinds.

Almost 90% of domestic goods transported in the UK in 2022 were moved by road – the vast majority of which by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). These vehicles currently produce approximately 19% of all UK domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions. By 2050, this must be reduced to zero, in line with the UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy.

Connected Places Catapult is supporting Innovate UK and the Department for Transport with the Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstration programme (ZERFD). ZERFD represents a public investment of up to £200 million, match-funded by industry. The programme will see the launch of the first large (40+ tonne) zero-emission HGVs in significant numbers, together with supporting infrastructure, which will enable freight operators to determine the suitability of the new technology for their operations. Public-facing battery-electric charging stations and hydrogen refuelling stations will enable HGVs to go beyond ‘back to base’ operations.

Further information regarding the ZERFD programme can be found here and a full list of the winning consortia partners has been published here.

Together with BSI, Connected Places Catapult is supporting partners involved in the Innovate UK-funded demonstrations and stakeholders in the wider zero-emission HGV ecosystem.

There are four strands to our DfT-funded project.

Standards – in partnership with BSI

Standards are crucial in ensuring zero-emission HGVs can roll out in an efficient and safe manner, with interoperability embedded from the start, and to create a market that delivers on required outcomes. Through the standards work, in partnership with BSI, we have formed a Standards Advisory Group for ZERFD that will provide the decision making and governance for the standards development work.  Three ‘flex’ standards, which are well suited to fast-moving areas of innovation, will be developed through the project.

You can see the latest on our standards work, here.

Commercial and Investment Strategy

The public / private investment through ZERFD is crucial in helping to bring stakeholders together and roll out the initial vehicles and infrastructure, but it is just a starting point. Much more finance will be needed to fully transition the 600,000 HGVs across the UK and the millions around the world. These investments will ultimately be offset by reduced total cost of ownership with lower fuel costs, increased driver satisfaction and improved sustainability as we move towards circular supply chains. We are speaking to the UK-based and international investor ecosystem to create a long-term and sustainable programme of decarbonisation. We intend to create a trade and investment bridge for the programme, raise the profile of ZERFD activities to local and international markets and position the UK as a thought leader and green partner of choice.

Safety and Security Best Practice

Safety is top of the agenda when developing zero-emission demonstrations of HGVs. We are seeking industry consensus on best practice in terms of safety and security to inform both demonstrations and longer term roll out of vehicles and infrastructure.  Standards and guidance documents must work together with regulations to ensure safe practices are embedded as existing industries transition and new industries are formed.

Our best practice document, to be published in December 2023, will consider the operation, refuelling/charging, maintenance, and recovery of the vehicles. The focus is on new hazards that are novel to heavy duty battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Infrastructure Planning Best Practice

Planning and regulatory hurdles are a key barrier to wide-scale infrastructure deployment for zero emission HGVs.  In December 2023, we will publish a reference document for stakeholders involved in planning, design and roll out of battery-electric charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

We will consider the overall system of HGV charging / refuelling, and the decisions needed from the earliest concept stage through to operations. Our scope includes barriers, existing and emerging guidance, charging/refuelling location, the planning and regulatory landscape, funding and case studies.

Joined Up Thinking

Our subject areas overlap considerably. For example, one of the biggest safety concerns is allocating sufficient space for public HGV refuelling/recharging facilities, which has an impact on the financing of the site and on the infrastructure planning. We will consider these interdependencies in our reporting, and would welcome further discussion with other sectors.

“Decarbonisation across all sectors is the defining challenge of the next three decades, and will be the key driver of innovation and change. At Connected Places Catapult, we’re proud to be pushing this agenda forwards, not just for HGVs with our ZERFD project, but across transport modes.”
Professor Henry Tse, Director of New Mobility Technologies, Connected Places Catapult

How do I get involved?

If you’d like to find out more, please email us at zeroemissionroadfreight@cp.catapult.org.uk.

You can also register for our showcase event, the Connected Places Summit, in March 2024, which will include the latest on ZERFD.

Phase 1 reports

These reports were produced in the first phase of the ZERFD programme, and are being developed in the next phase.

ZERFT Phase 1 – Standards landscape and gap analysis – January 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 4.7MB
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ZERFT Phase 1 – Market opportunity mapping – March 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 2.4MB
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ZERFT Phase 1 – Regulation and safety roadmap – March 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 17.9MB
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ZERFT Phase 1 – Summary of Concept Safety Analysis – March 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 17.6MB
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ZERFT Phase 1 – Data objectives and data stakeholder mapping – March 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 2.0MB
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ZERFT Phase 1 – Comparison of Transport Decarbonisation projects – March 2022
File Type: pdfFile size: 4.9MB
Download
News
Search begins for freight innovators with ideas to improve sustainability, efficiency and resilience
Innovators can apply now for expert support to develop their solutions alongside the opportunity to access up to £150k for testing.
Article
Driving towards a greener lorry revolution
Opportunities and challenges associated with introducing battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell heavy goods vehicles were outlined at an event hosted by Connected Places Catapult.
Article
Zero-Emission Road Freight – What’s next?
Connected Places Catapult is working alongside Government, industry and academia to help accelerate the transition to zero-emission road freight. It’s been 18 months since we published our ‘Pathway for Long-Haul Heavy Goods Vehicles’ report. So, what has happened since, and what’s next?
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Carbon reduction champions shortlisted in National Highways programme

Innovative low carbon approaches to road construction and maintenance will receive funding and business support.
Group photo of Accelerator cohort

Seven companies have been selected to join a carbon reduction competition organised by National Highways and Connected Places Catapult.

Innovative ideas put forward to proceed to the second phase of the National Highways Accelerating Low Carbon Innovation Programme include a climbing robot that carries out structural inspections, ‘smart fibre’ plastic bridge beams that monitor structural performance and low carbon fencing materials.

Each shortlisted company will receive between £15,000 and £30,000 to develop their proposals in collaboration with National Highways and several Tier 1 suppliers. Connected Places Catapult will provide coaching, help with marketing strategy and investment support.

The seven companies and their ideas making it through to the next stage of the competition are:

Asset International Structures (Cwmbran) – Developing smart fibre reinforced plastic bridge beams that incorporate optical fibre, enabling structural performance monitoring in real time.

Circular11 (Ferndown) – Providing durable, low carbon fencing and acoustic insulation products; turning mixed low-grade plastic waste into composite material.

HausBots (Birmingham) – Delivering a series of structural inspections using a unique climbing and crawling robot fitted with inspection sensors.

Loopcycle (London) – Creation of a whole life carbon measurement and circular economy tool for use across highway estate assets.

Low Carbon Materials (Seaham) – Delivering a carbon negative aggregate for use in carbon neutral asphalt.

PRG (Scotland) (Hamilton) – Turning waste tyres into useful materials such as a bitumen-like substance for use in road construction and repairs.

Xeroc (London) ­­–­­ Recycling old concrete into new concrete, returning each component to its original form with as little contamination as possible.

Alex Weedon, Executive Director, Connected Places Catapult, SME Development and Academic Engagement said: “National Highways’ goal of achieving net zero emissions involves finding innovative solutions to support decarbonisation, particularly in the maintenance and construction of the strategic road network.

“Connected Places Catapult is proud to have been chosen as a delivery partner for this accelerator project. We look forward to supporting the SMEs in the development of their solutions, and turning bright ideas into commercial products and services.”
Alex Weedon, Executive Director, Connected Places Catapult, SME Development and Academic Engagement

National Highways aims for its maintenance and road construction activities to generate net zero emissions by 2040.

The competition set four challenges for innovative companies to address with their new ideas: alternative materials; decision making enablers for asset management and the whole life value of assets; enablers for the circular economy; and an open challenge.

“We want to speed up innovation within our sector and adopt new solutions. The innovation accelerator will help take potential solutions and drive them through the research and testing phases.”
Dr Joanna White, National Highways Roads Development Director
National Highways Accelerating Low Carbon Innovation Programme Cohort Brochure
File Type: pdfFile size: 20.5MB
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Unlocking the value chain of shared electric two-wheelers in India

Helping to promote a shift towards shared micro-mobility, and highlighting the leading role which city governments can play by partnering with the private sector.

Connected Places Catapult has been funded by the UK Government via Innovate UK to support an Indian city to pilot and scale a shared electric micro-mobility (shared two wheel electric vehicle) solution and sustainable business model. 

Through this project we will collaborate with New Town, a planned satellite city within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area in West Bengal, and the New Town Kolkata Development Authority to design and deliver a pilot project which will demonstrate and refine a solution in partnership with the private sector. 

 

A greener approach to travel 

 Shared micro-mobility models are being adopted by cities across the world to shift trips to a greener mode of transport to help cities meet emissions reduction targets.  

A study in Paris estimated that shared e-bikes could reduce transport emissions in cities by 23 tonnes of CO2 in a month. In addition, these models offer the potential to improve both air quality and transport accessibility. 

 In contrast to some private sector electric micro-mobility initiatives, the model we will develop will be designed to integrate with the city’s wider transport planning objectives. We will use a data-driven approach to ensure it serves the right areas of the city and target groups, and design the pilot to test and validate the operational and commercial model such that the solution can then be deployed at scale.  

The Catapult team along with locally based partners will focus on convening relevant stakeholders to help create solutions, and design a pilot scheme with a view to enabling it to be scaled up and be commercially self-sustaining. 

They will also look to design and implement a suitable means of data collection, and promote the innovative pilot to showcase its impact to the Indian government and its potential for deployment elsewhere. 

 

Contact the project team 

If you’d like to work with us or find out more, please email Roxana.Slavcheva@cp.catapult.org.uk or globalbusinessgrowth@cp.catapult.org.uk  

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UK – India Innovation for Net Zero: Exploring place-based bilateral partnerships

International collaboration can boost the power of places to deliver on net zero goals. A new partnership between the UK and India which involves Connected Places Catapult is hoping to achieve just that.

Specialists in the fields of science and technology from both the UK and India are coming together to make concerted progress in working towards net zero. Policymakers, research and development companies, start-up firms, investors and place leaders are all involved and have important roles to play.

The imperative to decarbonise is becoming ever more urgent. However the path to net zero will not be trodden alone, nation-by-nation, sector-by-sector, city-by-city. It will increasingly rely on innovation and the efforts of communities in districts, quarters, zones, clusters and hubs to share their learnings.

Connected Places Catapult is a partner in the UK-India Net Zero Centre Programme – a coalition of specialists from the two countries, along with Energy Systems Catapult and the Centre for Process Innovation. Together, they are working to harness the UK-India science and technology superpower partnership to accelerate the path to net zero.

As part of this, Connected Places Catapult investigated the scale of potential and the appetite for collaboration between UK and Indian cities. It identified potential pairings of innovative places with complimentary challenges and ambitions for decarbonisation.

Bilateral innovation to unlock opportunity

Primary challenges shared by the UK and India include industries that need to decarbonise, and built environment, transport and energy systems that must become greener and more efficient. Aligned to this, demand for more integrated approaches to planning infrastructure and land use is growing rapidly.

The UK and India share world-class expertise in science and technology, bold business leadership and ambitious cities seeking to drive action towards net zero. Both nations are committed to partner on investment, technology and joint leadership on climate and clean energy, set to grow in line with the India-UK Future Relations Roadmap 2030.

Building on this relationship, innovation partnerships between India and the UK offer huge promise to accelerate collaboration to meet net zero goals. We’ve explored a range of case studies that showcase best practice, including the West Midlands’ MIRA technology park which collaborated with the Hyderabad T-hub on battery and EV expertise.

Shared interests, challenges and opportunities are what fuels these kinds of international partnership projects, and the work between the UK and India serves as a leading example. Bringing both nations’ academic prowess on board is an important aspect of the initiative, with strong university links created to drive research and discovery on the topic of net zero.

Learning from Greater Manchester Region and Bengaluru

A Greater Manchester Region delegation visit to Bengaluru in March 2023 and a series of workshops represent another great example of the partnerships delivering benefit. This coalition was led by Connected Places Catapult in collaboration with The Business of Cities, Manchester India Partnership, and Global Business Inroads.

Through this engagement, several exciting opportunities were identified ranging from knowledge sharing on harnessing the power of hydrogen to innovation district partnerships.

Combining these learnings, a partnership model was designed to outline how place-based innovation collaborations can become both mutually beneficial and self-sustaining for city innovation ecosystems going forward.

The ambition is to build on these findings and unlock the scale of potential identified in a future phase of work. Through developing the Greater Manchester Region and Bengaluru partnership and engaging other high-potential pairings of innovation places, the programme hopes to demonstrate and scale the impact that can be achieved through international partnerships for net zero.

Contact the project team

If you are interested in the project or getting involved, please contact Roxana.Slavcheva@cp.catapult.org.uk or globalbusinessgrowth@cp.catapult.org.uk

Partners

Reports

Innovation Twins Places driving a Net Zero Future
File Type: pdfFile size: 11.2MB
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UK-India Partnership Design Report
File Type: pdfFile size: 5.5MB
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UK-India Executive Summary Report
File Type: pdfFile size: 5.1MB
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London Regional Investor Event

Accelerating Finance for Net Zero Projects

When and where?

London
29th June 2023
9:00am - 7:00pm

Tickets

This event is now complete

The event aims to bring together stakeholders to accelerate financial flows into London’s local net zero projects. It will showcase net zero projects at various stages of maturity and welcome an open dialogue about how early-stage schemes can be shaped into compelling investment opportunities. This regional investor event is organised in partnership between 3Ci, GLA and London Councils.

For local authority professionals in London, the event offers the opportunity to understand the ways local net zero projects attract investment, and how 3Ci, GLA and London Councils are collaborating to advance these projects for financing.

For investors, the event offers insight into local authority projects and open a dialogue to ensure the right investment decisions are factored into both local projects and regional programmes.

For professionals in business and national government, the event provides a chance to understand the opportunities that can be unlocked through net zero and help shape the agenda by sharing their priorities and challenges.

Prof Greg Clark CBE
Chair
3Ci
He is chair of the Connected Places Catapult (CPC), the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place-leadership, ...
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He is chair of the Connected Places Catapult (CPC), the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place-leadership, and Chair of the UK Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3Ci) which convenes city leaders and urban investors to finance a just net zero transition. He is a Board member of Transport for London (TfL) and the London LEP. He chairs TfL’s new Land and Property Committee that oversees TfL low carbon property and housing company (TTLP).  He is a member of the WEF Global Future Council on Cities & Urbanisation and a member of the Bloomberg NEF Council on Cities.  He is Hon Prof of Urban Innovation at Strathclyde University and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He is author of 10 books and 100 reports on cities, innovation, investment and place-leadership. His monthly column: The Planet of Cities, is hosted by RICS. He is Global Cities expert on the BBC World Service Series, My Perfect City.

Greg is a world expert on cities, urban innovation, investment, and the net zero transition. Over 35 years, he has worked with more than 300 cities, 40 national governments, 20 multilateral institutions, and multiple global corporates and investors. His previous roles include Group Advisor, Future Cities & New Industries at HSBC Investment Bank, Chair of the OECD Forum of Cities & Regions, Global Fellow on Cities and Metropolitan leadership at the Brookings Institution, and Global Fellow on Urban Investment at the Urban land Institute. He was Lead Advisor on Cities to the UK Gov, and was Executive Director of the London Development Agency and Managing Director of Greater London Enterprise. He has been a senior advisor on urban investment to the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and the European Investment Bank.

He has chaired more than 20 internal advisory boards for individual cities that are reformulating their future investment strategies, long term plans, and governance, including New York, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Sydney, Auckland, Barcelona, Vienna, and Oslo. He has led comparative studies on Chinese, Australian, European, North American, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Chinese, ASEAN, and Indian Cities.  Since 2020 he has been tracking the impact of the COVID pandemic on 100 cities globally, and has developed a unique framework for assessing the post-pandemic city.

Shirley Rodrigues
London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy
Shirley Rodrigues was appointed as London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy in October 2016. Previously she oversaw a global ...
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Shirley Rodrigues was appointed as London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy in October 2016. Previously she oversaw a global climate change grants portfolio at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) developing their cities and climate strategy, and in other senior environmental roles has devised and delivered a range of environmental policies and programmes in London, nationally and internationally.

She is now working to deliver the Mayor’s vision of making London greener, fairer and healthier through implementing his London Environment Strategy. This includes ambitious programmes to reduce air pollution across London, including the implementation of the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone, and greening and rewilding the city.   Her key focus is on working to ensure London’s economic and social recovery from the impacts of Covid-19 is a green and fair one by tackling the climate and ecological emergency with the ambitious aim for London to be a net zero carbon city by 2030.

Catherine McGuinness CBE
Non-Executive Director, Connected Places Catapult, Nominated Director, IUK
Catherine is a non-executive director of Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership. 

 

A financial services lawyer by background, she also served as the City of London Corporation’s Policy Chair 2017-2022, leading on its work with the financial and related professional services sector and being an active participant in London Councils, where she was a member of the Leaders’ Committee and Executive Committee. 

 

Catherine has been closely involved in several green finance initiatives, was a director of the Green Finance Institute, and is a member of the UK Voluntary Carbon Markets Forum, and the Distinguished Advisory Group of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market. 

Read more +
Catherine is a non-executive director of Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership. 

 

A financial services lawyer by background, she also served as the City of London Corporation’s Policy Chair 2017-2022, leading on its work with the financial and related professional services sector and being an active participant in London Councils, where she was a member of the Leaders’ Committee and Executive Committee. 

 

Catherine has been closely involved in several green finance initiatives, was a director of the Green Finance Institute, and is a member of the UK Voluntary Carbon Markets Forum, and the Distinguished Advisory Group of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market. 

Cllr Georgia Gould
Leader of London Borough of Camden / Chair of London Councils
Georgia Gould was elected a Labour councillor in Camden in 2010 at the age of only 24, becoming its Leader ...
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Georgia Gould was elected a Labour councillor in Camden in 2010 at the age of only 24, becoming its Leader in 2017. As Leader she has made tackling injustice and inequality of wealth, income and influence the focus of the Council’s work. The Council has made citizen power and participation a priority – Camden was the first local authority to hold a Climate Emergency Citizens Assembly in 2019 and has put restorative, relational and person-centred practice at the heart of social services.

 

Georgia is also Chair of London Councils, co-chair of the London Partnership Board and a member of the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) Board. Georgia has a special interest in the politics and experiences of young people and published a book, Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future, based on two years spent interviewing young people across the country.

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi
Chief Executive
Sustainable Markets Initiative
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Niall Bolger
Chief Executive of London Borough of Hounslow / London Councils’ Chief Executive Lead for Climate
Niall Bolger is Chief Executive for the London Borough of Hounslow who were awarded the LGC Council of the Year 2021.  He is Lead CEO for Skills and Employment and Regeneration for the West London Alliance, Chair of the London PREVENT Board and lead CEO for Environment and Climate Change for the Chief Executive London Committee. He co-chairs the Population Health and Inequalities Board for the NW London ICS. He also chairs the Program Board for the UK Cities Climate Investment Commission, 3Ci, which is in the vanguard of bringing funding and finance to the net zero challenge in local government. Niall is a Trustee for the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, the national “think-do” tank for fair and just economic development. He was the SOLACE spokesperson for Commissioning and Innovation from 2018 – 2020. 

 

Prior to his role with Hounslow, he was Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton for eight years. Niall’s professional background is in urban planning, regeneration and environmental management and he has held a number of board level roles in local government over the last two decades leading these areas and implementing organisational change. In all of his roles he has held, he is passionate about making a difference to communities and securing social justice. 

 

He is a graduate of Queen Mary, University of London, London Southbank University and Warwick University. 

Read more +
Niall Bolger is Chief Executive for the London Borough of Hounslow who were awarded the LGC Council of the Year 2021.  He is Lead CEO for Skills and Employment and Regeneration for the West London Alliance, Chair of the London PREVENT Board and lead CEO for Environment and Climate Change for the Chief Executive London Committee. He co-chairs the Population Health and Inequalities Board for the NW London ICS. He also chairs the Program Board for the UK Cities Climate Investment Commission, 3Ci, which is in the vanguard of bringing funding and finance to the net zero challenge in local government. Niall is a Trustee for the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, the national “think-do” tank for fair and just economic development. He was the SOLACE spokesperson for Commissioning and Innovation from 2018 – 2020. 

 

Prior to his role with Hounslow, he was Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton for eight years. Niall’s professional background is in urban planning, regeneration and environmental management and he has held a number of board level roles in local government over the last two decades leading these areas and implementing organisational change. In all of his roles he has held, he is passionate about making a difference to communities and securing social justice. 

 

He is a graduate of Queen Mary, University of London, London Southbank University and Warwick University. 

Graham Smith
Director of ESG for Financial Services
KPMG
Graham is a Director in KPMG’s ESG Consulting business focusing on all aspects of ESG for the Financial Services ...
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Graham is a Director in KPMG’s ESG Consulting business focusing on all aspects of ESG for the Financial Services Market and is a senior leader in Green and Sustainable (ESG) Finance with over 25 years of banking experience. Graham was a member of the European Loan Market Association Committee that drew up the Green Loan Principles for Green Loans and the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles for ESG loans – the Gold Standard for the Finance Industry worldwide.
Jo Patrick
Head of Sustainable Energy
Amber Infrastructure
Jo is the Head of the Sustainable Energy team at Amber Infrastructure. Her principal role includes the delivery of Amber’...
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Jo is the Head of the Sustainable Energy team at Amber Infrastructure. Her principal role includes the delivery of Amber’s low carbon Impact Funds;  the Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund and its predecessor fund for the Greater London Authority and the Green New Deal Fund for the North of Tyne Combined Authority. These funds to date have invested in 30 projects, mobilised c.£800m of capital, delivered c.70,000 tonnes of carbon and provided substantial energy savings.
Steve Turner
Director
3Ci
Steve is based at the Connected Places Catapult where he his Director of ...
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Steve is based at the Connected Places Catapult where he his Director of 3Ci – the Cities Commission for Climate Investment. Working with the Advisory Board he has overall managerial responsibility for the implementation of the 3Ci’s strategy and operations working closely with leaders from cities, industry, finance and government. As a recognised leader in innovation and sustainability he has over 25 years of experience working in both the public and private sector. Previously, he was Digital Cities Leader for Arup where he delivered sustainability focussed technology strategies for some of the largest developments in the UK, Europe and the Middle East, representing £billions of investment. He has held several senior positions across local government, primarily in London and Manchester. As Head of Low Carbon Economy in Greater Manchester he established the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area and a joint venture alongside the Green Investment Bank. He also established the city’s widely admired sustainability innovation programmes, Triangulum and CityVerve.

Anna Cartwright
Managing Director for Public Sector Lending
UKIB
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Katherine Wright
Deputy Director of Local Net Zero
UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero
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Philip Glanville
Mayor of Hackney & London Councils’ Climate & Environment Lead
Philip Glanville was elected Mayor of Hackney in September 2016, becoming the borough’s second directly elected Mayor. He was re-elected in May 2018, giving Hackney Labour their best result since 1986. 

Previously a councillor in Hoxton West for ten years, Philip spent three years as Cabinet Member for Housing before becoming Deputy Mayor in 2016. 

As Cabinet Member for Housing, Philip oversaw the delivery of genuinely affordable homes,  which he is continuing as Mayor, committing the Council to tripling the number of council homes built since 2010, including 800 for social rent. 

Employment, skills and education are also a key priority for the Mayor; supporting schools, ensuring that we actively help young people into careers and that all residents, whatever their age, have the skills and support they need to get into employment, return to work or start a business ─ all contributing towards his agenda to bridge the gap between Hackney’s residents and their growing local economy. Critical to this agenda has been the Council’s award winning in-house apprenticeship programme. 

Philip is committed to being a campaigning Mayor, standing up for Hackney’s most vulnerable residents and for local government’s important role in fighting austerity. He writes extensively on these subjects, and more recently has been part of the growing ‘new municipalism’ movement in local government. 

He has served on the LLDC Board since 2016, and is currently the Deputy Chair of London Councils, as well as Executive Member for Transport, Environment and Climate Change, Co-Chair of Thrive London and London Councils Digital Champion.   

Read more +
Philip Glanville was elected Mayor of Hackney in September 2016, becoming the borough’s second directly elected Mayor. He was re-elected in May 2018, giving Hackney Labour their best result since 1986. 

Previously a councillor in Hoxton West for ten years, Philip spent three years as Cabinet Member for Housing before becoming Deputy Mayor in 2016. 

As Cabinet Member for Housing, Philip oversaw the delivery of genuinely affordable homes,  which he is continuing as Mayor, committing the Council to tripling the number of council homes built since 2010, including 800 for social rent. 

Employment, skills and education are also a key priority for the Mayor; supporting schools, ensuring that we actively help young people into careers and that all residents, whatever their age, have the skills and support they need to get into employment, return to work or start a business ─ all contributing towards his agenda to bridge the gap between Hackney’s residents and their growing local economy. Critical to this agenda has been the Council’s award winning in-house apprenticeship programme. 

Philip is committed to being a campaigning Mayor, standing up for Hackney’s most vulnerable residents and for local government’s important role in fighting austerity. He writes extensively on these subjects, and more recently has been part of the growing ‘new municipalism’ movement in local government. 

He has served on the LLDC Board since 2016, and is currently the Deputy Chair of London Councils, as well as Executive Member for Transport, Environment and Climate Change, Co-Chair of Thrive London and London Councils Digital Champion.   

Luke Webster
Chief Investment Officer
Greater London Authority
Luke Webster is a senior finance, risk and investment professional with over 17 years’ public and private sector experience in ...
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Luke Webster is a senior finance, risk and investment professional with over 17 years’ public and private sector experience in corporate treasury, pension fund management and private markets. He is currently Chief Investment Officer of the Greater London Authority (GLA), where he oversees major project finance, the GLA’s net zero carbon, SME and housing investment programmes and one of the largest corporate treasury shared services in the UK public sector. He is the founder and managing director of the GLA’s FCA-regulated subsidiary, London Treasury Limited, responsible for c.£4bn of sterling assets. His non-executive directorships include PSF Capital LP, a Guernsey investment partnership focused on consolidation of DB pensions assets and liabilities (drawing on his previous experience as Chief Finance and Risk Officer at the London Pensions Fund Authority, where he played a central role at the vanguard of LGPS consolidation) Niobium Corporation, which specialises in private equity analytics and the Global Interconnector Group. Luke read mathematics and statistics at Magdalene, Cambridge and Birkbeck College and is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant.
Catherine Barber
Assistant Director for Environment and Energy
GLA
Catherine leads and manages the Environment and Energy Unit.  She joined the GLA in 2021 from central government, where she ...
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Catherine leads and manages the Environment and Energy Unit.  She joined the GLA in 2021 from central government, where she had worked as a senior civil servant in the Departments for Business, International Trade, and Foreign Office (with postings in Bulgaria and Brazil).  An economist by background, she has worked on energy and climate issues for 15 years.  She holds graduate degrees from Harvard, Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities.
Victoria Lawson
Executive Director, LB Hounslow, Chair, LEDNet
Victoria Lawson is the Executive Director for Environment, Culture and Customer Services for the London Borough of Hounslow.  Victoria has worked in local government for over 20 years and is currently leading the Environment, Culture and Customer Services Directorate. She is leads the climate response and green recovery for the London Borough of Hounslow. Hounslow has declared its ambition to be net zero by 2030, and Victoria with her team are leading a significant and ambitious programme focused on low carbon neighbourhoods, green economy, green growth and future mobility. This work has recently been highly commended through the MJ awards 

Victoria also chairs the London Environment Network which brings together all environment directors from across the London Boroughs. 

Read more +
Victoria Lawson is the Executive Director for Environment, Culture and Customer Services for the London Borough of Hounslow.  Victoria has worked in local government for over 20 years and is currently leading the Environment, Culture and Customer Services Directorate. She is leads the climate response and green recovery for the London Borough of Hounslow. Hounslow has declared its ambition to be net zero by 2030, and Victoria with her team are leading a significant and ambitious programme focused on low carbon neighbourhoods, green economy, green growth and future mobility. This work has recently been highly commended through the MJ awards 

Victoria also chairs the London Environment Network which brings together all environment directors from across the London Boroughs. 

Tim Lord
UK Head of Climate Change
HSBC
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Julia Goldsworthy
Head of Social Impact Investment
L&G
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Zoe Jennings
Head of Programmes
3Ci
Zoe Jennings is Head of Climate Investment for the UK Cities Climate Investment Commission at the Connected Places Catapult. She ...
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Zoe Jennings is Head of Climate Investment for the UK Cities Climate Investment Commission at the Connected Places Catapult. She has over 25 years of experience working and leading strategic energy and climate change programmes, in both the public and private sectors. As Head of Climate Investment at the Connected Places Catapult she works at the interface between local government and business, seeking to leverage the combined scale of cities to mobilise finance and drive investment into low and net zero carbon projects across UK’s cities.

Previously Zoe worked in local and London government for 15 years, including the GLA and the London Development Agency on climate mitigation and energy, air quality and waste programmes. She led the Mayor’s London Hydrogen Partnership and launched the first national RE:FIT framework, enabling retrofitting of public sector buildings at scale.

Before joining the Connected Places Catapult, Zoe led the SETsquared Partnership Scale-Up Programme at the University of Surrey, supporting ambitious businesses to grow through engagement with research and academia, large corporates, investors, and Government.

Ajit Bansal
Head of Climate Emergency and Environmental Strategy
London Borough of Hounslow
Ajit Bansal is the Head of Climate Emergency and Environmental Strategy for the London Borough of Hounslow. Ajit has over ...
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Ajit Bansal is the Head of Climate Emergency and Environmental Strategy for the London Borough of Hounslow. Ajit has over 15 years’ experience working in local government on a regional and national level leading on climate change, energy and carbon management, nature conservation, strategic aviation and air quality. On behalf of the West London Boroughs, Ajit in collaboration with the GLA is currently leading on the West London Local Area Energy Planning Project which  aims to build an evidence base for future energy planning across the sub region that will support boroughs in meeting their own net zero targets and climate objectives for energy demand, supply and distribution.
David McIntyre
Managing Director
London Borough of Sutton
Worked in the energy sector for over 30 years with particular focus on the coal and gas fired industries in ...
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Worked in the energy sector for over 30 years with particular focus on the coal and gas fired industries in my early career.

My career path then took me into Waste to Energy for 20 years and have spent the past 6 years in the district heating sector with my primary focus now directed towards decarbonisation and heat network growth.

Yogita Popat
Assistant Director for Sustainability
London Borough of Barnet
Yogita is Assistant Director for Sustainability at Barnet Councils, London’s second largest borough. Having only declared a Climate and ...
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Yogita is Assistant Director for Sustainability at Barnet Councils, London’s second largest borough. Having only declared a Climate and Biodiveristy in May 2022, Barnet has picked up pace in their ambition to become one of London’s most sustainable borough and be a vocal climate leader. Developing an evidence based action plan, has meant Barnet is prioritising the right things at the right time in order to achieve their target of becoming a net zero borough by 2042. Yogita is responsible for delivering all aspects of their Sustainability Action Plan, working closely with senior managers across the organisation to influence, enable and convene change across place.
Gavin Haynes
Director of Property Management
London Borough of Camden
Gavin is the Director of Property Management for Camden Council providing repairs, capital works and FM to housing, schools and ...
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Gavin is the Director of Property Management for Camden Council providing repairs, capital works and FM to housing, schools and corporate buildings. Camden is actively developing and delivering a retrofit strategy for the 33,000 homes owned by the Council, including a number of pilot projects and exploring new models of funding to deliver retrofit at scale. It is also looking across tenures and the development of a Local Area Energy Plan as well as testing neighbourhood based approaches through its Future Neighbourhoods pilot in Somers Town.
Tim Meanock
Chief Executive Officer
Tallarna
Tim is the Chief Executive Officer at Tallarna. He co-founded the company in 2017 with a focus on addressing ...
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Tim is the Chief Executive Officer at Tallarna. He co-founded the company in 2017 with a focus on addressing the funding gap in building decarbonisation. His deep knowledge of the financial sector has been instrumental in securing the company’s partnerships with ESG funders. Tim previously spent nine years in a real estate investment fund and four years in financing.

“An exploration of a retrofit at scale for Camden’s housing stock, working with data scientists and potential investors on a phased approach to the deployment of measures”

Charlotte Glazier
Programme Manager
London Borough of Islington
Charlotte is the Programme Manager, for Greening the Public Realm at Islington Council. She is an award-winning, urban greening ...
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Charlotte is the Programme Manager, for Greening the Public Realm at Islington Council. She is an award-winning, urban greening transformation specialist, chartered Landscape Architect and has served as an advisor, consultant, client and manager, with a track record of creating and maintaining inclusive, collaborative, engaging environments which celebrate nature, promote climate resilience and empower communities. She has particular interest in designing and mobilising scalable and replicable urban greening programmes, and has ambitious sightlines for private financing of green infrastructure across the public realm.
Ludo Pittie
Director
WSP
As a Director, Ludo Pittie leads WSP’s 130-strong UK Landscape and Urban Design team. He leads on landscape strategy and design thinking for the business and has driven WSP’s global exploration of ‘the Future Ready Landscape’ which strives to anticipate future needs, and embeds adaptable design practices to create sustainable places that are ready for today and tomorrow.

 

Ludo believes in championing the role of nature in the built environment as a key future focus and led WSP’s Biodiversity in the City initiative. He is working closely with LB Islington on a Natural Environment Investment Readiness Funding project to explore an alternative finance model for urban greening. He is working on numerous nature restoration projects with a number of land owners across the UK. His latest thought piece on nature-based placemaking explores “What if cities were more like forests?”.

Read more +
As a Director, Ludo Pittie leads WSP’s 130-strong UK Landscape and Urban Design team. He leads on landscape strategy and design thinking for the business and has driven WSP’s global exploration of ‘the Future Ready Landscape’ which strives to anticipate future needs, and embeds adaptable design practices to create sustainable places that are ready for today and tomorrow.

 

Ludo believes in championing the role of nature in the built environment as a key future focus and led WSP’s Biodiversity in the City initiative. He is working closely with LB Islington on a Natural Environment Investment Readiness Funding project to explore an alternative finance model for urban greening. He is working on numerous nature restoration projects with a number of land owners across the UK. His latest thought piece on nature-based placemaking explores “What if cities were more like forests?”.

Sam Longman
Head of Sustainability and Corporate Environment
Transport for London
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Philippa Illingworth
Head of Infrastructure
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
Philippa is a Chartered Engineer, working in the infrastructure sector for 18 years. She is passionate that well planned, sustainable ...
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Philippa is a Chartered Engineer, working in the infrastructure sector for 18 years. She is passionate that well planned, sustainable infrastructure is key to the success of new and regenerated environments, not only to support growth, but to add value and shape spaces. Her recent transition from consultancy to Head of Infrastructure at Old Oak Park Royal Development Corporation, the largest regeneration opportunity in London, gives a unique opportunity to lead the planning, design and delivery of a wider variety of infrastructure projects from bridges and active travel improvements to low carbon energy development and onsite energy generation at Park Royal.
Liam Caulfield
Senior Project Manager
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation
Liam is an experienced Project Manager working in the construction sector for 9 years.  He recently joined Old Oak Park ...
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Liam is an experienced Project Manager working in the construction sector for 9 years.  He recently joined Old Oak Park Royal Development Corporation on secondment from London Legacy Development Corporation and is the client lead for the Old Oak Park Royal Energy Network (OPEN) Project.
Luke Chiverton
Strategic Finance Manager for Growth, Planning and Housing
Westminster City Council

Luke Chiverton is the Strategic Finance Manager for Growth, Planning and Housing at Westminster City Council. Luke has 15 years of Finance experience across a range of sectors. He has supported a variety of large-scale Development and Regeneration projects in London with an increasing focus on the net zero agenda.

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Luke Chiverton is the Strategic Finance Manager for Growth, Planning and Housing at Westminster City Council. Luke has 15 years of Finance experience across a range of sectors. He has supported a variety of large-scale Development and Regeneration projects in London with an increasing focus on the net zero agenda.

Shaun Haden
Head of Strategic Programmes & Innovation
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Passionate about delivering tangible and purposeful change Shaun has over 15 years’ experience working on projects and programmes within public ...
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Passionate about delivering tangible and purposeful change Shaun has over 15 years’ experience working on projects and programmes within public sector and Housing. He currently leads a range of multi-disciplinary teams to deliver on a government promise to turn the Lancaster West estate into a model for the 21st Century following the Grenfell Tragedy.
Chris Spicer
Programme Manager
Pimlico District Heat Undertaking
Chris Spicer is Programme Manager for the Pimlico District Heat Undertaking. Chris has 16 years experience working in the carbon ...
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Chris Spicer is Programme Manager for the Pimlico District Heat Undertaking. Chris has 16 years experience working in the carbon reduction and energy sector and has worked on a number of major net zero investments across the private and public sector. His experience ranges from business case development through to project delivery and hand over.
Andrew McMunnigall
Planning Infrastructure Lead
Greater London Authority
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Neil Pearce
Head of Sustainability
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
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Jeff Laidler
Heat Network Programme Manager
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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Day 1
29th June
09.00 - 10.00
Registration & Networking
Part I – Financing London's Net Zero Future
10.00 - 10.15
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Prof Greg Clark, Chair, Connected Places Catapult and Chair, 3Ci
10.15 - 10.45
In conversation with...London Leadership Perspective & Welcome
Insightful opening discussion between the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London Councils (LC) where they will share their vision for achieving net zero in London. This session will showcase how these key stakeholders are driving change and championing sustainability at the local level, all in pursuit of London's net zero ambitions, through their collaborative work. A unique opportunity to gain insights into the comprehensive approach taken to accelerate net zero and witness the dedication of London's leadership to a greener future.

Chair: Prof Greg Clark, CBE, Chair, Connected Places Catapult and Chair, 3Ci

Speaker(s):
Cllr Georgia Gould, Leader of London Borough of Camden / Chair of London Councils
Shirley Rodrigues, London Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy

10.45 - 11.15
In conversation with...Investing in Net Zero
Compelling conversation with investors as they delve into the critical topic of net zero investments. This session will highlight the significance of aligning investment strategies with sustainability goals. It will explore the compelling reasons for investors to actively engage with local authorities and the public sector in financing net zero projects, alongside the benefits these investments offer to investors, including long-term financial returns, risk mitigation, and contribution to a more sustainable future.

Chair: Prof Greg Clark, CBE, Chair, Connected Places Catapult and Chair, 3Ci

Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, Chief Executive, Sustainable Markets Initiative

Anna Cartwright, Managing Director for Public Sector Lending, UKIB

Graham Smith, Director ESG for Financial Services, KPMG

Tim Lord, UK Head of Climate Change, HSBC

11.15 - 11.45
Networking Break
Part II – Accelerating Local (and Global) Net Zero Models
11.45-12.00
Building Sustainable Communities: Exploring the Business Case and Funding Model of 3Ci's Net Zero Neighbourhoods
3Ci is launching its Business Case and Funding model at this event. This presentation will focus on the Net Zero Neighbourhood (NZN) Programme, a strategically designed initiative aimed at accelerating net zero. This place-based approach encourages community engagement and delivers multiple interventions for scalability and socio-economic benefits. The funding model combines government and outcome-seeking funding with private investment, as well as appealing to institutional investors.

Steve Turner, Director, Cities Commission for Climate Investment (3Ci)

12.00 - 12.15
Developing New Local Models: Working together to develop a financing mechanism for net zero neighbourhoods on the ground
Local authorities are key doers in delivering net zero and convening investment opportunities at the place-based level. Niall will share how London boroughs are working together and with other local authorities, to build new models from the ground up. Using a case study from Hounslow and drawing on collaborative local government work from across London and beyond, Niall will set out a practical vision for what future neighbourhoods look like and how we can work together to finance them at scale.

Niall Bolger, Chief Executive of London Borough of Hounslow / London Councils’ Chief Executive Lead for Climate

12.15-12.30
Accelerating net zero financing at the city level: The GLA’s Green Finance Offer
“Nations pledge, cities deliver.” The Mayor of London has not only set out a clear vision for London’s net zero targets, but also practical commitments to help develop the finance models that will unlock delivery at in local places and communities. This presentation will set out the green finance offer the GLA is developing to accelerate net zero financing in London, and opportunities for both local authorities and investors to get involved.

Catherine Barber, Assistant Director for Environment and Energy, GLA

12.30 - 13.10
Financing Net Zero in London and Beyond - Collaborating for a Sustainable Future
The panel discussion brings 3Ci and investors into dialogue with leaders from London Councils, GLA, and other local government partners to showcase the powerful ways in which these organisations are working together towards a net-zero future for local places in London and beyond.
The panellists will discuss the challenges they have faced, the initiatives they have undertaken, and the upcoming initiatives to help reduce carbon emissions and mobilise capital. They will also highlight the importance of collaboration and the power of partnerships in driving change at scale.
This panel session promises to be an informative and engaging discussion that sheds light on the important work being done by these organisations towards a net-zero future, the importance of collaboration and innovation in achieving this goal, and the urgent need for action to address the climate crisis.

Chair: Catherine McGuinness CBE, Non-Executive Director, Connected Places Catapult, Nominated Director, IUK
Niall Bolger, Chief Executive of London Borough of Hounslow; London Councils’ Chief Executive Lead for Climate, and Co-Chair of 3Ci Steering Group
Catherine Barber, Assistant Director for Environment and Energy, GLA
Jo Patrick, Head of Sustainable Energy, Amber Infrastructure
Julia Goldsworthy, Head of Social Impact, L&G

13.10 - 13.25
Accelerating Finance for Net Zero Projects
Katherine Wright, Department of Energy Security and Net Zero
13.25 - 14.25
Networking Lunch
Part III – Shaping Bankable Local Net Zero Projects
14.25 - 15.55
Thematic Workshops
Session A – Building Investment in Net Zero Projects – Renewable Energy
Chair: Luke Webster, Chief Investment Officer, Greater London Authority
Projects:
• Jeff Laidler, Heat Network Programme Manager and Shaun Haden, Head of Strategic Programmes & Innovation: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – Notting Dale Heat Network
• Ajit Bansal, Head of Climate Emergency and Environmental Strategy; Andrew McMunnigall, Planning Infrastructure Lead, Greater London Authority: London Borough of Hounslow – West London Area Energy Plan
• David McIntyre, Managing Director: Sutton Decentralised Energy Network: Phase 2 – Heat Network Expansion
• Chris Spicer Programme Manager; and Luke Chiverton, Strategic Finance Manager for Growth, Planning and Housing, City of Westminster, Pimlico District Heat Undertaking

Informal Investor Panel:
• Jo Wall, Senior Strategy Director, Local Partnerships
• Oliver Herbert Williams, Climate and Environment Risk Associate, Howden Group
• Mark Hall, Programme Manager on Place Based Impact Investing, Impact Investing Institute

Session B - Building Investment in Net Zero Projects – Domestic and Commercial Retrofit
Chair: Zoe Jennings, Head of Programmes, 3Ci
Projects:
• Yogita Popat, Assistant Director for Sustainability: London Borough of Barnet – Retrofit Pipeline
• Gavin Haynes, Director of Property Management; Tim Meanock, Chief Executive Officer, Tallarna: London Borough of Camden: Housing Retrofit
• Neil Pearce: London Borough of Barking and Dagenham – Domestic Retrofit on the Becontree Estate

Informal Investor Panel:
• Hugh Garnett, Senior Programme Manager, IIGCC
• Andrea Fitzgerald, Head of Region South, Crown Commercial Services
• Becci Taylor, Director, Arup

Session C - Building Investment in Net Zero Projects – Multi-Asset and Other
Chair: Victoria Lawson, Executive Director, LB Hounslow, Chair, LEDNet
Projects:
• Charlotte Glazier, Programme Manager, Ludo Pittie, Director, WSP; Greening the Public Realm, London Borough of Islington – Pocket Parks Investment Framework
• Philippa Illingworth, OPDC Head of Infrastructure, Old Oak Common Development Corporation
• Sam Longman, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Environment, Transport for London

Informal Investor Panel:
• Ryan Jude, Programme Director, GFI
• Tim Kooyers, Growth Director, Jacobs

15.55 - 16.25
Networking Break
Part IV – The Future of Net Zero in London
16.25 - 16.40
Presentation
Anna Cartwright, Managing Director for Public Sector Lending, UKIB
16.40 - 17.00
Net Zero Finance in Action: Lessons Learned and Future Directions
The closing session of the event is an opportunity to reflect on the discussions and insights gathered throughout the day. This session aims to summarise the key takeaways and lessons learned from the presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions that took place throughout the event.
It will be an engaging and insightful wrap-up of the day's events, leaving participants with a clear understanding of the next steps in driving Net Zero investments in London.

Chair: Prof Greg Clark CBE, Chair, Connected Places Catapult and Chair, 3Ci
Phillip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney & London Councils’ Climate & Environment Lead
Catherine Barber, Assistant Director for Environment and Energy, GLA

17.00 - 19.00
Drinks Reception
19.00
Event closes
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Innovations sought to help National Highways on road to net zero

Applications to a National Highways competition seeking new approaches to reducing emissions associated with road construction and maintenance are now open.

Funding to develop innovative trials of net zero carbon approaches to road construction and maintenance will be offered to up to ten small to medium sized businesses in a competition launched today by National Highways and Connected Places Catapult.

Phase one of the National Highways Accelerating Low Carbon Innovation Programme will see winning UK based firms awarded between £15,000 and £30,000 each to develop feasibility studies in collaboration with the strategic road operator and its tier one suppliers.

Phase two will see further funding of up to £80,000 provided to support a selected number of organisations to trial their solutions.

Applicants are invited to put forward proposals that address at least one of three challenges:

  • Development or application of alternative materials and techniques;
  • Innovations that can improve asset management decision-making;
  • Innovations which can contribute to reusing, redeploying and recycling construction materials and assets.

There is also an open challenge category for other ideas that can contribute to National Highways’ target of zero emissions in maintenance and construction by 2040.

Up to five larger tier one organisations will also be selected to develop net zero solutions either on their own or in collaboration with an SME, but will not be eligible for funding as part of the programme.

Firms interested in putting themselves forward for the competition have until midnight on 30 April to enter.

The aim of the competition is to reach a wider pool of innovators, exploring firms with potential outside of National Highways’ existing supply chain, that promise to make a difference in lowering its carbon footprint.

“National Highways’ Accelerating Low Carbon Innovation Programme is open to companies of all sizes – from tier one firms developing solutions in-house or collaborating with SMEs, to smaller businesses who do not always get the chance to interface with large clients – to showcase their innovative ideas and see how they can be scaled up.”
Connected Places Catapult’s Executive Director for SME Development & Academic Engagement, Alex Weedon

The innovation accelerator seeks to take new materials and solutions described as being ‘low maturity’ and put them through a consistent, standardised process of prioritisation, feasibility and initial trialling, with the aim of assessing viability for wider testing and adoption.

Successful firms will be offered coaching and help with marketing strategy and investment support, as well as trial design training, deployment support, trial monitoring and evaluation. There will also be the chance to take part in a demonstration day for investors, industry and potential customers and ten months’ tailored business support.

“We want to speed up innovation within our sector and adopt new solutions. The innovation accelerator will help take potential solutions and drive them through the research and testing phases.”
National Highways Roads Development Director, Dr Joanna White
Find out more about the Accelerator
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Carbon Accounting

Representatives from the Catapult Network are working with Government, academia and standards bodies to develop a robust, comprehensive framework to accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions of UK manufactured products, that will accelerate industrial emission reduction and position the UK as the place for green manufacturing.

About the project 

To limit warming to 1.5C, it is critical businesses set decarbonisation targets to include emissions occurred across the full value chain, beyond what they have direct control over. These emissions are referred to as Scope 3 and are often the most significant, but most difficult to accurately measure. It is important that an accurate image of the true embodied carbon is captured in Scope 3 emissions in order to inform and drive change required to meet net zero. 

However key challenges for manufacturers to capture their value-chain emissions include:  

  • An overabundance of standards, tools, guides and frameworks means the landscape is hard to navigate for most companies without the help of experts in the field. 
  • Hard-to-access, inconsistent and unverified data leads to inaccuracies and discrepancies in carbon accounting leaving a large room for error and reduced customer confidence. 
  • A lack of policies, good governance and enforcement leads to a broad range of practices and varying levels of adherence. 

A systematic approach is therefore required to tackle this complex set of challenges. 

Catapults take action 

With this in mind, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult is leading a two-and-a-half-year project on behalf of Innovate UK with support from several other Catapults to develop a framework for creating a best practice guide for measuring embodied emissions of UK products in the context of Scope 3 greenhouse gas reporting. The four other Catapults involved in the project are Connected Places, Digital, Energy Systems and Satellite Applications, each leveraging their network and unique expertise to tackle this complex challenge. 

Connected Places Catapult is leading the ecosystem work by mapping the complex landscape, convening broad subject matter experts and identifying solutions and best practice. Digital Catapult is leading the work on data, tools and verification. Energy Systems is building on its experience driving carbon reporting frameworks to build tools and best practice for tracking emissions along supply chains and disseminating into industry.   

The programme will work closely with selected companies in the UK manufacturing supply chain to test and validate their carbon accounting processes, in order to support them on their carbon accounting journeys and to gather best practice knowledge for the project. 

The Catapult Network will also work alongside external subject matter experts such as the British Standards Institution, which has delivered a series of recommendations on how to improve governance and standards associated with carbon accounting. 

Opportunity 

Making progress on industrial emissions reduction in not only key to meeting Net Zero, but will also boost the competitive advantage of UK manufacturers to win future work as other nations adopt carbon pricing. 

The UK has the opportunity to position itself as the global ‘green-shoring’ destination of choice for manufacturers, underpinned by a decarbonised industrial base and clear greenhouse gas accounting and reporting frameworks.   

Rather than offshoring our manufacturing supply base to nations with weaker carbon reduction targets, the UK has an opportunity to take a global leadership position. It can address its consumption emissions by transforming its domestic manufacturing base, anchoring innovations, attracting inward investment and exporting Net Zero products and services to international markets. 

Call to action 

We cannot solve this in isolation. So if you have a solution or recommendation you would like to share, or if you have first-hand experience of these carbon reporting challenges and want to participate in pilots, please get in touch via the contact details below. 

Contact the project team 

For more information on this project, complete the form below and a member of our team will be in contact.

Project partners

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8th annual Sustainability Week

Empowering businesses to accelerate action on sustainability

Join over 1000 leaders, businesses, financiers, investors, NGOs and policymakers in London and more than 4,500 attendees online to ensure you are part of the sustainable future.

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2nd Europe CCUS & Hydrogen Decarbonisation Summit: Implementation

The Summit will bring together 300+ government officials, regulators, key industry stake holders, leading academia and service companies and Connected Places Catapult is delighted to partner with Chameleon Events.

Alan Nettleton, our Lead Systems Engineer will deliver the session on 8 February 2023 titled ‘End User Implementation of Hydrogen’. Alan will highlight our work on hydrogen and decarbonisation, and talk about the Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator (ZERFD) project.

Register to hear more and meet with us at the event.

 

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Net Zero Projects: Shard Investment Day

Join us on 22 February to hear from innovative UK SMEs who are working to address net zero challenges.

When and where?

Mathys & Squire, The Shard, 32 London Bridge St, London SE1 9SG
22nd February 2023
2:00pm - 7:00pm

Tickets

This event is now complete

Interested in net zero investment opportunities in the transport and built environment sectors? Join Connected Places Catapult at their Shard Investment Day to hear from Innovative UK SMEs who are working to address net zero challenges.

For investors, this event will provide an opportunity to be introduced to high-potential SMEs with net zero projects. It will also offer an insight into the demand for projects presented and help open a dialogue to ensure the right investment decisions are made.

The event will also provide an opportunity for local authority and other relevant stakeholders to hear from firms at the forefront of net zero innovation.

If you are an investor, represent a local authority or other stakeholder and would be interested in attending, please apply now to reserve your spot.

SMEs looking to take part should apply via our opportunity page

Day 1
22nd February
16:00
Registration
16:15 - 16:30
Opening Remarks
16:30 - 17: 00
SME Pitches
17:00 - 17:15
Break
17:15 - 17:30
Connected Places Catapult
17:30 - 18:00
SME Pitches
18:00 -18:10
Closing remarks
18:10 - 19:00
Networking
19:00
Event Close
Innovation imperatives
Industry Focus

Part of The Catapult Network

Connected Places Catapult is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England under company number 11837978. Its registered office is at 1 Sekforde Street, London, EC1R 0BE.​