Innovate UK and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have commissioned ERM alongside Eigen Ventures, The Scope 3 Peer Group and SRS Sustainable Business to help identify those market interventions in the UK automotive, built environment and chemicals sectors that could drive uptake of low carbon and resource efficient solutions.

The work is designed to accelerate the development of markets for low carbon, resource efficient materials, products or circular business models that align with UK industrial strategy and offer the greatest potential for carbon emissions reductions.

ERM, Eigen Ventures, The Scope 3 Peer Group and SRS Sustainable Business will provide recommendations on market interventions that can be implemented and will also help to create an ecosystem of organizations to deliver them in the target sectors.

Stafford Lloyd, Innovation Lead for Clean Growth Strategy at Innovate UK said: “We’ve been proud to recently develop a market-forming intervention through the Advance Market Commitment for innovative low-carbon concrete. With support from DESNZ, it’s exciting to see how market interventions could be adopted to support other innovations across the UK. These efforts are a vital part of helping pioneering companies scale and accelerate progress toward net zero.”

Agnès Estibals, Deputy Director Resource Efficiency and Business Energy Transformation at DESNZ said: “This project will explore how we can grow innovative markets for low carbon, resource efficient products in the UK and build the resilience of the supply chains which are vital to our circular economy and industrial strategies.”

Richard Platt, Partner at ERM said: “The UK is home to a fertile innovation ecosystem, but innovators often struggle to gain traction in the market for their solutions. We look forward to working with Innovate UK, DESNZ and our partners to help drive uptake for those low carbon and resource efficient solutions with the greatest potential to meet industry needs.”   

As a starting point, the team is launching a survey and convening targeted working groups for the automotive, built environment and chemical sectors. The aim is to engage industry participants who are exploring, trialling or adopting resource efficient materials, products or circular business models in their organizations. These include:

  • Chemical, construction and automotive organizations active in the UK value chain
  • Procurement representatives and category managers focused on procuring products and services from these sectors
  • UK innovators developing and offering low carbon and resource efficient solutions to the target sectors
  • Insurance, finance and investment representatives with a focus on scaling low carbon and resource efficient solutions in these sectors

Industry representatives who are interested in participating in the survey can access it here:

Sector Interest and Innovation Survey

About ERM

Sustainability is our business.

As the world’s largest specialist sustainability consultancy, ERM partners with clients to operationalize sustainability at pace and scale, deploying a unique combination of strategic transformation and technical delivery capabilities. This approach helps clients to accelerate the integration of sustainability at every level of their business.

With more than 50 years of experience, ERM’s diverse team of 8000+ experts in 40 countries and territories helps clients create innovative solutions to their sustainability challenges, unlocking commercial opportunities that meet the needs of today while preserving opportunity for future generations. Learn more here.

About Eigen Ventures

Eigen Ventures are specialists in acceleration and business support services for low-carbon and resource efficiency innovators. They bring extensive knowledge of the UK innovation landscape and barriers faced by innovators in scaling their solutions and businesses across a broad range of Innovation Areas and Sectors. Eigen’s team has extensive experience in low carbon innovation, mentorship and business support to innovators, helping over 400 innovators commercialize their solutions. Eigen has been a lead delivery partner for some of the largest UK clean tech acceleration programs in the UK, including DESNZ’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio acceleration services and Innovate UK’s Energy Catalyst Accelerator Programme.

About the Scope 3 Peer Group

The Scope 3 Peer Group is a cross-industry, global collective of 3,400 sustainability and procurement practitioners tasked with supply chain emissions reduction. We host peer exchanges on best practices, relevant tools and facilitate collective action to drive faster, non-duplicative and credible impact. We also have Nature & Biodiversity and Human Rights & Workforce Resilience Peer Groups. We are a group of “those who do”, not “those who say”. 

About the SRS Sustainable Business

SRS Sustainable Business provides sustainability advisory services with a particular focus on strategy and innovation. We bring senior experience working with the public and private sector, providing advice to boards, help to create mission-led strategy and support you to turn your plans into reality. 

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. It works to create a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. Its mission is to help companies to grow through their development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive and easy to navigate.

About DESNZ

DESNZ is responsible for leading the government mission to achieve clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The government’s commitment to transitioning from a linear economy (make-use-dispose) to a circular, resource efficient economy forms a key part of delivering the government's net zero ambitions across industrial supply chains.