Progress and Priorities:

Sustainable Development & the low carbon economy

Sustainability West Midlands 10th December 2009

Tom Anderson

2

Contents:

1. Update and progress in delivering Future Advantage

2. Low carbon economy progress and priorities

3. Working with SWM and it’s members

3

1. Progress – SD Action Plan • Developed with SWM to monitor and improve AWM’s economic, social and

environmental impact and influence

• Voluntary benchmark assessment from Forum for the Future compared performance of each of the RDAs. Support Aiming for Excellence continuous improvement

• AWM shown to be the leading RDA

• 125,000 Tonnes CO2 reduction from 2008/09 projects

• 6.5 Tonnes of paper, plastic, tin and glass recycled between January and July 2009

• Display Energy Certificate Operational Rating improved to a new score of 80 compared last year’s benchmark score of 98.

4

• AWM has developed four priority areas to focus our influence and interventions across the low carbon agenda:

– Low Carbon Infrastructure

– Low Carbon Market Opportunities

– Low Carbon Support Services

– Low Carbon Research & Development

• These priorities enable targeted support for:

2. Progress and Priorities

• Job creation • Carbon reduction

• Business support • Conditions for growth

5

Low Carbon Infrastructure

Rationale• Accelerate the development of new energy and waste infrastructure to deliver

energy security and efficiency and reduce waste costs to business

Progress in last 12 months• £1.5 million grants awarded to businesses to increase recycling• Landfill Diversion Strategy• RDPE strategic investment grants for biogas and AD technologies

Priorities for next 12 months• CHP infrastructure development in Coventry and Birmingham• Resource Recovery Parks in Birmingham, Staffs and Black Country• Extension of Birmingham Decentralised Energy Network

6

Low Carbon Market OpportunitiesRationale• Increase the region’s 8% share of the growing market for low carbon goods and

services, estimated to be worth £150 billion in UK by 2015

Progress in last 12 months• £1.4 million RESCO project• £4 million Environmental Technologies Cluster Plan• Research commissioned to identify sub-regional low carbon strengths and

opportunities

Priorities for next 12 months• Low Carbon Economic Area for Automotive Engineering • Maximise regional opportunities for retrofitting of residential properties

7

Low Carbon Support Services

Rationale• Regulation to reduce carbon emissions will require regional businesses to

decarbonise their operations and increase resource efficiency

Progress in last 12 months• Business Link Environmental Advisory Service• Business Futures• Smarter Working West Midlands• Salix Project• RE:think Energy

Priorities for next 12 months• Extension of RE:think Energy to cover all rural areas• Influence Low Carbon Task Force to focus on business issues

8

Low Carbon R&DRationale• Capitalise on world class R&D into automotive, hydrogen fuel cell, bio-energy

and lightweight material technologies to support new business opportunities

Progress in last 12 months

• Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrator project

• innovITS ADVANCE intelligent transport test facility

• Funding provided for more than 100 Innovation Vouchers for SMEs

Priorities for next 12 months• Low Carbon Vehicle Technologies project• Birmingham Science City ‘Energy Futures’ • European Bioenergy Research Institute

9

3. Working with SWM and members

• In the year ahead AWM will continue to work closely with SWM and it’s members

– Business Futures

– Smarter Working West Midlands

– May Day Network

– WMES monitoring

• Essential that we work together to maintain and build momentum in the region for low carbon transition