WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023
Last week, the British Coatings Federation launched a roadmap to outline how the United Kingdom coating industry can reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
According to the federation’s press release, the roadmap illustrates how the industry, which contributes 4 billion pounds a year to the U.K. economy and employs 14,000 people, will play a “major role” in enabling the national legislated net-zero target.
The roadmap reportedly lays out how the BCF and its members plan to reach net-zero, with projected reductions in scope 1 and 2 emissions of 53% by 2035 and 69% by 2040 as waypoints to measure progress against. It also details four things that are necessary if the overall target is to be met:
The BCF explains that some of the actions require actions from the government, including the need for a secure environment for businesses to invest in sustainable infrastructure, clarity and certainty of energy policy in the longer term, as well as support for SMEs to reach net-zero.
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Last week, the British Coatings Federation launched a roadmap to outline how the United Kingdom coating industry can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. |
“The UK paints, coatings, printing inks and wallcoverings sector has always adapted to changing conditions. Now the next great challenge is to tackle climate change and reach Net-Zero as soon as possible, and by mid-century at the latest. This roadmap is a demonstration of our commitment to that cause and will act as a guide to support our members on their individual Net Zero journeys,” said BCF President Sharon Harte.
“As part of our journey, it is important to recognize the key role our sector has in in the transition to a more sustainable future: providing products that prolong the life of goods, vehicles and infrastructure; and protecting and enabling renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels. Our industry will therefore play a major role in enabling the UK to achieve its Net-Zero target. We, of course, have our own emissions and those are the focus of this roadmap.”
The latest roadmap reportedly builds on the BCF’s commitment to reach net-zero by 2050, outlining how the coatings sector intends to tackle its own emissions (scope 1) and those it creates indirectly (scope 2 and scope 3). It also estimates that the largest proportion of carbon emissions (98%) are linked to members’ supply chains (scope 3) and therefore more difficult to manage, the federation says.
Additionally, the document is intended to “make clear” that while any emissions that cannot be eliminated must be balanced by finding ways to absorb an equivalent amount, the sector’s strategy must minimize the use of carbon offsets, reserving the practice for unavoidable emissions only.
“This is an important document for us as it is the first time the sector has collectively worked together to quantify the scale of the challenge. However, it is just the start of a long journey, and a lot more work will be required across the sector to make Net Zero a reality,” said Tom Bowtell, Chief Executive of the BCF.
“Businesses across all industries have a central role to play in delivering emissions reductions and I am pleased that the coatings sector is leading the way in engaging with this challenge. There is no easy fix but in the long term our hard work will be well worth it to secure a greener, cleaner future for our planet.”
The BCF’s baseline for scope 1 and 2 emissions is approximately 100,000 tonnes of CO2(e) and will reportedly be used to track the industry’s progress against its target. Scope 3 emissions have not been included in the industry’s baseline at this stage due to the complexity of the data and its limitations;
However, the BCF’s initial estimate is that this number would be in excess of 2.5 million tonnes of CO2(e), representing around 98% of the industry’s carbon footprint.
In recognition of the quantity of scope 3 emissions, the roadmap is being launched at a special seminar aimed at helping coatings companies, their suppliers and customers, work together to tackle those scope 3 emissions, the federation says.
A full online version of the roadmap can be found here.
Tagged categories: Associations; British Coatings Federation; Business operations; Carbon footprint; Coatings manufacturers; Emissions; Environmental Controls; Good Technical Practice; Green coatings; Net Zero Energy ; Program/Project Management
