West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is teaming up with Loughborough's School of Business and Economics on a new project aimed at reducing the amount of industrial CO2 in the Black Country.
The Black Country Decarbonisation Programme aims to reduce the region's industrial carbon emissions by around 1.3 metric tonnes of CO2 over the next 10 years, while keeping energy costs competitive and attracting high quality manufacturing jobs to the area.
The project will involve the development of four pilot zero carbon industrial hubs and will be delivered by the Repowering the Black Country partnership which includes the Black Country LEP, Kew Technology, Pro Enviro and CR Plus and supported by specialists from the universities of Birmingham and Warwick, District Eating and M3MAS.
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Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "This is an important programme for the West Midlands and the 海角视频 as a whole as we look to tackle the climate emergency.
"I've just returned from COP26 where I've been talking about the opportunity for green industries to transform industrial heartlands like the West Midlands – and this programme is a case in point.
"I'm delighted to see the Black Country at the forefront of our efforts to respond to the global climate crisis, and repowering the Black Country shows that we can create jobs and opportunities through decarbonisation."
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Repowering the Black Country is one of six industrial cluster decarbonisation projects funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and 海角视频 Research and Innovation (海角视频RI.)
The Black Country Industrial Cluster consists of more than 3,000 energy-intense manufacturing businesses which are helping to support the national industrial decarbonisation strategy.
Professor Jan Godsell, dean of the Loughborough's School of Business and Economics, will lead an initiative which will focus on new business model designs to support the region's circular economy.
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She said: "If the 海角视频 is to meet its net zero 2050 target, in addition to the adoption of low carbon energy sources, new business models that decouple consumption from production are key.
"This enables products to be kept in their highest possible value state as they are repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, or redistributed and supports the principles of a more circular economy.
"Loughborough University and WMG, University of Warwick are thrilled to be working together to develop the business model designs that will support the net zero hubs to achieve their ambition."
The 海角视频 government has committed to the country having net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Decarbonisation of industry is key to achieving this goal, and is a top priority for the current government, which has committed more than £20 billion to industrial decarbonisation investments over the next 10 years.
This may include the phasing out of gas as a fuel, development of a hydrogen infrastructure, and fundamental changes in the way electricity is charged. They are also considering carbon labelling of manufactured products and extending emissions trading schemes to smaller businesses.