Greater Manchester Shows Green Growth

The value of Greater Manchester’s environmental, low carbon and renewable energy sectors grew by over 4% between 2007/8 and 2008/9 despite the difficult economic conditions in the UK, delegates to a conference on the region’s Low Carbon Economic Area for the Built Environment heard today.

These Low Carbon Economic Growth Sector industries make up around £4.2 billion of Greater Manchester’s market value, employing 34,120 people across1,893 companies, according to a report by Innovas Solutions commissioned by Manchester’s Commission for the New Economy.

The study was designed to understand the potential scale of increasing demand for green industries, how local businesses can take advantage of the opportunities they provide and which sub sectors are most likely to generate new jobs for the region.

Steve Turner, Head of Carbon Economy for New Economy, said:

“This report helps build a case for Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services within Greater Manchester and identifies where the main opportunities lie. The report gives recommendations, which we need to explore further, that relate to the sub sector and technology areas that Greater Manchester could support and build a leading position in the UK and internationally.”

The report found that Greater Manchester is a leader in the UK in carbon capture and storage technology, additional energy sources such as biofuels and contaminated land remediation. It is also strong in alternative fuels and environmental consultancy, and above average in wind energy, low carbon building technologies and energy management.

The report shows that Greater Manchester has the potential to be a world leader in low carbon building technologies, generating additional jobs and revenue from what is a fast growing sector both in the UK and internationally.

The region is also well placed to develop its strong research capabilities, particularly in low carbon aerospace and aviation technologies and services, and could become a centre for commercialising and developing new energy technologies.

Greater Manchester became the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for the Built Environment in December 2009. Over the next five years it aims to deliver an additional £650 million into the economy, support 34,000 jobs and save six million tonnes of carbon.

The Innovas report recommends that this growth be supported by a wide-ranging integrated public sector procurement strategy, providing cost effective access to low carbon technologies. The first stage would be to speed up the procurement of building and energy management technologies for public sector building and housing stock in the region.

John Sharp, Managing Director of Innovas Solutions, said:

"By using a detailed approach to market analysis, we were able to show that the region has substantial assets and strengths in the field of the Built Environment and to show how it could be developed to generate additional jobs and revenues for the region.

“The Innovas-kMatrix evidence base feeds into key areas that the public sector is charged with delivering, allowing it to develop robust plans on future strategy, skills forecasting and investment needs.”

The full report is available here.

ENDS

For more information please contact:

Manchester’s Commission for the New Economy
Liz Reuben Head of Communications
t: 0161 237 4179
m: 07525 392 369

Innovas Solutions
Kate Hill, Kreab Gavin Anderson
t: 020 7074 1831

Notes to Editors

Commission for the New Economy

• Greater Manchester was named as the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area for the built environment in December 2009. Over the next five years Greater Manchester aims to deliver an additional £650 million into the economy, support 34,000 jobs as well as save six million tonnes of carbon.

• Manchester’s Commission for the New Economy has been established to co-ordinate strategically the work in the field of economic development, employment and skills in the area of the ten AGMA Local Authorities (the Association for Greater Manchester Authorities, made up of the local authorities of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan).

• For information on the work of New Economy please visit our Low Carbon Economy page.

• The Commission for the New Economy is one of seven such commissions created as part of the new governance arrangements for Greater Manchester recently ratified by its ten component authorities. Its operations are overseen by a private sector-majority board chaired by Mike Blackburn of BT, which includes most of the AGMA authority leaders. The others are health, public protection, planning and housing, transport, environment and improvement and efficiency.

• The NWDA’s Carbon Challenge Fund is a key part of the Northwest Climate Change Action Plan, which sets out the region’s mission to become the leader on climate change by 2020, and is being delivered by the Northwest Climate Change Partnership.

• The Carbon Challenge Funds support the deployment of low carbon technologies by minimising the risk of investment in new and innovative technologies, processes and approaches by signifying and monitoring their effectiveness, providing an incentive for adoption and demonstrating leadership.

• Manchester City Council’s Carbon Innovation Fund was set up to develop and deliver innovative projects that save carbon or inspire others to act, with the aim of resulting in long-term and wide-scale positive change in the city.

Innovas Solutions

• Innovas Solutions was selected by Manchester Enterprises to conduct an analysis of low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) for Greater Manchester. The aim of the project was to provide an understanding of the strength of the existing Greater Manchester Environmental, Renewable Energy and Emerging Low Carbon sectors and to identify areas where local businesses could exploit potential new markets.

• In collaboration with their market intelligence partner, kMatrix, Innovas Solutions provided a fresh approach to assessing the size, value and growth of the LCEGS sector using non survey methods that accurately provided quantitative information about turnover, employment and growth. In addition, they also provided an analysis of the UK, its 12 regions and the wider global market to provide context to the regional study.

• Innovas Solutions also conducted research into the academic, research and company activities within Greater Manchester.

• Innovas Solutions identified the Built Environment as a key area at an early stage of the project.

• Innovas Solutions is part of Innovas Group, established in 2006. It focuses on two core areas:
  – working with public sector clients at a strategic level providing detailed market analysis to support policy and drive strategies, as well as identifying actual companies; and
  – conducting specific sector analysis and providing companies with tailored data and research to provide strategic direction. Innovas Solutions also support companies through conducting market analysis, which feeds into companies’ international and trade mission activities.

• Innovas Solutions has conducted a very high level of supply chain analysis and was instrumental in formulating and developing major supply chain initiatives on behalf of BERR, now BIS, and DECC.

• Innovas Solutions has extensive experience of identifying relevant EU and International funding sources and supporting clients applying for funding including ERDF funding.

• Innovas Solutions Ltd is focused on working in sectors where there is a high degree of new and emerging technologies which have been difficult to measure and map using traditional methods, this includes renewable energy and low carbon technologies.

• Innovas Solutions acts as a focal point for the client, bringing together highly experienced bespoke teams to provide solutions that can be used continuously, are transparent and can be updated on a regular basis.