Session 9

Wednesday 09 February, 14:30 PM

Factory to Door: The Journey to Net Zero

Driven by both legal and societal demands to reduce our future emissions, how our products and services are produced, packaged and transported will have to undergo an accelerated and transformative journey to support our overall net-zero goals.

Everything we buy and use has been produced, manufactured and transported and as such has a carbon footprint.

The challenge remains that in a developed economic model that is largely fuelled by consumerism, every part of a products journey from its design to the production line, via the hauliers and retailers and delivery firms will need to change if the UK is to achieve its net-zero targets whilst maintaining our existing economic model and increasing our national prosperity.

Some of these changes are happening now. These include the advancement in electric and hydrogen vehicles, the use new bio-fuels, bio-packaging and the reduction in the use of plastics. All this supports a more environmentally friendly economy but alone will not see us through to net-zero by 2050.

So what are the big changes that we can expect to see from our manufacturers, logistics firms and retailers as we charge towards a net-zero future? And what comes next for all those involved at each stage of the cycle in getting products from our factories to our doors?