Following the recent changes to the way the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade will be re-organised, Composites UK welcomes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s strategy for incentivising affordable and renewable energy sources for the UK via the new Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero.
Whilst this initiative is warmly received, it is but one step in ensuring the UK remains globally competitive. Composites UK has been very active in the Net-Zero proposals for the UK and our stance is that achieving Net-Zero in the UK requires an integrated approach, which must include a robust advanced materials strategy – and that a Net-Zero economy is just not possible without a strong and resilient UK composites industry.
UK competitiveness in the area for clean growth is integral to the composites industry and our goals remain the same. We are planning an inaugural Parliamentary Reception for May 2nd, which aims to showcase our industry to Government colleagues and show them that the ten-point plan for clean growth will be impossible to meet without composite materials.
The new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will need to work closely with the combined Department for Business and Trade. Our members should rest assured that Composites UK will be taking a leadership position on behalf of the industry to ensure that the UK’s demands for clean growth materials are met. The composites industry in the UK is worth £10.72 billion and employees 47,000 people, meaning that each employee contributes over £225,000 to the UK economy. Composites UK sees these numbers growing substantially in the coming years as the requirement for clean growth expands.
We will work tirelessly on our members behalf to actively influence government strategy via Composites UK and the Composites Leadership Forum to demonstrate that working together with a cohesive strategy will not only enable our government’s goals but also allow the UK manufacturing and research facilities to flourish – not only domestically but internationally.
As the new Departments get traction in their working methods, we’d like to see the intentions backed up with actions and realise the goals that Composites UK know are achievable. Long-term and secure jobs, Gross Value-Added growth and a UK industry that is admired and respected globally – delivering skilled and high-value employment to protect not only our immediate future but our long-term sustainability goals.
Dr. Alan Banks, Chair, Composites UK