Environment Technologies

More than 450 companies currently employ 13,000 people within Yorkshire's Environmental Technologies Cluster generating around £1.8 billion turnover each year, about 20% of which is from exported goods. A 2005 report estimated that by 2015 employment in the sector will increase by 19.5%, while output is expected to increase by 30%.

The major sub-sectors within the Environmental Technologies Cluster are waste management, environmental consultancy and water management, while energy management and marine pollution control are the smallest sub-sectors.

New EU legislation is expected to have a significant impact on manufacturing across the board and will drive the move toward cleaner processes, emerging technologies and the a new low-carbon economy.  

The callenge for Yorkshire's companies will revolve around the need for them to remain competitive while satisfying their environmental, legal and ethical obligations and also capitalise on emerging market opportunity in environmental goods. 

Environmental Technologies CIC (ETCIC): ETCIC (www.etcic.com) is based at the University of Hull where the team has a strong track record in R&D, particularly within the environmental and extractive industries such as mining, minerals, offshore oil, and gravel extraction. ETCIC was established by Yorkshire Forward to help businesses make the most of their resources by eliminating waste through a combination of latest technology and analytical facilities. 

School of Earth and Environment: The School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds (www.env.leeds.ac.uk) provides courses in all aspects of the science and management of the environment.  It has an internationally leading research department with a grade 5 in the HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise (2001).

Department of Geography and Environmental Science: The Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences (www.brad.ac.uk/acad/envsci/envisci.htm) at the University of Bradford, has over 30 years experience in delivering cutting-edge programmes on geography and the environment.  They offer six degree courses, aiming to produce informed critical professionals for a range of geography and environment related careers. All courses contain a common core of modules on geographical and environmental skills that equip the student to interact professionally in environment related workplaces.

School of Environment and Development: Sheffield Hallam University has a School of Environment and Development (www.shu.ac.uk/schools/sed/) which is a leading UK centre for undergraduate, postgraduate courses and research in the fields of construction and the built and natural environment.  The School has an established research track record, attracting over £400,000 funding each year from research councils and industry. Recently there has been a £3.5 million investment.

Sheffield University Waste Incineration Centre (SUWIC): SUWIC (www.shef.ac.uk/~suwic/) is one of the leading international research centres for the thermal treatment of wastes. The centre has a worldwide reputation for innovative investigations into combustion, gasification and pyrolysis of biomass/waste and the associated electrical power generation systems. The Centre specialises in several major areas of environmental concern, including waste management, flue gas clean up systems, recycle/re-use of ash residuals and the eventual disposal of sludge.

The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC): Over the last 5 to 10 years, there has been an increasing awareness within the Further and Higher Education sector of the need to address environmental issues both operationally, as businesses, and within the curriculum.  Membership of the EAUC (www.eauc.org.uk) has grown in number as a result of commitment to environmental and sustainability issues within the FHE sector. With around 200 institutional members, the EAUC is an influential voice within the sector.

The Green Chemistry CIC:  The Green Chemistry CIC (www.greenchemcic.co.uk) is based at York University, but with some involvement from the University of Leeds, and can provide competitive, tailor-made solutions, which will enable chemical production that is more profitable, less wasteful, less damaging to the environment and more socially acceptable. The CIC acts as a one-stop-shop for companies to access the sustainable chemistry research activities at both the universities of York and Leeds.

Catchment Science Centre: In order to develop a sound scientific basis for integrated catchment management planning and policy, a collaborative research initiative, the Catchment Science Centre (CSC), has been established jointly by the University of Sheffield and the UK Environment Agency. The CSC is a multi-disciplinary collaboration across the Environment Division at Sheffield, with contributions from the Groundwater Protection and Restoration Group, the Pennine Water Group (both based in Civil & Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield), Animal and Plant Sciences, Probability and Statistics, and Geography.

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