The Disrupters
Author:
By Rebecca Willis, Molly Webb and James Wilsdon
Year published:
July 2007
Download:
The Disrupters 361KB
Description/aims
The Government has set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. To become a lower-carbon society we need to develop innovations that will change the way we build, travel, shop and even eat. These innovations might be technological, behavioural or a combination of both.
The Disrupters tells the stories of eight businesses and organisations that are pursuing low-carbon goals by putting into practice new business models or services, or cheaper and simpler alternatives to existing products or services.
Each of the innovations has the potential to make a significant impact on the UK's carbon output. Together they are already saving around 5.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, and this could rise to 9 million tonnes if they grow and prosper over the next five years.
Recommendations
Barnsley Council's use of biomass to power municipal buildings is one disruptive innovation highlighted in the report. Others include Baywind, the UK's first community-owned wind farm; GREENhomes' environmental concierge service; and DIY KYOTO's gadget for monitoring household electricity consumption. But these innovations will only succeed if they are given the right opportunities and support.
The Government needs to establish a policy, regulatory and funding framework, which aligns innovation and environmental goals. Investment should be directed towards developing lower-carbon alternatives, including non-technological innovations, and energy markets should be reformed to incorporate better incentives for innovation.
A low-carbon 'Innovation Platform' (Innovation Platforms support collaboration between government and business to develop solutions to policy challenges, through innovation) could create the right conditions for innovation to flourish, while local innovation zones would provide spaces for greater experimentation. It's also important that government talks to and learns from low-carbon innovators.
Impact / Benefit
Creating a policy framework that fosters disruptive innovation will lead to direct savings in carbon emissions and help move the UK onto a low-carbon path.
The Disrupters and others like them could also have a wider impact on carbon reduction, if their innovations are adopted by others or if they persuade more people to take wider action on climate change.
This approach will help position the UK at the forefront of the emerging market for low-carbon innovation - a market which the October 2006 Stern Report on the economics of climate change predicts will be worth $500 billion a year by 2050.