Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation

Industry Workspace


Overview

Question: How can greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector be reduced?
Submit Proposals:https://www.climatecolab.org/contests/2016/industry-workspace-2017
Rules: All entrants must agree to the Contest rules and Terms of Use
Deadline: N/A

 

Background

 

Industry is a key contributor to economic growth and prosperity, and has been the primary engine of economic development over the last century.  It is also a leading global source of greenhouse gases. The International Energy Agency estimates that, to meet global GHG reduction goals, emission reductions of 60-80% will be necessary. Industry is also an important source of innovation and rich with mitigation opportunities: resource efficiency (e.g. energy, materials, water); reducing process emissions of non-CO2 GHGs; industrial ecology; supply chain logistics and geography; manufacturing efficiency; CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS); and enhanced use of renewables are just some of the areas in which there is great potential for paradigm-shifting progress.

We seek innovative, well-described, actionable solutions that will enable continued global economic growth while achieving major emission reductions in the industrial sector over the course of the next decades.

Key Issues


Industry contributes to GHG emissions through on-site generation of electricity and heat from fossil sources, industrial processes that directly release CO2, methane, and other high impact greenhouse gases, as well as the carbon footprint of the materials and resources utilized in its processes and supply chains.

Opportunities for mitigation arise in each of these sectors.  The most promising of these link emissions reductions to profitable activities, such as conversion of wastes to useful inputs or products, increased efficiency. Other benefits include enhanced stability and competitiveness in uncertain markets.

Some of the key areas for exciting innovation are listed below.  These are only a sampling of the possibilities; the breadth of opportunity for improvement is vast.  We encourage contest participants to seek imaginative, cross-disciplinary, and cross-boundary solutions.

 

Resources for Proposal Authors

Resources for Proposal Authors

General Literature on Industry Emissions, Technologies, and Policies

Energy Information Agency. Manufacturing energy consumption survey for the US
http://www.eia.gov/consumption/manufacturing/

US Environmental Protection Agency. GHG emissions in the U.S.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html

Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC)
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/industry/cipec/5153

Industrial energy and material efficiency: What role for Policies?
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/publications/industrial_development/3_2.pdf

Institute for Industrial Productivity
http://www.iipnetwork.org/

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
http://www.aceee.org/portal/industrial  
 

Mitigation Technologies

International Energy Agency Energy Technology Perspectives
http://www.iea.org/etp/

Example of a roadmap for industry needs: European Paper industry
http://www.unfoldthefuture.eu/uploads/CEPI-2050-Roadmap-to-a-low-carbon-bio-economy.pdf

UNIDO Cleaner and Sustainable Production resource list
http://www.unido.org/cp.html

 Europe’s Zero Emissions Platform
http://www.zeroemissionsplatform.eu/

The Bellona Foundation
http://bellona.org/projects/best
 

Manufacturing

US Department of Energy's advanced manufacturing program
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/m/index.html
 

Energy Efficiency

US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan
http://www.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan

Advanced Energy Economy’s State Tool for Electricity Emissions Reduction
 https://www.aee.net/initiatives/epa-111d.html#steer

US Environmental Protection Agency's energy star resources
http://www.energystar.gov/buildings/tools-and-resources/

European Union energy efficiency roadmap
http://www.roadmap2050.eu/attachments/files/EnergySavings2020-FullReport.pdf

Asian Development Bank's Review of Energy Efficiency Interventions
http://www.adb.org/documents/review-energy-efficiency-interventions-eks

Energy Efficiency Policies in the United States (multiple sectors)
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy10osti/46532.pdf

Tracking Energy Efficiency and CO2 emissions from the International Energy Agency
https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/tracking_emissions.pdf

Industrial Efficiency resources from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
http://industrial-energy.lbl.gov/
 

System analysis

http://www.jotmi.org/index.php/GT/article/view/art295/742


Data management & visualization

http://www.carboncredentials.com/using-data-sustainability/#
http://knowledge.insead.edu/csr/meeting-the-sustainability-challenge-hcl-technologies-1909
http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei14/session3/tanger.pdf
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/may2012/data-analytics-perspectives-utility-industry


Business Model & Project Investment

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/developing-a-business-plan-2011-2
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Sustainable_Business/The_business_plan
http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_mcknett_the_investment_logic_for_sustainability


Business sustainability

http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/09/sustainable-investing-time-to/
http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/03/how-much-do-companies-really-worry-about-climate-change/
http://hbr.org/2010/01/can-technology-really-save-us-from-climate-change/ar/1
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/


Creative Technologies

http://mashable.com/2013/10/06/sustainable-launch-forum/
http://www.dmass.net