Greater Manchester is committed to becoming the world’s first zero carbon region by 2038. That huge ambition brings with it exciting opportunities for innovation, upskilling and economic growth. pro-manchester’s Green Transformation Conference (Thursday 14th March 2024) welcomed a wide range of companies developing innovative new technologies to lower emissions, reduce our carbon footprint and improve our environment. Throughout the morning we heard from innovators, professional advisors, policymakers and training providers to understand how everyone can benefit from these developments.
The conference was sponsored by Kao Data, Appleyard Lees and Bruntwood SciTech. Pro-Manchester partnered with Bee Net Zero and GM Business Growth Hub to bring this conference to the city.
Sessions included a welcome from Steve Connor, CEO and Co-founder of Creative Concern and Green Lead for Manchester Business Board. He welcomed the delegation by discussing Manchester’s green future, he said
‘Today is about Manchester’s role in the climate crisis and what our city can do to create a more sustainable, more prosperous future. We know we need to play our part in preserving this planet. We need to continue to inspire people to make a change and invest in that green future.’
‘With a solid energy plan and the bee net zero transport plan, we’re pushing through a multitude of forward thinking initiatives’.
Sessions ran throughout the day, covering a number of different green topics. The first session Incubators & Accelerators: Is Manchester doing everything it can to cultivate a Green Economy? Hosted by The Growth Company, this session discussed the green skills gaps and how collaboration between businesses and training is key to successfully closing the gap.
Amy House, Director of Green Economy said:
‘’We desperately need innovative products, we want that spark and desire to bring new innovative ideas and break down the barriers, all to make it easier to bring new ideas to life’’
‘’We work with businesses to make them comfortable investing in new innovation that may be new to them, and how can we demystify new changes. At Bee Net Zero, we’re bringing manufacturers together so we can learn from each other’’
‘’We’re encouraging engineers to add green skills training like heat pump certifications to help meet demand, but we need to break down the barriers that stop people training further into newer disciplines’’
Other sessions included Green Innovation: A Global Perspective, Driving a Greener Future: Navigating the Landscape of Carbon Solutions and Accountability, Breaking Barriers: How tech is making it easier for businesses to be greener, and much more. The full programme can be found here.
