Cleantech in the West Midlands

The National Brownfield Institute is at the heart of the new Wolverhampton University campus.  “Our dream,” says Professor Mohammed Arif, head of the school of architecture and built environment in an interview with Construction News, thumping the table for emphasis, “is why not make this region the Silicon Valley of brownfield work?...I’m quite confident; when [brownfield regeneration] flies off, what you will see is – because we will have so much expertise and databases here – small consultancies and laboratories will open up in this region,” Arif continues. “We will act like the mothership for them…If you think about the history of Silicon Valley, that’s how it started. There were [a] few big players and then lots of little players that grew around it. Now it’s famous….As for the name, Karodia and Arif throw a few suggestions around. ‘Brownfield valley’ sounds odd and ‘asbestos valley’ sends the wrong message so they settle on the tongue-in-cheek ‘asbestos-free valley’.”

With businesses like Thermal Recycling located in the West Midlands, the region has the opportunity to be a leading hub for what is referred to as CleanTech which includes a broad range of technology related to recycling.  Given its industrial heritage, the West Midlands is the perfect location to harness new technology not only to help to regenerate brownfield areas but to create investment and jobs in the region as it re-invents itself.

There are twelve universities in the West Midlands who can generate and support innovation.  Thermal Recycling has benefitted from support from Wolverhampton and Keele Universities and is in discussions with other local Universities.  Such a wealth of academic capability creates many opportunities for the region.

There are many innovative businesses such as ours that can benefit from the support available from Universities.  One of these businesses which we particularly admire is gen2carbon – they create recycled carbon products that accelerate the shift towards sustainable methods of manufacture across a range of industries that are looking to be part of a greener future.

If the region is to fulfil its potential to be the world’s first asbestos-free valley, it needs focused and substantial support from the public sector.  Funding is part of this, but it is not the totality. The public sector needs to encourage, foster and use the new technologies that are being developed in the area. By becoming part of the future customer base, it perpetuates the growth of the sector.  It creates the environment for Cleantech businesses to thrive and the area becomes a magnet for other businesses.  Sadly, it appears that we are a million miles away from this happening.  We are members of Sustainability West Midlands, and they have been really supportive of us.  They have made introductions and promoted us.  However, whilst on paper, there appears to be a great deal of support – Local Enterprise Partnerships, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Midland Engine Growth Fund, Mayor of West Midlands and many other bodies they are long on encouragement and short on action.

There is a huge opportunity in the West Midlands to become a global leader in Cleantech and to be the first asbestos-free valley in the world, but for this to be achieved, strategic leadership and urgent action is required.