Businesses must be equipped to deal with an economy where everything will produce no or few emissions, the business secretary Peter Mandelson has said.
On a day when he was splashed with green custard by an environmental protester, Mr Mandelson addressed the Low Carbon Economy Summit where he spoke of the need for a ‘green industrial revolution’.
“Low carbon is not a sector of our economy, it is, or will be, our whole economy, and a global market,” he said.
“Today we are asking what more needs to be done to ensure these changes benefit the UK economy, and what needs to be done to equip British companies to compete for low carbon business in Britain and overseas.
“A low carbon industrial strategy must seize the opportunities that will come with change. That requires a new industrial activism for a new green industrial revolution.”
Also at the conference, small businesses manufacturers were assured that their future was good and that they would receive support to tap into a ‘£3 trillion global industry’.
The BERR Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), a small business support network, said it was optimistic about opportunities for small businesses
“We’ve already supported a number of enterprises, helping them to expand and diversify into supplying the low carbon economy, as well as supporting organisations in their efforts with reducing energy, waste and materials,” said Roger Parr of MAS.
“Many of our manufacturers have and are taking significant steps already in delivering low carbon strategies across their businesses with significant results, and government’s announcement offers all our manufacturers an opportunity and direction which we all must embrace.”
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