Materials Processing Institute trio support UN decarbonisation drive

Three senior figures from a North East research and innovation centre are supporting the UN’s work on decarbonisation.

The Materials Processing Institute’s Chris McDonald, Dr Gerard Stephens and Alan Scholes have joined panels, as part of the UN’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Initiative, to clean up heavy industry.

Since launching its Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) in June last year, it has established three technical working groups to progress policy designed to create demand for low-carbon materials, including steel and concrete.

Chris, the Middlesbrough-based institute’s chief executive, will add his experience to the low-carbon standards advisory group, which supports the development of material-specific standards or guidelines for measuring the life-cycle of greenhouse gas emissions of steel, cement and concrete.

Director of operations Dr Stephens has joined the green public procurement advisory group, which aims to agree a joint approach to measuring and reducing embodied carbon in concrete and steel in public construction projects.

Chief technology officer Alan is advising the data and reporting advisory group, which is drawing up guidelines for data collection and green public procurement reporting frameworks.

Chris said: “The institute is already a globally-recognised centre for research and development into the commercialisation of the technology that can deliver industrial decarbonisation.

“It is a measure of the knowledge and expertise available at the institute that it has been invited to contribute to each of the IDDI’s three advisory groups, and we are all honoured to take part.

“This initiative is a great example of countries and organisations coming together under UNIDO to ensure that governments can use their purchasing power to stimulate the market for green steel and concrete.”

The trio will serve on a voluntary basis for the extent of the initiative.