Lucideon joins new Foundation Industries Consortium to drive low carbon innovation for the UK’s vital materials

Lucideon has joined global leaders in innovation, research, and technology from across the cement, metal, glass, ceramic, paper, polymer, and chemical industries to form the Foundation Industries Sustainability Consortium (FISC).

The world-leading technology company has come together with fellow FISC members the CPI, Glass Futures, Materials Processing Institute, and the Henry Royce Institute to focus on driving low carbon innovation for the UK’s vital materials.

An invisible part of everyday life, these essential materials – products of the foundation industries – are a key component of everyday life, including cement and metal in buildings, glass and ceramic components in mobile phones, ceramic cups, shampoo, and even greeting cards.

While the products made from these materials play a vital role, together they are responsible for 10% of the world’s carbon emissions.

Tony Kinsella, CEO of Lucideon, said: “A nation cannot survive without the products of the foundation industries, so it is essential that we work to make the products ever more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint.

“It’s time for change and FISC is designed to be the organisation helping companies to deliver global innovation in low carbon resource efficient sustainable solutions that will help to transform these essential industries.”

FISC’s first project is known as Economic Materials Innovation for the Sustainable and Efficient Use of Resources (EconoMISER). It is funded by Innovate UK as part of the Transforming Foundation Industries (TFI) Challenge and builds on the existing innovation capability of the partners.

Graham Hillier, FISC and EconoMISER Project Chair, said: “By working together, FISC can leverage the deep understanding and capabilities of its partners to help the companies operating in the foundation industries and the supply chains that use their materials improve.

“All of the centres are well established and support innovation in their own industries.

“We felt that by working together on cross-cutting themes that affect the whole of the foundation industries, there was an opportunity to combine our capabilities in ways that can identify and transfer best practice between the centres and, more importantly, into manufacturing plants and supply chains to enhance the UK’s position economically, environmentally, and socially.”

The UK face a set of challenges that are common to all foundation industry manufacturers across the globe:

• Using more scrap materials as feedstocks to reduce virgin raw material demand through a more circular approach to manufacturing
• Developing more sustainable, lower carbon, and more resource efficient manufacturing routes for the future of the world
• Developing more innovative products making materials in the integrated supply chain more efficient, thereby increasing the economic and social value of these supply chains
• Continuously improving the efficiency of manufacturing to reduce costs, increase yields, and reduce emissions
• Developing a new generation of low carbon sustainable and resource efficient processes, products, and manufacturing plants to ensure the UK has manufacturing assets and products that are fit for the future
• Increasing UK production so it’s less reliant on imports

Dr Ben Walsh, Deputy Director – Transforming Foundation Industries, Innovate UK said, “FISC is open to all in the industry, and we welcome them to engage and plan projects that will drive the foundation industries forward. FISC will provide support through access to the equipment and services of its members.

“The depth of expertise across a wide range of innovation activities means that FISC can bring together unparalleled expertise to help its partners reach practical solutions more quickly and at lower cost, than if each partner worked independently.”

The consortium will lead projects based on six themes: alternative fuels, circular economy, digital sensing, process optimisation, sustainable materials, and training and skills. The FISC website is now live, and you can learn more about the consortium and its goals here https://www.ukfisc.org/