Rather than frame the debate as either / or, we should be looking objectively at all the potential decarbonisation solutions we have.

So how do we accelerate?.The drivers for change in this arena need themselves to change, in reality and in dialogue.. With tough and uncertain trading conditions, drivers which do not put economics at the centre of things, risk becoming marginalised.

The aims of efficiency, intensification, recycling and waste reduction, if applied correctly, are directly shared with improving today’s economics.In an arena where regulation and taxation will be aligned to carbon reduction, there is also a strategic necessity for long-term profitability.Framing the drivers in this way would chime much more favourably with shareholders, boardrooms, and in the political arena.. Economics are certainly the key driver in the generics manufacturers who operate in price-sensitive markets.

Accounting for as high as 90% of prescription drugs, their strategies and business decisions have huge influence on the impact of the sector.They often do not carry the overhead of strategic teams, and there is an opportunity to share, promote and assist their move towards more efficient use of solvents through the sharing of insights and examples.

The influence of the R&D led industry is hugely significant, providing the worked through case-studies and directly influencing their supply chain, including contract manufacturers.. Over the course of the discussion, there was a radical switch in the reflections on regulations and regulators.

At the outset, regulators were seen as one of the significant barriers to moving forward at speed.The question is: which is the correct level of refurbishment to ensure that the embodied carbon benefit outweighs the reduced operational carbon performance?

Light refurbishment, retaining as much of the building as possible?Or a deeper retrofit, which retains only certain structural elements?.

Bryden Wood has carried out an operational and embodied carbon analysis on three different levels of intervention on an existing commercial building:.Light-touch refurbishment, which includes only an upgrade of MEP equipment, windows and ceilings.. A full refurbishment, retaining only structural elements and including MEP upgrade, new façade, finishes and internal partitions.. Full demolition, and construction of a new building..