Our Themes

We work across a wide range of business sectors, research disciplines and project themes. Our key themes are:

  • Waste

    Each year across the globe we use 70 billion tonnes of material, which is around 1.6 times what the world can produce annually. Through R&D we can support improvements in the way in which waste materials are managed and disposed of, as well as deriving additional value from ‘waste’ to prolong its lifespan.

  • Resource Efficiency

    Growing populations and industries demand more resources, but how can we produce more while using less? Only by creating responsible supply chains and supporting a circular economy can we achieve true sustainable growth.

  • Energy

    Global energy demand rose by 2.3% in 2018, its fastest pace in a decade. Solutions for energy efficiency, reduced consumption, renewable generation, transformation and distribution are essential and apply across industries.

  • Food

    Providing the world’s growing population with a sustainable supply of safe, nutritious and affordable food is a critical global challenge. In the context of climate change, this also needs to be achieved with limited water and land resources. Eco-innovation must be embedded across the whole food supply chain.

  • Air Quality

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has called air pollution the “single largest environmental health risk” and has estimated it to be linked to more than 6 million premature deaths in 2012. By improving air quality we can decrease associated health risks and improve environmental conditions to the benefit of wildlife and ecosystems.

  • Natural Capital

    Growing populations, changes in land use, bioenergy production and infrastructure development all contribute to habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. By improving understanding of natural processes and resources we can better support and value our natural assets.

  • Water

    With global water demand projected to increase by at least 50% by 2050, encouraging efficiencies in the supply, treatment and use of water across industrial, agricultural and domestic sectors is critical to ensuring global access to safe and sustainable supplies.