An innovative environment
The East of England is leading the way in innovative engineering, argues Shailesh Vara MP
The East of England has a flourishing international reputation for its expertise and excellence in the field of environmiental engineering- or the environmental goods and services industry, as it prefers to be known. And that is not just my making a proud boast as a Member of Parliament whose constituency is in the region. It is a matter of fact.
Only recently, the Peterborough-based Centre for Sustainable Engineering hosted a delegation of 12 visi¬tors from British consulates in various countries around the world. They came to the East of England because they had heard about the strength of the environmen¬tal sector in the area. Having made their fact-finding mission, and seen at first hand the standards being set in the region, they returned home with the intention of promoting trade.
Recent research revealed there are about 2,100 companies in the East of England delivering envi¬ronmental value. They provide 62,000 local jobs. The specialities of these companies range from "end of pipe" technology- such as pollution control, emission control and noise pollution- to services at the design end, such as renewable energy and other low carbon technologies, and cleaner production technologies. Along with its strong manufacturing base, the region also leads the way in terms of research. There are 30 world-class research centres based in the area, well above average research and development spending, a record to be proud of.
But it does beg the question: why the East of England? Firstly, it is worth pointing out that 75 per cent of the region is rural, making it a more attractive area to companies dealing with environment issues. By virtue of its rural nature, there is a lot of expertise in drainage, flood prevention, wastewater treatment, agriculture and agricultural processing. Increasingly, this expertise is being turned to the production of renewable materials and energy feed stocks. In addi¬tion, the East of England is- despite its rural profile- a growing area demographically: half a million new homes are being built under the Sustainable Communi¬ties programme, and the region's local authorities are developing policies to require 10 per cent of the energy for those new homes to come from renewable sources.
The region has also managed to turn a negative into a positive after it became a dumping ground for waste generated by other areas, in particular London. Once a liability, it is has turned into a benefit, forcing companies to come up with recycling processes, and in turn creating export and trade opportunities. How? Well, having solved the problems initially caused by the excess waste coming in, the companies based here can now transfer that knowledge around the world.
This is a tremendous time for the environmental industry in the East of England. It is innovative, it has a marvellous reputation, and it has gained international recognition for its excellence. Finally, it is a time of great opportunity for the environmental engineering industry, and the East of England is at the forefront, having already established a proven track record of success in the field."