This is our chance to save manufacturing

The Sunday Times
January 18, 2009

Ed Gillespie, writer and co-founder of Futerra Sustainability Communications
WE are at the crossroads. Britain has a poor track record of bringing environmental products to market, but the current crisis is an opportunity for us to step back from being a service-sector economy and return to manufacturing, which is more sustainable and better for the country.
The main areas will be energy, transport and construction. There’s no doubt that political courage will be needed – car manufacturers have been resisting efforts to be more sustainable for many years. There will be a lot of lobbying against government initiatives.
Most people know about the environmental crisis we are facing – and also acept that we need to build a more productive economy. Whole sectors will have to change. Altering our homes to make them more energy efficient and harnessing wind and marine technology, and generating local energy, will keep a lot of the workforce occupied for many years.