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The commission formally launched on 24th October 2019 and will publish its final report in 2020. We will update this page as the GIPC’s work progresses.
New solutions for a green recovery: unlocking the UK’s innovation potential
The commission's final report
Tuesday 12 January 2021
The Green Innovation Policy Commission (GIPC) has today published their final report, Innovation for a Green Recovery: Business and Government in Partnership.
The report highlights that green innovation is critical to futureproof the economic recovery and meet the county’s net zero and environmental goals. However, while the UK is a strong innovator, it is not yet realising the full potential of green innovation and the commission found that a number of barriers and policy gaps are holding up progress.
To accelerate the transition to a net zero, nature rich economy and ensure that UK businesses are best placed to compete internationally, the GIPC calls for a new settlement between business and government.
Businesses have a vital role to play in facilitating green innovation. The commission calls for more ambitious action by companies, including embedding sustainability into their corporate culture and adopting net zero commitments and delivery plans, with sector associations taking a leadership and coordination role.
But government action is essential to address the barriers and policy gaps that are holding up progress. In particular, the GIPC observes that green innovation policy requires a stronger emphasis on the deployment and diffusion of existing and close-to-market green innovations. The commission calls for a cross-government approach to green innovation and urges action across six policy areas:
- Create demand for green innovation
- Boost green innovation investments
- Change the rules of the game
- Nurture innovation eco-systems
- Make infrastructure word for a greener economy
- Governance: working together to foster green recovery
Read the full report here
The commission’s policy recommendations are also presented in a short summary for policymakers , How to fast track innovation for a green industrial revolution, authored by Green Alliance.
Members of the GIPC write to the PM
Tuesday 12 January 2021
Members of the commission have today jointly written to the prime minister to signal that a paradigm shift in green innovation is needed. Solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss must be developed and rolled out with similar focus and urgency as the development of Covid vaccines, and require a similarly comprehensive set of factors, that go beyond R&D investment, to rapidly scale up investment and adoption across the UK economy.
Date: Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Time: 10.00 – 11.00am (GMT)
Innovation will play a vital role in the recovery from Covid-19 and the transition to a green economy. From new techniques to give us zero carbon homes and cleaner industrial processes, to novel product designs to make them longer lasting and more resource efficient, the potential is huge. But green innovation is not taking off at the scale and pace needed in the UK, despite our reputation for being an innovative economy.
Over the past two years, the Green Innovation Policy Commission has investigated why this is, and what policy and business action is needed to accelerate investment in sustainable alternatives to help drive a green recovery.
At this hour long event, a panel of expert speakers, including Amy Jenkins, deputy director for clean growth, BEIS, will be discussing the findings and recommendations of the commission’s final report.
Chair:
- Belinda Gordon, strategy director, Green Alliance
Speakers:
- Angela Francis, chief advisor, economics and economic development, WWF-UK
- John Cridland CBE, chair, Transport for the North
- Professor Paul Ekins OBE, director, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources
- Amy Jenkins, deputy director for clean growth, BEIS
Sectoral roundtables
Over the course of its investigation, the GIPC conducted deep dives in five sectors of the economy, represented by business members of the commission. As part of these deep dives, it a series of workshops with businesses and other experts in the first half of 2020, to analyse the drivers for green innovation, and what is holding it back. For a full list of attendees, see annex I of the final commission report.
How can we build a green economy?
Seven priorities for infrastructure policy
Without major new policies in the very near future, the UK will not be on track to meet its goal of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. Infrastructure forms the underlying building blocks of the economy and is a key enabler for innovative solutions to achieve a green economy. Getting infrastructure policy right is essential to cut carbon quickly as well as to prepare the UK for the impacts of a warming world.
The Green Innovation Policy Commission has outlined a set of priorities that will ensure infrastructure policy effectively drives economic transition at the speed needed.
Buildings blocks for a green economy: innovating through infrastructure delivery
Tuesday 26 November 2019
16.00 – 17.30, Central London
Moving to a green economy will require innovation across all sectors and parts of the UK. Infrastructure will be central to this. From low carbon transport systems to clean energy, from efficient and resilient buildings to improved land management to protect against flooding, infrastructure can be a vital enabler for the innovative low carbon and nature enhancing solutions the UK urgently needs.
The event was chaired by Shaun Spiers from Green Alliance with a presentation by Professor Paul Ekins from the Institute for Sustainable Resources, UCL. This was followed by a panel discussion about policy priorities to ensure existing and future UK infrastructure accelerates innovation for a green economy, creating jobs and prosperity across the country.
The panel included:
- John Cirdland, transport for the North
- Laura Sandys, Co-chair IPPR Environmental Justice Commission
- Angela Francis, WWF
- Dr Jenifer Baxter, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Listen to the highlights from the event on the Green Alliance podcast.
This is the first event of the Green Innovation Policy Commission. For more information about the commission, please contact Caterina Brandmayr, senior policy analyst at Green Alliance: cbrandmayr@green-alliance.org.uk
