Countries like the UK are investing heavily in greening our electricity supply to power our homes and daily lives. But what about the environmental footprint of everything we make and buy?

The global manufacturing sector contributes 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions. And this can't be blamed solely on much criticised consumer sectors like fast fashion and the global food industry. Wind farms, smart grids, electric vehicles and all the other components of our imagined low carbon towns and cities of the future need to be manufactured and built.

So how are we going to make things greener? Join Gbemi Oluleye from Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy, Miriam Ribul from the Royal College of Art’s Materials Science Research Centre and the Science Museum Curator Rupert Cole to explore the much-needed revolution in our manufacturing sector. Together they will look at advanced material and energy efficiency, carbon capture technology, new biomaterials materials and green chemistry-driven industrial process as well as the economic and political barriers that manufacturers face in bringing their traditional business models into the leaner, greener 21st century.

This discussion is hosted by The Forum, Imperial College London’s policy engagement programme, which connects leading researchers with policymakers to discover new thinking on global challenges. You can read about the Forum’s work to gather expertise on reducing industrial waste and introducing a more circular economy here - https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/zero-waste-society/

This event is part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival: One World.

Please arrive 10 minutes before the event begins if you have a ticket to join the event in South Kensington. If you arrive after this time, your ticket may be reallocated.

Great Exhibition Road Festival: One World

9-15 October 2021

Can science and the arts help inspire a greener future for the planet we share? Join us for a celebration of our remarkable world to explore how together we can protect its future against the threat of the climate emergency.

Discover a week of free events for all ages in South Kensington and online from museums, research and culture organisations based in and around Exhibition Road.

Find out more about the Festival and see the full programme on the Festival website at www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk.