ADS awards £40,000 of grant funding to winners of inaugural Sustainability Challenge
- Four small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been awarded more than £40,000 in funding in the ADS Sustainability Challenge.
- The ADS Sustainability Challenge is an inaugural grant funding to support ADS SME members reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
- The UK’s aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors generate a turnover of £82 billion with a value add of £37 billion to the UK economy, with exports worth £36 billion in 2022.
Paris, France (20 June) – Four ADS members from across the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors have been successful in applying for funding through the ADS Sustainability Challenge.
Announced today on the sidelines of Paris Airshow, a total of £40,000 in funding has been awarded to four SMEs who have demonstrated significant commitment to reducing their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while addressing the requirements of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Report (SECR) framework.
The inaugural ADS Sustainability Challenge is designed to encourage the creation and implementation of ideas that will reduce carbon emissions and energy use. It was launched at the Sustainable Skies World Summit held at Farnborough International in April 2023.
The four successful projects and organisations receiving funding from the ADS Sustainability Challenge are:
- Cool Furnace, TISICS Ltd – TISICS develops materials for net zero aviation, and its policy is to deliver this through sustainable production processes. Identifying and tackling areas of waste, TISICS will deliver efficiency creating a positive, sustainability drive company working environment.
- Carbon Literacy Program, B&H Worldwide – B&H Worldwide’s project aims to embed Carbon Literacy into all levels of the organisation via a training and certification programme. This will support B&H Worldwide’s sustainability journey as it will ensure that all employees understand the impact that they, and industry, can have on improving our local communities and the environment.
- In-house body Armour Recycling, Vikela Armour – Vikela Armour’s proposal is the creation of an in-house recycling scheme which will turn its body armour into material that can be used for manufacturing. This project supports the organisation’s net zero goals by conserving materials and ensuring the circular life-cylce of the product.
- Custom Carbon Footprint Tool Development, Reaction Engines Ltd – Reaction Engines will create a custom carbon footprint tool to enable the organisations products’ impact on the environment to be assessed for the first time. Following commissioning, the toolset will be upgraded to include sustainability considerations across the value chain.
Harriet Wollerton, SCS Services Director said:
“SMEs across are essential to the agile and innovative work needed across the supply chain as we race to net zero by 2050,”
“Our inaugural Sustainability Challenge funding provides the four SMEs with a unique opportunity to reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, while sharing their learnings with the entire value chain and other ADS members.”
Congratulating the funding recipients, ADS Chief Executive, Kevin Craven, said:
“The four projects set to receive funding have applications that can impact the lives of all. As the UK rapidly accelerates its net zero transformation, funding through initiatives such as the ADS Sustainability Challenge will ensure the UK is recognised as a world leader in net zero technologies and innovations.”
Later this year the four organisations will present their progress to other ADS members.
ADS Group is the UK’s trade association representing aerospace, defence, security and space organisations, with more than 1,200 member businesses.
To find out more about the ADS Sustainability Challenge, visit: https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/membership/supply-chain-solutions/ads-sustainability-challenge-grants/
During Paris Airshow, ADS’s United Kingdom Pavilion can be found in Hall 2B FG 141 and features more than 60 UK organisations from across ADS’s membership base.