Foundry Trade Journal International

‘Net Zero’ roadmap urges government to act now to unlock a £10 billion boost for the UK foundry sector - The leading voice for the foundry industry has released a five-point blueprint that will help the castings sector deliver a £10 billion boost to the economy.

Source: Cast Metals Federation, Foundry Trade Journal

Published by the Cast Metals Federation (CMF), the Net Zero roadmap is urging the UK government to create a stable policy environment that focuses on reforming energy markets and providing clean energy, offering incentives for capital investment in zero carbon furnaces and production equipment and ensuring UK trade policies support customer demand for low carbon products from global markets. The ‘asks’ also call for Whitehall to encourage and enable the release of land for modern, zero carbon foundries and associated zero carbon energy generation facilities.

Adam Vicary, CEO of Castings plc and chairman of the CMF Net Zero Advisory Panel, said:

“This blueprint sets out how UK casting manufacturers can lead globally, growing the industry, decarbonizing our components, providing strategic resilience to UK supply chains, creating jobs and wealth and making the components required for a modern economy. Our industry can be part of the solution for the UK, making use of recycled metal to produce locally sourced components and leading the way in the supply of low carbon, cast metal components and finished products, including those needed for greener technologies. Reversing the leakage of economic strength for the casting and foundry industry is no easy task, but it is the ambition we have set out in this roadmap.

“To return £10billion of GVA to the UK and support our national transition to a Net Zero future, a partnership with government is what our industry wants, aligning foundry sector investment with national industrial decarbonization strategy. At the moment, current policies threaten to do the opposite, destroying the UK’s remaining foundry capacity before the transition to Net Zero really begins.”

CMF works to foster development, collaboration and innovation in the UK foundry and casting sector, representing the interests of industry to government. Its 100-strong foundry membership produces 85 per cent of all domestic castings, contributing over £2bn to the UK economy and underpinning strategic national supply chains, such as aerospace, automotive, defense, marine, medical, and power generation.

Source: Cast Metals Federation, Foundry Trade Journal