Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services Sector Study

Background and context

Midlands LEPs and Local Authorities are working to support and grow the green economy in line with their Energy Strategies and Local Industrial Strategies. In order to understand and measure progress a definitive starting point is needed to measure success against. In light of the impact Covid-19 has had on the economy this work is even more important, to understand if this has affected the low carbon economy or forcefully manoeuvres it into a position for rapid expansion, should the right mechanisms of support / policy levers be applied.

Fully funded by The Midlands Energy Hub (MEH), this study presents a powerful evidence base, containing substantiated recommendations to present to local, regional and national public sector organisations, government and other stakeholders.

Project Overview

The Midlands Energy Hub (MEH), with support from its accountable body Nottingham City Council (NCC), commissioned KMatrix Data Services and Sustainability West Midlands to develop an evidence-based study of the Low Carbon Environmental Goods & Services Sector.

The analysis, carried between November 2020 and March 2021, delivers on the BEIS’s ambition to drive the net zero agenda through regional collaboration and intends to:

• Provide a comprehensive snapshot of the current state of the LCEGS sector to measure progress against.
• Demonstrates the size, scale and value of the LCEGS sector in each of the LEP areas, down to Local Authority Level .
• Help understand the sector’s role in driving a green recovery from Covid-19.
• Define the Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services sector to enable consistency across the Midlands.
• Inform economic recovery plans and the development of local interventions and policies that support sector growth and scalability of the low carbon economy.

• Provide reliable data that can be utilised for funding bids, business cases and to attract investment at Local Authority, LEP and Regional levels.

Output

This project output is a series of reports which define and quantify the LCEGS sector for the MEH as a region and from the perspective of the nine LEPs which comprise the MEH.

The study looked at both quantitative and qualitative information:

• The quantitative data analysis was carried out by KMatrix Data Services using a Unique triangulation methodology, based on transactional data from a combination of sources, and ‘bottom up’ approach to classification.
• The qualitative analysis was delivered by Sustainability West Midlands through Stakeholder engagement events, a comprehensive Literature Review and a Recommendation report. Presentations and findings from the workstreams and engagement workshop are available here.

The full list of reports produced through this project include:

• Midlands Region Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Coventry and Warwick Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Leicester and Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Marches Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Stoke and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Market Snapshot
• Midlands Energy Hub Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Covid Impact Report
• Midlands Energy Growth Forecast, Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Growth Forecast for Net Zero 2030 and 2050
• Stakeholder report
• Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Recommendations Report
• A literature review relevant to the LCEGS Sector in each LEP across the Midlands is also available on request.