Innovation in manufacturing to curb climate change

Over the last few days, I discussed how manufacturing, due to its high levels of Co2 emission, is a threat to climate change and how the need for innovative approaches to material production is increasingly necessary. If you haven’t had the chance to listen this week’s Handful series, I’ve included a little bit about each episode below!

Episode 6 – Meet Layla

During my first episode as host, I introduced myself and shared my hopes for this podcast.

Episode 7 – The Tallest Building in the World

• Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in existence, coming in second only to water as the most-consumed resource on the planet.
• Making cement and steel requires lots of energy from fossil fuels, and the involved processes release carbon as a byproduct, making manufacturing materials like concrete one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Bill and Melinda Gates predict that the world will build an entire new New York City every month for the next 40 years meaning the world’s total number of buildings will double by 2060.
• If rates of development are expected to rise as much as Bill and Melinda Gates predict, the hope is that with government pressure and funding, low-carbon cements can reach commercialization and production. 

Episode 8 – Seaweed

• Plastic is one of the most harmful materials to both people and the environment because of the way it is produced and distributed.
• 6.3 billion of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced has become plastic waste, only 9% of plastic has been recycled, and 80% of the world’s plastic lives in landfills and oceans. 

Episode 9 – Sway

• I interviewed my friend Emily, who works for Sway, a company disrupting the production of plastic waste by maximizing the seaweed supply chain.
• Sway: https://hellosway.co/

Episode 10 – Manufacturing Matters

• Increasing our consciousness around material consumption and manufacturing is one of the many steps in addressing the contributing parts of climate change.
• Commercializing low-carbon emission cement production is necessary in lowering the impact of manufacturing on greenhouse gas levels.
• Replacing plastic packaging with seaweed is an innovative solution that can change the trend of waste.