UK industry teaming up for Flue2Chem project

In the UK, industry giants in the UK are joining forces in the first-ever cross-sector collaboration aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Flue2Chem project aims to convert industrial waste gases into chemicals that can be used to manufacture superior and more sustainable consumer products.

To this end, 15 key industrial players representing a £73 billion (€82.7 billion) UK sector and including Unilever, Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) and BASF have signed a collaboration agreement for a two-year programme committed to cutting carbon dioxide emissions from the manufacturing process.

Having secured £2.68 million of funding from Innovate UK, the project will focus on replacing fossil fuel stock with ‘captured’ carbon made from waste gases from foundation industries such as the production of metals, glass, paper and chemicals.

Unilever’s Home Care business has already piloted products using captured carbon emissions such as OMO laundry detergent in China, Sunlight hand dishwash in South Africa and Coral+ laundry detergent in Germany.