Sustainability focused: Clean Futures
By - Graham Giles, Research Design & Development Manager
As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, Unipart has been involved in a government-backed Clean Futures project with Coventry University, to develop a digital model, to help businesses make informed decisions about where to focus investments for improved sustainability.
The result of this collaboration is a user-friendly digital tool, that guides users through the process of making sustainability-focused decisions. It asks the right questions, including business KPIs, to help structure the decision-making process and incorporates clever algorithms, leading users to informed business decisions for existing production lines.
The tool was developed in collaboration with Coventry University, who brought their expertise in digital manufacturing and sustainability to the project. We also worked with our supplier WMU, a company that specialises in furnace modifications, to implement a practical solution in our Coventry site to verify the solution presented by the Net-zero Manufacturing Digital Assistant tool.
The Clean Futures project has been a great success, demonstrating the potential for significant sustainability improvements and cost savings. In a small-scale project that lasted six months and cost £40,000, with a potential cost saving of £100,000 and reduction in carbon of more than 60 tonnes per year.
Collaborating with Unipart has enabled us to apply our latest academic research in AI and Sustainable Manufacturing to address real-world manufacturing challenges, delivering a practical tool for carbon reduction. The Net-Zero Manufacturing Digital Assistant provides manufacturers with the insights needed to make informed sustainability decisions, driving measurable improvements in energy efficiency and emissions reduction.
While the Net-Zero Manufacturing Digital Assistant helps manufacturers make structured sustainability decisions, it complements existing solutions such as Eco Insight, Unipart’s energy monitoring tool. By using both, businesses can gain deeper visibility into energy consumption, validate sustainability initiatives, and drive more effective carbon reduction strategies.
The success of this project highlights the importance of collaboration and the value of engaging with experts in sustainability. We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Coventry University WMU, and our partners in the Clean Futures project. We are keen to build on the success of the Clean Futures project and are exploring further opportunities for the tool, including the feasibility of combining with Eco Insight.
To find out more about the Clean Futures programme, please visit: https://bcimo.co.uk/programmes/clean-futures/
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March 14, 2025, 9:09 a.m. - Gavin McCarthy ¶