Centre for Digital Built Britain

NOVEMBER 2023 This site is the information site for the UK digital twin program. This projects background information as to the value proposition of a digital twin, information work flows, lessons learned and challenges and key examples and benefits. There is also a number of learning / training modules on this site. This open platform site is a key resource for anyone world wide that has an interest in delivering efficient projects. Sustainability is at the heart of this work.

Carbon Accounting in Infrastructure Development

NOVEMBER 2023 This document analyses thousands of projects based on utilising carbon as a means of baselining projects through the delivery phase. This works unequivocally shows that cutting carbon cuts cost across all construction sectors.

Sustainability by Design of Pharmaceutical products – IChemE webinar review by Neil Blundell

JULY 2023 Ester Lovsin Barle, Global Head, Product Sustainability and Stewardship, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, defines ‘Sustainability by Design’. She discusses the process and challenges associated with implementing sustainability into the medicinal product life cycle, from drug development to commercial.

Science Direct – Identifying industry 5.0 contributions to sustainable development: A strategy roadmap for delivering sustainability values

JULY 2023 Whilst designing our new processes for manufacturing we should be considering industry 5.0 - the term coined to represent the need to consider sustainability as well as profit in the digital era.

Food Engineering Magazine – Using blockchain to enable better tracing of supply chain ingredients

JULY 2023 Blockchain is becoming frequently used in our digital worlds - is this how chemical engineers can harness this new technology to secure supply chain traceability?

ReThinkX – Re-Thinking Humanity for Climate Crisis

JULY 2023 Describes disruptive technology change in information, energy, food, transport and materials markets. Huge impacts for planet citizens but needs forward thinking policy to avoid delay and prevent 'shoring-up' of existing global industry mega-firms.

ChemEng Evolution – celebrating the evolution of chemical engineering

DECEMBER 2022 An excellent discussion on our value as chemical engineers, and wonderful to hear Jane Cutler highlight the complementary role of the IChemE Sustainability Hub - in supporting chemical engineer CPD.

Safer processes for a sustainable world

JUNE 2022 Watch the recording of the ChemEng Evolution webinar with expert panellists Dr Thomas Lakey, Dame Judith Hackitt, David Edwards, Trish Kerin and Ian Shott. The group considers the transition from linear to circular economies while improving safety in and around workplaces.

Digital twin and sustainability

JANUARY 2022 Advancements in digital technology have now led to the development of digital twins to provide a digital representation of the real world. The purpose of this is to enhance information sharing and reduce cost and wastage. This also has multiple benefits from a sustainability perspective in that digital twins can enable more efficient use of energy and resource by sharing information between different assets or sectors and digital tracking of environmental baselines for regeneration. The two links provide both the latest government roadmap and the vision for the built environment from the body running the development of the digital twin for the UK.

The challenge of assessing emerging technologies with life cycle assessment (LCA)

JANUARY 2022 LCA is often used to analyse futuristic scenarios involving technologies that do not exist yet. This article reviews the established LCA study and notes, that due to technologies rapidly developing and uncertainties, prospective LCA is introduced. Based on the concept of prospective LCA, it can be used to evaluate emerging technologies relevant to the future. This is very relevant and timely for the current innovation area and strategy to align the development to meet net zero commitment.

Resilience and sustainability

JANUARY 2022 With more weather extremes and also awareness of best practice, resilience links well to both good practice asset management and has particular relevance to sustainability. Chemical engineers can assist in the management of physical climate change risks and build long-term resilience in ways that deliver the widest possible social, economic, and environmental benefits. In ever greater numbers, people, businesses, and governments are suffering from disruption and financial loss resulting from climate change. This link takes you to a page hosted by Mott MacDonald that demonstrates the scope and depth of work that should be followed to explore and manage resilience and sustainability in climate change.