University of Cambridge
The Role of Best Practice in Industrial Decarbonisation Strategies
Abstract
dc:description.abstractBalancing economic growth and industrialisation with sustainability is a major challenge that is becoming increasingly pressing. Despite efforts to reduce the environmental impact of industrial practices, current methods often fail to fully account for all environmental costs. The industrial sector accounts for almost one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, where industrial policies are being reshaped globally to drive economic growth and promote decarbonisation. However, global industrial decarbonisation strategies are heavily reliant on hitherto unproven technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation, storage and low-carbon hydrogen, with technological advancements acting as a "silver bullet" for many governments' net-zero objectives. Management-based best practices have proven effective in delivering efficiency gains for organisations, yet they have been largely overlooked in industrial decarbonisation strategies, especially in resource and energy efficiency pathways. The research investigates the role of best practices within REEE pathways for industrial decarbonisation and examines the challenges associated with their integration into sustainable industrial policy. The study develops new empirical evidence and analytical insights to demonstrate the efficiency gains achievable through best practice adoption and to identify the systemic barriers that limit their diffusion within current policy frameworks. This research demonstrates the unrecognised role best practices play in industrial decarbonisation, highlighting best practice companies as being double as efficient in their decarbonisation progress compared to the industrial average and leading to a potential increase of 20\% in REEE gains up to 2030. This study addressed the literature gaps by shifting from firm-level analyses to an industry-wide perspective on the implementation of best practices. It highlights the overlooked role of policy in addressing systemic challenges, such as knowledge transfer, organisational learning, and contextual adaptation. The findings emphasise the need for robust frameworks, integrating incentives, regulations, and collaboration between academia, industry, and government to overcome fragmentation and drive systemic best practice efficiency gains and emissions reductions, offering pathways that reduce the risks associated with decarbonisation technologies.
Degree
thesis:*- Name dc:type.qualificationname
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
- Doctoral
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- University of Cambridge
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2024
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Ali, Mohammed
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Steve, Evans
Subjects
dc:subject × 6Rights
dc:rightsIdentifiers
dc:identifier.*- DOI dc:identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.123627
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/393207