On the 24th March, the fourth event of the Sustainable Futures Seminar Series took place online and featured our guest speakers- Professor Allan Matthews, Professor of Surface Engineering and Tribology, Faculty of Science and Engineering at The University of Manchester and Dr David Jones, Medical Examiner and retired Consultant Surgeon at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The event was attended by more than 50 people, both external and internal to The University of Manchester. The attendees expressed a big enthusiasm towards our guest speakers and their topics.
The event was chaired by our Inclusive and Prosperous Futures challenge lead- Dr Helen Holmes, Sociology, Faculty of Humanities. She opened the event; welcomed our attendees and introduced our guest speakers.
Professor Allan Matthews was the first guest speaker to present. He presented “Towards Sustainability and Net Zero with Digitalised Surface Manufacturing: The role of the EPSRC DSM NetworkPlus”. The DSM NetworkPlus is a £1million investment by the EPSRC to bring together the diverse expertise and capabilities in UK academia to enhance digitalisation in the surface manufacturing sector. It aims to capture and understand the current UK coating research and manufacturing framework and pump-prime digitalisation activity to move the sector forward towards Industry 4.0. In this talk, Allan discussed the role of the EPSRC Digitalised Surface Manufacturing NetworkPlus in working towards Sustainability and Net Zero with Digitalised Surface Manufacturing. Allan ended his segment by answering some questions from the live audience.
Dr David Jones was the following and final guest speaker for the event. He explored “Greener operations: Sustainable Perioperative Care” and explained that peri-operative practice relates to care during and around the time of an operation. It covers care during the operation itself, as well as care before and after a surgical procedure – including consultations before an operation, and hospital care after an operation.
Then, David investigated deeper into the topic by looking at how operations are among the most resource-intensive healthcare interventions; each operating theatre creates around two tonnes of waste per year, and a single operation can generate a ‘carbon footprint’ equivalent to driving more than 2,000 miles. The NHS, which is responsible for four per cent of the UK’s national carbon footprint, has committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040, with an interim 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2032.
To achieve this target, David argued that peri-operative practise needs to become more environmentally sustainable, or ‘green’, in the future.
As a result, ‘Greener Operations PSP’ was formed. The aim of ‘Greener Operations PSP’ is to form a collaboration with patients, carers, healthcare professionals and the broader public to find out what are the most important areas to research to make operations more environmentally sustainable. You can voice your opinion and play a part in this organisation by taking the interim survey here and telling us what matters the most to you.
Dr Helen Holmes thanked all the attendees and guest speakers and closed the event.
Watch the recording here:
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