Sustainability in practice: make money out of manufacturing waste

In this webinar for the Manufacturing Community, we are delighted to be joined by Gary Punter, ex CTO of AB Sugar and now Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Manufacturing. Gary will share with you his involvement in AB Sugar’s circular economy approach which created an industry leading no-waste biorefinery.

Tune in to learn about the practical transformation that took place at AB Sugar. Find out how the company identified potential revenue streams in waste and successfully commercialised downstream products. Hear how they squeeze every last penny out of the sugar making process to make products including animal feed and top-soil. How they extract energy from beet pulp to power thousands of homes. How they harness excess CO2 for horticulture to grow tomatoes and set up the largest medicinal cannabis factory in the world.

Gary will inspire you to:

• Think about the economic benefits of sustainability
• Recognise that waste is an opportunity
• Grasp the value proposition of adopting a circular economy
• Work more closely with the technologists to understand potential
• Open your mind to new ideas and concepts.

Key benefits

• Hear how making waste pay transformed a business.
• Understand the challenges and opportunities that sustainable production can bring.
• Pose your own questions to our expert speaker

About the speakers

Gary Punter, IFM

Prior to joining Cambridge as a Visiting Fellow, Gary had 34 years of technology leadership in agri-manufacturing, predominantly with AB Sugar (an Associated British Foods FTSE 100 company). AB Sugar are the world’s second-largest sugar company with factories in Europe, China & Africa. Reporting directly to the main Board, he has worked globally in 31 factories to introduce technology innovation; to benchmark factory performance; and to lead a Community of Practice in sharing best practice across 1000 professionals in 11 countries. Gary has particular expertise in developing diversified ‘no waste’ bio refineries producing food, feed, alcohol, bioenergy & biochemicals from agricultural crops. Gary is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and is President of the European Society for Sugar Technologists. In his role as Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge, Gary promotes research at the Centre for Industrial Sustainability and has strong interests in developing new Circular Economy concepts ( ‘No Waste’ factories ) and local bio-manufacturing techniques relevant for developing countries (particularly Africa).