Thirteen new industrial clusters, from Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Thailand and the UK have joined the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Transitioning Industrial Clusters initiative.

The initiative aims to improve collaboration and develop a shared vision among co-located companies and public institutions, with the goals of driving economic growth and employment, and reducing CO₂ emissions.

The initiative convenes the world’s leading public and private industrial stakeholders at various stages of ambition and development to align on components required to competitively apply for funding, gain regulatory support and launch full-scale development activities to transition industrial clusters.

The initiative’s 33 clusters from 16 countries represent combined potential greenhouse-gas emissions reductions of 832-million tonnes. They also make a direct $492-billion contribution to GDP and support 4.3-million jobs.

The WEF says industrial clusters play a critical role in accelerating the deployment of clean-energy infrastructure at scale worldwide..

“Both actions at individual industrial clusters level and collaboration across regions can enable consistent new infrastructure deployment that will further enable emissions reduction and economic growth,” says WEF Centre for Energy and Materials head Roberto Bocca.

He says that connecting industrial clusters across geographies and industries will accelerate the energy transition and foster a more resilient and sustainable global economy.

The addition of five new clusters from India, the fastest-growing major economy, one from Thailand’s Saraburi province, the country’s concrete production epicentre, and one from Australia highlight the initiative’s commitment to driving progress in the Asia-Pacific region.

The initiative is also strengthening its network of port-anchored clusters by adding Rotterdam, Gothenburg, and the Solent Cluster from Germany, Sweden and the UK, respectively; the Ports of Açu in Brazil and the Cartagena Industrial Cluster, in Colombia, which are the first community members in South America; and the port-based Jubail Industrial City, in Saudi Arabia, which is the first member in the Middle East.

“Leading industrial clusters treat decarbonisation as a destination that must be reached collectively – one that has the potential to drive business growth and industry reinvention,” says Accenture global sustainability services lead Stephanie Jamison.  

She adds that these industrial leaders are adopting digital technology to accelerate the deployment and optimisation of net-zero infrastructure. “They are harnessing the power of data and AI to provide intelligence for enterprise and ecosystem decision-making, predict emissions progress, and even facilitate new business models that would not have been possible previously.”

The WEF’s report, ‘Unleashing the Full Potential of Industrial Clusters: Infrastructure Solutions for Clean Energies’, outlines solutions for clusters in the wider energy value chain to accelerate clean energy production, distribution and consumption.

Strategic industrial ecosystems built around port facilities are highlighted as key nodes connecting international markets and regional industries.