How Boat Builders Can Cut Emissions at the Design Stage

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In this week’s episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain Podcast, I sat down with Ollie Taylor, Founder & Director of Marine Futures, to talk about one of the toughest nuts to crack in sustainability, decarbonising the marine industry. Boats, big or small, don’t often top climate discussions, yet their materials, manufacturing, and fuel use carry a hefty footprint.

Ollie explains how Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) can reveal the true environmental cost of marine products, from resin to recycling, and why so many “green” designs turn out to be anything but. We unpack how his platform, Marine Shift 360, is helping designers and builders make data-led choices early in the design phase, where up to 80% of a product’s total impact is decided.

We also dive into the data problem: how poor visibility, outdated datasets, and supplier secrecy distort sustainability claims. Ollie argues that transparency, education, and automation are key to bringing LCA into the mainstream, making it as essential as CAD or CFD in engineering.

Other highlights include the promise of circular design to stabilise volatile supply chains, the limits of regulation versus commercial pressure, and why profitability and sustainability must align for real progress.

If you care about data-driven design, circularity, and cutting emissions at the source, this episode is worth your time.

🎧 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform or at sustainablesupplychainpodcast.com

Keywords: marine decarbonisation, lifecycle assessment, circular design, sustainable manufacturing, Marine Shift 360, supply chain sustainability, low-carbon boats, sustainability data, LCA tools

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