Empowering change: Sophia’s Haywood, year as the Head of Advocacy and Communications at Dimeta

Our Head of Advocacy and Communications discusses her one-year anniversary at Dimeta in this heart-to-heart conversation. Sophia reflects on her journey and shares valuable insights, personal experiences and learnings. 

Tell us about yourself and your role at Dimeta   

I’ve joined Dimeta just over a year ago, shortly after its establishment in February 2022. As the Head of Advocacy and Communications, I lead the strategy and implementation of public affairs campaigns, stakeholder engagement and external communications, to promote, position and secure support for Renewable & Recycled Carbon DME. 

This includes engaging with politicians and policymakers from national to international levels, including the UK and EU, as well as working closely with the LPG industry’s associations to influence policy and perception when it comes to DME. 

Simultaneously, my team and I deliver impactful communications to raise awareness about the benefits of Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME and how it contributes to meeting the global climate targets, as well as Dimeta’s latest developments and thought leadership. 

Before joining Dimeta, I was the Director of Public Affairs for the UK LPG Association, Liquid Gas UK, driving the industry’s transition to renewables through effective campaigns and strategies, which as a result, has been recognised as part of the solution by the UK Government. 

I worked closely with the LPG Industry for a number of years and, therefore, have a deep understanding of the challenges the sector faces and the opportunities that lie ahead. This is why it’s inspiring for me to be part of Dimeta, which provides solutions to the kind of challenges I tackled during my tenure in the association on behalf of the UK industry.  

Can you talk to us a little bit about your activities from your first year? 

Looking back, I am proud to see how far we’ve come. When I joined Dimeta back in August 2022, it was a newly established organisation, and I had to establish infrastructure and start many processes from scratch. It was from here I began to build, develop and execute our advocacy and communications strategies, something that constantly evolves with the changing policy and industry landscape. 

An important part of the immediate strategy was creating an empowered and impactful advocacy & communications team, internally with our fantastic new Communications Officer, Anna Pantazi and a soon-to-be joining us Public Affairs Officer, as well as externally with our extended team of agencies.  

Following on from the development of the strategies, the focus was then and still is implementation. There has been some great work to date, but not enough people know about DME – in the political space, among energy peers and even within the LPG Industry. Therefore, a key activity is growing awareness through media, supporting associations and engaging with key stakeholders. This is not a short-term project; this is something that takes a lot of time and effort. 

In addition to awareness, across the UK and Europe, as well as in the US, we see an increasing amount of public policy change and development. ‘One size fits all’ electrification thinking is rampant across many government institutions; it’s vital, however, for a just transition to Net Zero and to deliver affordable, sustainable and practical solutions for off-grid energy users that we take a mixed technology approach.  

What policy changes are you trying to achieve? 

To ensure a just transition to Net Zero for off-grid energy users, whether homes, businesses or industries, it’s vital that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ electrification approach and instead that a mix of sustainable technologies are supported. In addition, as the LPG Industry invests in its transition towards a greener future and grows the amount of renewable liquid gases in the market, it’s vital that policymakers at local, national and supra-national levels put in mechanisms to support the sector. 

To put this into a European context, this can manifest as the amendment for the inclusion of renewable ready boilers as part of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive – a critical enabler for all types of renewable gaseous solutions to be used in homes in Europe, or calling for advanced biofuels to be recognised as a strategic technology in the Net Zero Industry Act. 

A national example of the successes we’re looking to achieve is in the UK,  where the UK Government has recognised the role of renewable liquid gases in the UK Biomass Strategy and now is even considering policy frameworks to facilitate its rollout. This has been a long-term effort, through both my role at Liquid Gas UK and now at Dimeta – building policymakers’ confidence in the industry’s renewable solutions and capacity to deliver it. To have played a key role in making this happen is something I’m hugely proud of, and we now want to work towards this recognition in other key markets. 

Why are you supportive of Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME, and how can it contribute to the overall energy transition?  

I firmly believe in the potential of Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME, as a clean-burning, sustainable fuel that can accelerate the LPG industry’s transition to net zero. This is especially critical given the inadequacy of the often seen ’one size fits all’ approach from policymakers across the world, which fails to address the needs of rural off-grid areas. To tackle the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net zero, we need a “more of everything” approach.  

It is a low-carbon, clean-burning liquid gas that can be produced from a wide range of renewable feedstocks, such as waste or biomass. The sustainable fuel can cut emissions by up to 85% for rural communities, reaching over 100% savings if carbon capture is used. 

DME can then be blended up to 20% with LPG, with no need to modify equipment or appliances, enabling LPG users to seamlessly reduce their carbon footprint without the need to significantly invest. It can also be used on its own, with changes to infrastructure, ideal for industrial players looking to move away from oil. 

Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME is a simple but yet powerful solution that can shape the future of the energy sector and contribute to meeting global climate targets.  

I firmly believe in the potential of Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME, as a clean-burning, sustainable fuel that can accelerate the LPG industry’s transition to net zero. This is especially critical given the inadequacy of the often seen ’one size fits all’ approach from policy makers across the world, that fails to address the needs of rural off-grid areas. To tackle the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net zero we need a “more of everything” approach.

Sophia Haywood, Head of Advocacy & Communications

Tell us one thing that you did in the first year that you’re really proud of and one thing that you’re looking forward to. 

I am proud to share that I joined the Board of the Advanced Biofuels Coalition this year. This vital organization drives Europe’s energy transition through all types of advanced biofuel production and showcases the potential for it to grow. It is fantastic for Dimeta to be part of the coalition and see Renewable and Recycled Carbon DME being part of the discussions with EU policymakers. 

As for what I’m looking forward to, I can’t wait to see the first DME appliances and equipment on the market! It was fantastic to see Rinnai’s advanced developments with DME at the UK Installer Show back in June; I look forward to seeing what they and other manufacturers bring to the table in the future. This will bring the transition to DME to life and really showcase the impact it can have on rural homes, businesses and communities.