UK manufacturers can play a leading role in reducing carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.That's the message from a new report, published by the EEF manufacturer's association in association with Deloitte, which also claims that these changes will create business opportunities.The report emphasised the leading role that UK companies could play in areas such as wind power, low carbon vehicles and energy efficient boilers.Martin Temple, the EEF chairman, said: "Moving to a low carbon economy will create significant business opportunities and UK industry is well placed to exploit them. "However, this will only happen if companies are quick to identify these opportunities and move swiftly to take advantage of them."Earlier this month, a number of the UK's largest companies signed up to the Carbon Disclosure Project's Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration, aiming to reduce the carbon emissions produced by their supply chains.