UK Government launches £125m Environmental Innovation Fund
January 29, 2010 by administrator
New government-backed clean-tech investment fund to target start-ups committed to improving resource efficiency.
The government has recently formally launched the UK Innovation Investment Fund (UKIF), with the first of a new £125m fund for investing in cutting-edge environmental technologies.
The UKIF was announced last June and was followed by the appointment of Hermes Private Equity and the European Investment Fund as managers for the two funds, one focussing on low carbon technologies and the other addressing life sciences, low carbon, digital technology and advanced manufacturing.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills announced that it has closed the first round of funding for the Houses Environmental Innovation Fund, raising £125m, including £50m of government funding and £75m from private sector investors.
The new fund will now begin investing in small growing businesses, start-ups and spinouts, including pre-profit and pre-revenue stages of development that are primarily focussed on improving resource efficiency.
Hermes Private Equity Chief Executive Susan Flynn said the company had already identified a number of investment opportunities and expected to begin developing capital soon.
“At this stage in the economic cycle, there are many forward-looking companies that may not have funding available to them” she added.
“The Hermes Private Equity Environmental Innovation Fund (HPEEIF) will ensure that those seeking finance for promising new environmental ventures will have access to a source of funding.”
Science and innovation Minister Lord Drayson said that the new fund would provide a boost to clean tech entrepreneurs over the next few years.
“Investment has flowed into the UKIIF at extraordinary speed, “he said. “It’s already one of the largest European funds for investing in high-tech firms. But what’s important is rapidly channelling that capital into Britain’s burgeoning green tech sector. After a tough spell, things are looking up for our entrepreneurs and innovators.”
From: BusinessGreen.com
Recession leaves legacy of resource efficiency as East of England businesses undergo major ‘thrift shift’
January 22, 2010 by administrator
The recession could leave a legacy of improved resource efficiency in the East of England as businesses adopt an increasingly ‘thrifty’ mindset - that’s according to a new report published by sustainability experts Envirowise.
The Envirowise Business Thrift Shift Report, which encompasses responses from more than 500 UK companies, reveals that 83% of respondents in the East of England have developed a more detailed knowledge of their spending and resource use as a result of the recession. This includes everything from investment in raw materials, transport and energy, staffing, equipment and professional services.
Reduction of spend on raw materials and consumables was the biggest area of cut back for the region’s companies (63%), with a large number also minimising their water, energy and transport use. And this ‘thrift shift’ is set to continue, with 87% of respondents expecting to be more careful about how they use their resources once recovery comes.
Simon Best, Envirowise Regional Manager for East of England, said: “Businesses in the East of England have been facing some serious challenges as a result of the recession and this is perhaps reflected in the number of survey respondents reducing staff costs during this period (41%). However, it is also clear that for many companies this period of economic difficulty has stimulated a more resource-conscious mindset, galvanising environmental commitments that had perhaps been lower down the business agenda.
“Such an approach does not only lead to financial savings; it can also equip businesses to face increasing levels of environmental legislation and provides an important competitive advantage as customers become more environmentally conscious. These companies are not only more likely to survive the recession in the short-term, but are also better placed to thrive when the economy begins to recover.”
Nationally, almost three-quarters of the 500 businesses surveyed (73%) had developed a more detailed knowledge of their spending and resource use as a result of the recession. The Envirowise Business Thrift Shift Report is available at ww.envirowise.gov.uk/thriftshift2009.
Businesses can access free guidance and practical advice on resource efficiency by visiting www.envirowise.gov.uk or calling the Envirowise advice line on 0800 585794.
About the Envirowise Business Thrift Shift Report:
This report presents the findings of Envirowise research aimed at understanding the extent to which business attitudes to resource efficiency have altered as a result of the economic climate, as well as identifying areas where lasting - and more welcome - changes have been made.
Led by continental Research, the business omnibus survey was conducted during September 2009. Participants included Managing Directors and Finance Directors from companies across England, Scotland and Wales, with more than 300 small businesses (with a turnover of £50k to £1 million) and 200 medium to large businesses (with a turnover of more than £1 million) being surveyed. The research also encompassed a wide variety of sectors and industries including wholesale, hotel and catering, business services, retail, manufacturing, construction, transport, agriculture and mining.
In addition, Envirowise has spoken to a wide range of businesses and industry commentators to seek individual opinions on the Envirowise Business Thrift Shift - many of which have been included in the report, which is available to download at www.envirowise.gov.uk/thriftshift.
Envirowise launches online waste-reduction course
October 15, 2009 by administrator
Reducing the waste your business produces could save you as much as £1,000 per employee
Envirowise is targeting packaging manufacturers with a new waste reduction initiative that it says could help save companies £1,000 per employee.
‘Rethink Waste’ is an online course that looks at benchmarking data and developing and implementing a waste-saving strategy that Envirowise hopes will help companies discover the true cost of waste to their business.
Envirowise production specialist Michael Savage said raising landfill costs were an economic imperative to minimise waste at every opportunity.
“While many UK manufacturers have enthusiastically adopted recycling measures, there are many opportunities to reduce and re-use materials - actions that could substantially benefit the bottom line,” he said.
The course has been developed in conjunction with manufacturers’ organisation EEF. Head of environment Gareth Stace welcomed support for manufacturers to “get the best from their resources.” “Free initiatives such as ‘Rethink Waste’ offer practical and accessible route to resource efficiency,” he said.
The courses will run in early 2010 and participants will have access to a virtual factory tour, audiocasts and a resource efficiency conference.
Click here to register online before 31st December.
Resource Efficiency Workshop - Protecting Your Bottom Line
October 14, 2009 by administrator
Comments Off
| October 23, 2009 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
Area: East of England
Reference: 164
Event Type: Workshop
Start Date: 23 October 2009 09:00
End Date: 23 October 2009 12:00
Help and advice that could save you money
Venue: Prested Hall Feering
Nearest Town: Colchester
Venue Location: CO5 9EE (Links to Google Maps)
The way in which businesses buy, manage, use and dispose of resources is a mainstream business issue with immediate environmental and financial implications. Reducing core costs by increased management of waste, water and energy boots competitiveness and is worth doing right. Through simple, no cost or low cost initiatives, businesses can typically achieve impressive savings.
Who should attend?
Anyone who pays the bills, new or existing business owners, managers, facilities staff and anyone responsible for the efficient running of businesses of all sizes.
What will it cover?
- Free, independent and practical help and advice, examples and case studies on how to optimise resources to minimise wastage and save your business money
- Combating climate change by reducing your carbon footprint
- Understanding your energy and water consumption
- Get to grips with current and impending environmental legislation
- Establishing and maintaining employee behaviour and procedures
- Where to get free tools, information, advice and assistance
To book a free place, please ring 0845 601 1000 or book online at
https://www.rbsiseast.org.uk/EventMatching2/Search/Details.aspx?e=19402
An hour a week could help save the planet
October 14, 2009 by administrator
An hour a week could help save the planet
Even a small amount of time devoted to environmental issues can mean big pay back, says research from Envirowise
One hour a week - it doesn’t sound like much, but that’s all the time companies in the East of England need to start reducing their impact on the Environment.
The suggestion comes as business owners across the region reveal they are struggling to fund the time to consider the effect their company is having on the environment.
A third of those East of England SMEs surveyed by Sustainable Business Experts Envirowise claim they can only devote an hour a week or less to taking action on environmental issues, with a further fifth saying they have no time at all to spare.
Yet even a small amount of time is enough for a company to put in place quick and easy-to-implement measures that can help the environment and most, importantly from a commercial perspective save some money.
The Envirowise Regional Manager for the East of England makes some suggestions: “There are all kinds of simple improvements that can be made with sixty minutes to invest. For instance, why not quickly check the water pipes at work for leaks and make a phone call for them repaired? Office could start a scrap paper pile which staff could use when they need rough paper for note taking, set printers to print double-sided, or add a ‘think before you print’ reminder to email sign-offs to discourage needless printing.
Those companies that feel they can devote more time to resource efficiency measures can set themselves bigger targets. For instance, with a day a week businesses could look into setting up a more structured environmental management system, which would allow them to demonstrate their sustainable credentials to customers and competitors.
The Regional Manager adds “No matter what the time available, the most important thing for any company to ensure is that hey have a dedicated member of staff who looks after environmental issues, and our research showed that over two thirds of businesses in the East of England do not have one. This could be a senior business manager, but it could very well be a more junior member of staff who has the time allocated to encourage his or her colleagues to help make the changes work.”
Further suggestions for what local companies could do in the time they have available include:
One hour a week available:
- Nominate a champion who takes up the environmental challenge and encourages staff to members to make suggestions on what improvements can be made
- Contact your suppliers and ask them to look at reducing their transport packaging so you have to less to dispose of
One day a month available:
- If you are office-based, order a copy of the Envirowise ‘Green Officiency’ toolkit and start to work through its four stages to be more resource efficient workplace
- Contact your landlord and ask about water ‘hippos’ - placing these in each toilet system saves water with each flush.
One day a week available:
- Begin a review of suppliers you work with, to ensure they have their own robust environmental policies
- Consider whether you are eligible to work towards a formal environmental standard such as the IEMA Acorn Scheme or IS0 14001
Envirowise offers a package of free advice to companies across the region, to help them understand resource efficiency and take appropriate action, which can have both environmental and economic benefits. For information on all levels of help please visit www.envirowise.gov.uk or call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794.
East of England Hospitality Sector fails to check-in for cost savings
October 13, 2009 by administrator
Hopsitality businesses in the East of England could be missing the opportunity to improve their environmental performance because they wrongly assume it is a costly process.
Research by the Institute of Hospitality and sustainability experts Envirowise found that more than half of managers surveyed in the hospitality sector felt ‘going green’ would increase their costs. And around 40% said that the current economic climate has added an additional barrier to change.
However Envirowise experience has shown that hospitality businesses could save around £250 per employee per year by taking action to reduce waste - not to mention improving their green credentials for eco-conscious tourists.
Envirowise Regional Manager Simon Best, says “An estimated four out of five British tourists stayed in the UK on August Bank Holiday Weekend, despite the changeable weather. It’s crucial to ensure this hard-earned revenue is not going down the drain through unnecessary waste.
“The average UK restaurant disposes of more than 100 tonnes of waste each year, including paper, cardboard, plastic and food waste,” continues Simon. Yet simple steps could help the hospitality sector reduce waste and save money.
Institute of Hospitality, Chief Executive Philippe Rossiter adds, “While some managers do regard the introduction of more sustainable operating methods as adding costs to their business, there are also encouraging signs from the survey that the industry does increasingly recognise the importance of reducing its environmental impact.
“Of particular note are the welcome steps towards higher levels of recycling now seen throughout the sector. Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency, and much more can be done by the hospitality sector to reduce waste in all areas.”
A series of fact sheets are available from Envirowise covering a range of business areas including Food Preparation, Drinks Service, Guest Room Facilities and Ground Maintenance. They offer advice on everything from energy use to water efficiency, including the benefits of using flow restrictors on taps or water displacement devices in toilet cisterns. For premises using cooking or refrigeration equipment, careful monitoring of heating and cooling processes is also essential to ensure energy - and money - is not being lost unnecessarily.
For more information visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/hcfactsheets or call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794.
1. The survey was conducted by the Institute of Hospitality in partnership with Envirowise. More than 450 responses were reviewed fro IOH members working in the hospitality industries across the UK
Wireless energy management system makes it easy to spot spikes in usage
October 12, 2009 by administrator
Wireless telemetry specialist Radio-Tech has developed an energy management system to enable organisations to monitor and ultimately reduce their energy consumption.The company’s wireless data capture technology allows for 24/7 monitoring of remote assets and consumption of water, electricity and gas; regular reports on consumption allow usage to be cut, reducing both bills and environmental impact.
The Carbon Trust, the independent body set up by the government to combat the threat of climate change, highlights the importance of automatic meter reading in its document How to monitor your energy use: “Automatic meter reading systems provide accurate and timely data with the minimum of effort. These systems make it easy to take readings in real time and therefore identify savings opportunities quickly. They often pay for themselves in under a year.”
Radio-Tech provides a range of radio telemetry products ideal for sub-metering applications (where organisations wish to measure energy consumption within particular areas of their sites). Low-power radio transmitters and data concentrators allow simple collection of metering data. Whether data is being collected from individual occupiers of commercial sites or different areas of a business, consumption and usage can be monitored remotely, accurately and securely.
Radio-Tech’s market-leading technology not only includes meter reading but also network sensors that relay operationally beneficial data, such as humidity and temperature, to the central database. Core to the wide area product portfolio are the retrofittable pulse transmitters that have a range of 2km, or 12km if used with a repeater.
They can be used in the UK on Radio-Tech’s exclusively licensed 153.100MHz band, or an alternative product range is available for use in Europe on the 169MHz ERMES band. A range of receivers is also available to interface transmitters with existing building management systems.
The hardware will output to Radio-Tech’s own or third-party software, and benefits from a 10-year battery life.
For further information please email Radio-Tech Ltd
From:http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=16900&channel=0
EEDA Draft Business Support Strategy 2009-13
October 9, 2009 by administrator
EEDA - Supporting your business
Businesses are the lifeblood of our economy in the East of England and we must ensure that the business support we provide is meeting the needs of our businesses.
Since the launch of Better for Business, the regional business support strategy, in 2005 we have made significant improvements to our business support offer. We have made it easier for businesses to access the support they need by simplifying our business support services through the implementation of Solutions for Business and by taking on the Train to Gain skills brokerage from the Learning and Skills Council and merging it into our new single regional Business Link service. We have launched our Integrated Specialist Business Support Service, integrating the Manufacturing Advisory Service, Designing Demand and Innovation, Advice and Guidance into one coherent offer to manufacturing businesses. This particular service has been boosted by successfully tapping into European funding to increase the amount of support we can provide. We have also created a virtual women’s business centre, one of four national pilots, to provide women with the specialist business support they need at every stage of their businesses journey.
However, we must not become complacent. The changes in the economy brought about by the downturn; the requirement to merge Train to Gain and Business Link into one integrated service; along with new direction in Government thinking and a new Regional Economic Strategy, means that the time is now right to take a detailed look at the support EEDA provides. The strategy specifically focuses on EEDA funded business support and whilst there is no new funding to deliver increased services and the public sector budgets are under increased pressures, this will not stop us from taking an innovative look at the business support we provide to ensure it is efficient and effective and above all else meets the needs of our region’s businesses.
The Draft Business Support Strategy can be downloaded from the EEDA website and is currently open to consultation.
If you have any comments on the strategy, please send them to Shan Lloyd at ShanLloyd@eeda.org.uk by Friday 23 October 2009.
