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

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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.

From: http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/Press-Office/Press-Releases/East-of-England/Recession-leaves-legacy-of-resource-efficiency-as-East-of-England-businesses-undergo-major-thrift-shift.html

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EEIDB Ltd has been selected as preferred provider for both the East of England Development Agency’s (EEDA) inward investment activity and UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) regional trade development activity - a move which provides the best possible support for the East of England and value for taxpayers’ money.

EEIDB Ltd, which has an excellent track record of providing business support and brokerage under the Business Link brand, will help foreign companies to set up and flourish in the East of England (through EEDA’s £1.7 million inward investment grant) and support regional businesses looking to take advantage of huge exporting opportunities (via UKTI’s trade grant worth around £2 million) from 1 April 2010.

Richard Ellis, chair of EEDA, said:

“It’s crucial that we continue to attract inward investment to the East of England, to create jobs and support businesses choosing to move to this great region. This is a key part of EEDA’s package of support for businesses.

“That’s why EEDA went through a competitive tender process - to appoint the best possible provider to fight this region’s cause on a global stage, to attract much needed foreign investment, and to provide the best possible value for taxpayers’ money.”

“With a new and integrated support offer spearheaded by EEIDB Ltd, EEDA will reduce back office costs and re-invest that money into front-line support for businesses.”

From: http://www.eeda.org.uk/4721.asp

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A report from Insight East, the economic experts at the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), compares the region with other international world-leading regions across 23 measures of competitiveness. The report shows that the East of England compares favourably with similar regions such as Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Virginia and California in the United States, and Tokai in Japan. 

The report provides a better understanding of the international strengths and weaknesses of the region’s economy will now help decision-makers make timely and appropriate investment decisions.

Key findings from ‘International insight: how the East of England economy compares’ include:

• In 2006 the East of England had the forth highest value of exports in the UK, worth £20.2 billion
• If the region was a nation, it would have ranked 18^th out of the 39 OECD nations prior to the recession
• Total investment in research and development (R&D) is double the EU average of 3.9% of the value of economic output
• 80% of all R&D investment is made by businesses which is comparatively high
• At 6 per the East of England has seen the highest recorded population growth between 1995-2005, higher than any UK region outside of London
• Over half use the internet to buy goods and service putting us in the top 10 of ‘web savvy’ regions compared to 97 European comparator regions
• At £44,423 of wealth generated per worker in 2005 our labour productivity is only average compared to European regions and only half that of US comparators such as Massachusetts/Rhode Island and Virginia
• 43% of us are employed in knowledge-intensive services, 15^th highest compared to other European regions and just behind South Sweden and the South East of England
• 20.3% of adults have higher level qualifications, ranking us below several leading global regions as well as below the UK average
• At 59 minutes it takes us a quarter of an hour longer than the average traveller in the UK to get to a town or city which is classed as a major economic centre

Glenn Athey, director of Insight East said:

“These findings help us better understand the region’s competitive strengths and weaknesses and help decision-makers here make the right investments at the right time for long-term economic prosperity.

“It is clear from this report that if the East of England is to continue to perform strongly against other comparative world-leading regions, skills and infrastructure issues need to be addressed. This is especially important if he East of England is to remain a key knowledge-based economy and capitalise on a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy.” 

The report is available on the Insight East website at:

www.insighteast.org.uk

 From: http://www.eeda.org.uk/4714.asp

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‘Inside Cop15′ is a WWF Green TV initiative at the conference, producing six podcasts and a live show (at 18:00 GMT; 19:00 CET) every day.   ‘Inside Cop15′ will be reporting the highs, lows and everything in-between in the negotiations for a global climate deal.

All of this content is available to view on Green TV as well as via a specially created website created by digital agency, Large Blue -
http://cop15.panda.org/. 

Green TV want as many people as possible to see the coverage, so all of it is available for organisations and individuals to use for free.

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Britain's first dual fuel bus

A consortium brought together by low-carbon experts at the University of East Anglia has launched the first bus in the UK to run on clean, biomethane gas. The innovative dual-fuel diesel-biomethane powered bus will reduce pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions by around a half. It is hoped the technology will be rolled out to bus fleets across the country and further afield.

The consortium behind the new bus is led by UEA’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre (LCIC) and includes leading independent bus operator Anglian Bus, bus manufacturer Optare plc, and engine conversion specialists Hardstaff Group of Nottingham.

The dual-fuel vehicle is a standard Optare Solo single-deck diesel midibus from the Anglian Bus fleet. Originally powered entirely by diesel, the Mercedes-Benz engine has been adapted to run for 60-80% of the time on clean, low-carbon biomethane. Biomethane is chemically identical to the methane in natural gas but it is made by bacterial action on biowastes. Biomethane is extracted from landfill sites or from biogas produced in purpose-built anaerobic digestion facilities.

Project leader Dr Bruce Tofield, of UEA’s Low Carbon Innovation Centre, says: ‘Dual-fuel use is a very attractive option. The vehicle can still run on diesel, providing flexibility, but most of the time is running on biomethane gas which is a much cleaner and less polluting fuel.

‘In particular, the cost of conversion of a diesel bus to dual-fuel use is a small fraction of the cost of a new natural gas bus. Conversion to dual-fuel use is potentially a viable option for most if not all diesel buses in the UK and, indeed, across Europe and more widely.’

Funding for the project came partly from an EU-sponsored Civitas programme in which UEA and Anglian Bus were partners with Norwich, Norfolk County Council and cities across Europe. The Civitas Initiative exists to promote cleaner and better transport in Europe’s cities.

LCIC scientists have been monitoring air pollution in Norwich since 2005 as part of the Civitas programme. In Norwich, as in many UK cities, emissions from buses are of particular concern. They noticed how the buses in Malmo in Sweden, a partner city in the Civitas programme, were powered by clean natural gas (methane), resulting in significantly lower levels of harmful emissions. Of special interest was the fact that Malmo was beginning to use biomethane rather than natural gas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollutant emissions.

‘This conversion shows just how important EU projects can be in helping us learn from what cities elsewhere have done,’ says Dr Tofield. ‘Now we are going one step further and showing how existing bus fleets can be economically converted to low-carbon, low-emissions running. The potential for reducing traffic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from buses and other fleet vehicles in cities in Britain, Europe, and across the world is very exciting.’

From: http://www.eei-online.com/news.php?key=2370 

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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 31^st December.

From: http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/environment/news/944524/Envirowise-launches-online-waste-reduction-course/

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Save water or else - the message from Envirowise!

The warning comes from sustainability experts Envirowise and follows research which found that 70% of sustainability specialists consider the threat of dwindling water supplies to be equal to the impact of carbon emissions, while 54% believe the world will run out of water before it runs out of fuel.

It is predicted that UK groundwater will begin to decrease by 2025, with the overall amount of water available in English and Welsh rivers reducing by 15% by 2050. Some areas in the South East already have less available water per person than Spain and Morocco.

Even businesses based in regions with higher water availability could feel the effect through their supply chains, while many companies could face changes to licenses granted to allow water abstraction as a result of the Water Act 2003.

Envirowise water specialist Claire Sweeney said: “Water is set to become one of the most dramatically affected resources as the impact of climate change takes hold, but many businesses are not aware of the steps they can take to mitigate against this risk.

“Food and drink companies should explore practical steps including water saving devices and water recovery and reuse technology such as membrane filtration systems, which enable a large proportion of wastewater to be reused for processes such as heating, cooling and cleaning. This can result in major cost savings through lower mains water and disposal charges, as well as an enhanced environmental reputation with customers and investors.

“Taking such action now could not only pay enormous dividends in future years, it can also lead to short-term benefits. In fact, recent Envirowise research revealed that UK companies could be missing out on combined savings of up to £10 million per day by failing to make changes in this area.”

From: http://www.feastnet.net/NewsViews/tabid/197/newsid840/427/Default.aspx

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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.

From: http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/Press-Office/Press-Releases/East-of-England/An-hour-a-week-could-help-save-the-planet.html

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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

From: http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/uk/Press-Office/Press-Releases/East-of-England/East-Midlands-hospitality-sector-fails-to-check-in-for-cost-savings.html

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