Summit shows how net zero can be good for business

The road to net zero can be paved with gold – as well as green – a major summit in Warwickshire has heard.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce held the Green Futures: Expo & Summit at Ashorne Hill in Leamington to help businesses plot a path towards net zero.

The summit, sponsored by Purple Planet Packaging and supported by ECO UK Group, was a chance for companies and organisations to exhibit and showcase how they can support the transition to a more sustainable future.

It was also an opportunity to hear from experts on how to access funding and where money can be saved by starting on the road to net zero.

Hazel Pilling, International Trade and Membership Manager at the Chamber, said: “This was our first expo and summit looking at green futures – and it proved there is a real thirst for knowledge.

“It’s down to all of us in business to become more sustainable and move towards a more environmentally friendly way of working.

“The event showed that we can do right by the planet but also improve the bottom line with some of the support that’s available and areas where money can be saved.

“The key message was to just get started. Do something today that starts to move the dial on being more sustainable as if you try to tackle everything in one go you will become overwhelmed.

“If businesses need help, they can get in touch with us and – as we saw at the event – there are plenty of local organisations and suppliers who can support.”

Denise Osborne, of Coventry City Council, explained how firms in Coventry and Warwickshire could access funding through support projects that can help them transition towards net zero.

She also told a packed audience that free energy audits were available to help businesses understand if they were wasting energy and if there are ways of becoming more efficient.

Mark Farr, who founded Purple Planet Packaging with his wife, Joanna, gave an overview of his company’s journey and how its food and drink containers were helping businesses and end-users to be more responsible.

He said: “We wanted to start a business for the future of our two children so that meant not just thinking about profit but about something that would help to protect the environment for them.

“We want to work with companies in Coventry and Warwickshire to help them on this journey and the more we can stop single use plastics going to landfill, it’s a positive start.

“Of course, we’re a business and we’re proof that you can be sustainable but also grow.”

Mark later chaired a panel session that heard from Colin Szwed, from ECO UK Group; Andrew Milton, of rbl Brand Agency; Denise Osborne, from Coventry City Council; and author Dr Vicky Lofthouse of EN:ABLE Sustainability.

Colin said: “I’d urge business to find out what support is available and to start to make the changes that can make a difference.”

For more information on where to access support go to www.cw-chamber.co.uk