North-east Scotland has a fresh batch of 56 CPD-certified Green Champions to spearhead efficiency in their businesses following November’s hugely successful Sustainable Business Week in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Training for the Green Champions was held at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen and was delivered by business efficiency experts from Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Scotland programme.
It was one of many free events held during Sustainable Business Week where over 100 local organisations found out how to tackle rising energy, water and waste costs, and reduce their environmental impact.
Attendees were enthusiastic about implementing what they had learnt. Narayan Shrestha, project manager for Aberdeen Multicultural Centre, who attended the Green Champions training, said: “The training was excellent. Lots of really valuable information and useful materials for businesses that want to save money and reduce their environmental impact.”
Other events held during Sustainable Business Week included breakfast briefings on the support and funding that are available to help small- and medium-sized enterprises reduce their energy and water use, and manage waste more efficiently.
These include free on-site assessments of resource use, funding for waste prevention measures and interest-free loans from £1,000 to £100,000 provided by the Scottish Government.
“Energy, water and waste costs can have a big impact on the profitability of businesses, so it was very useful to find out about the support available to help us continue to improve our performance and minimise our resource use,” said George Milne, Owner of Milne & Co, after attending a breakfast briefing in Inverurie.
Successful north east businesses also showcased their sustainability stories and demonstrated how they are enjoying savings through efficiency improvements.
Local ice cream manufacturer, Mackie’s of Scotland, opened its doors to local businesses for a guided tour to showcase its many sustainability successes. Likewise, Dean’s of Huntly demonstrated how activities such as performing energy audits and installing energy efficient equipment are unlocking value for the business.
“I believe that, for a business to truly claim to aspire to being a market leader, it needs to make sustainable improvement central to its business plan,” said Les McArthur, Operations director at Dean’s of Huntly.
Sustainable Business Week was run by Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Scotland programme in partnership with Aberdeen City Council (as part of its ‘Powering Aberdeen’ programme), Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
Since the Resource Efficient Scotland programme was launched in 2013, it has helped 273 organisations in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire to identify annual savings of £3.5m. That’s an average identified annual saving of £12,820 per organisation.
Speaking about the event, Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said:
“It’s fantastic to have received such positive feedback from businesses that attended the Sustainable Business Week events.
“The support from the Resource Efficient Scotland programme is available all year round, so I encourage all local businesses, particularly those that missed Sustainable Business Week, to get in touch and find out how to cut costs and reduce your environmental impact.’
Find out more about the support that is available to businesses in the North East by visiting www.resourceefficientscotland.com or calling 0808 808 2268.
Zero Waste Scotland’s advice and support for SMEs, delivered through its Resource Efficient Scotland programme, are supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the £5.8m Resource Efficiency Highlands and Islands Operation of the £73m Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Accelerator Programme.