News Article
One North East has pledged its support to help businesses become more efficient in resource management allowing them to increase profits and improve competitiveness.
The regional development agency has awarded TNEI Services Ltd a £1.6m contract to deliver a regional Resource Efficiency Business Support service until March 2008.
It will allow over 350 businesses to receive between five to 10 days of subsidised consultancy support.
The objectives are to increase businesses profit, improve the efficient use of energy, water and materials and improve businesses understanding of waste minimisation and pollution prevention practices.
Helping businesses to understand resource management as an integral part of business practice and understanding the true cost of waste is also a key aim.
The service will be available to companies of all sizes in the private sector but will focus on those that are experiencing the greatest challenges in relation to resource use and impact from landfill tax.
-more-
-2-
In the North East it has been calculated that the manufacturing sector alone could make annual savings of £106m (2000 prices) by adopting best practice in resources efficiency. The Envirowise programme has shown that waste typically costs up to 4% of business turnover and implementing simple waste minimisation measures can increase profit by 1%.
Ray Waters, sustainable resources specialist advisor at One North East said:
“Due to the recent significant price increases in energy and materials, coupled with the impact of changes to the regulation on land-filling of waste and increasing taxation, the time is right for business to take full account of its resource management issues.“The service will assist businesses which have been adversely affected by increasing landfill tax or the increasing costs energy and water resources.”
Businesses will receive an assessment in order to establish resource efficiency opportunities and will then be assisted by brokering in the appropriate consultancy support.
An aftercare service will also be provided to help the implementation of the recommended improvements. This could include a range of actions from simple changes to operational practices through to the investment in new equipment.
Pat Ritchie, director of strategy and development at One North East added: -more- “The service will enable regional businesses to access quality support to assist them to address their resource issues, helping them to increase their profit, improve their competitiveness and show environmental responsibility.” TNEI Services is based at Mosley Street, Newcastle and delivers renewable initiatives in the North East. Project manager, Helen Nisbet said: The service will be delivered in conjunction with national programmes such as Envirowise and the Carbon Trust. Delivering the service will involve working closely with other key business support organisations in the region including the Business Links and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). The service is being part funded from the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme. Between 2005 and 2008 BREW Programme will recycle £284 million of additional landfill tax back to businesses in England in the form of a series of business support initiatives, which will help businesses reduce waste at every stage of the business cycle and manage their resources more efficiently. Organisation delivering initiatives funded through the BREW programme include Envirowise; Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP); National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP); The Carbon Trust and the Environment Agency. The nine English Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are being funded to develop regional programmes of activity which enhance the national programme. RDAS have also been tasked with facilitating the coordination of the regional delivery of the BREW programme. More details of the BREW Programme can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/brew ends“This regional service will ‘plug the gap’ and ensure that there is a complete coverage of resource efficiency support available to businesses in the North East.
-3-
“In such a critical climate where resource costs are causing some companies to scale down production, this type of assistance is vital. We are extremely pleased to be delivering such valuable assistance and the feedback is already suggesting that there will be no shortage of demand.”
For more information please contact: Alison Laggan, press office, One North East on Tel: (0191) 2296894, mobile no: 07785 233895
e-mail : alison.laggan@onenortheast.co.uk
« Back to list