Business Growth Hub makes an Impact with sustainability win

We're celebrating after beating off stiff competition to win the Sustainability Impact of the Year award at the ENDS Report Awards at a ceremony in London on Thursday 4 May.

The award recognises the role of our low carbon sector and environmental business advisors in supporting sustainable business in Greater Manchester and driving forward the city’s transition to a low carbon economy.

Our environmental business advisors help companies to identify, quantify and implement environmental measures that cut costs, improve productivity and reduce emissions. This in turn stimulates demand for local suppliers of low carbon goods and services, such as energy efficient heating and lighting, and these businesses are supported by our low carbon sector specialists.

The award noted in particular the real and measurable impacts delivered by the Hub’s support.

Since January 2015, the project has helped Small-Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) achieve annually recurring savings of £2.2 million by improving environmental performance, as well as generating £7.3 million in sales for local companies in the low carbon sector.

Sam Nicholson, head of low carbon and manufacturing at the Hub, said: “We’re very proud to receive this award from such a respected organisation as ENDS, particularly as we were shortlisted alongside The National Trust for their Renewable Energy Investment programme and the Environment Agency for their work to reduce supply chain emissions.

“This win speaks volumes about the strength of our environmental business support. We took on the challenge of creating and delivering an effective programme for Greater Manchester that aligned to the city’s climate change objectives and the economic development objectives of our public funders, while also helping SMEs seize the growth potential of a low carbon economy. The results we’ve achieved since 2015 demonstrate that we’ve done just that.

“We're completely unique in providing fully-funded, advisor-led business support that boosts both the supply of, and demand for, low carbon goods and services within a major city region and it’s great that this work has been recognised.”

For more information on our environmental business support, please visit www.green-growth.org.uk