Small businesses across Shropshire have identified 15 tonnes of carbon output in a year, after signing up to a partnership project funded by Shropshire Council.
Latest update from Shropshire Council Newsroom:
Cool Shropshire & Telford is a £20,000 initiative to aid small businesses in making the move towards improving sustainability. The council’s climate team partnered with Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire-based environmental consultants E4environment Ltd to steer Shropshire’s SMEs and micro businesses towards understanding and reducing their environmental impact.ion of wetland crops under conditions that support the competitive advantage of these crops.
Local climate charity Zero Carbon Shropshire has also been influential in the development of the free to access scheme, which has just reached its first-year anniversary.
In total 87 companies in the Shropshire Council area have registered with Cool Shropshire & Telford, and 46 are actively engaged with the project.
They have already created carbon reduction plans and set a target for further reductions, calculated their carbon footprints, and have applied principles of reduce, reuse and recycle to achieve zero waste to landfill.
The actions of seven businesses have already resulted in them accounting for 15 tonnes of carbon emissions, enough CO2 to fill 74 double decker buses, which will help inform over the coming years.
Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, said:-
“It is rewarding to see local firms turning their attention to the climate and recognising their responsibilities.
“Shropshire Council declared a climate emergency in May 2019, and in December 2020 adopted a Climate Strategy and Action Plan, which establishes the objective of achieving net zero carbon performance for the council by 2030, but it is important to note that our corporate footprint represents only around 1% of Shropshire’s total.
“The council can influence as much as 33% of emissions through its regulatory and support functions, and encouraging small businesses to sign up for Cool Shropshire & Telford can extend that.”
The principles of supporting a local supply chain also feature in the programme.
Ian added:-
“A large proportion of the businesses are keeping their supply chain local and supporting local events or charities. This is a promising start and reflects well on business culture in Shropshire.
“Another success story here is the number of businesses that are interested in auditing their suppliers in the next 12 months, so there is almost a ripple effect spreading outwards from those who have signed up to Cool Shropshire & Telford.
“We are pleased that there is such a positive effect.”
The Cool Shropshire & Telford partnership is now offering free to attend Carbon and Coffee virtual events for businesses. The first event on Thursday 22 June 2023 at 10am, with an open agenda and advice on carbon footprinting. Email [email protected] to sign up.
Businesses can also register for the Cool Shropshire & Telford monthly newsletter here for quick and easy to follow advice on business sustainability actions, as well as showcasing the positive actions taken by other businesses in the community.
The agricultural sector and sports teams and clubs will also be able to benefit from tailored schemes over the next 12 months.
For more information about the free programme and how to apply, please visit Cool Shropshire & Telford here.
Quoted from Shropshire Council’s online newsroom. Original article can be found here: Small businesses identify carbon outputs with help of Cool Shropshire & Telford – Shropshire Council Newsroom
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