Circular Yorkshire month launches
Established by the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the Circular Yorkshire campaign celebrates its second anniversary in 2020.
The month long event was created to bring together partners and stakeholders from across Yorkshire to accelerate the region’s transformation towards a circular economy.
This year the campaign has gained support and momentum to become a Yorkshire-wide initiative and comes as more people see circular economy as being a way to create a thriving, resilient economy that benefits business and the environment for all people now and in the future.
Throughout the month, the LEP, its Growth Hub and partners will be raising awareness of how circular practices can help businesses prosper by providing a variety of information and guidance. In collaboration with the CBI, FSB and the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, six practical e-guides have been created. These aim to highlight the simple steps businesses can take to make a difference.
Andrew Digwood, president of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and partner at Rollits LLP says, “Before COVID forced the economy into hibernation, companies had been giving more thought to their environmental impact and sustainability credentials. For many it wasn’t a case of why, but how do we address these issues.
“Financial savings have been a key driver for change but increasingly we are seeing demand from investors, customers and consumers all playing an important role in asking whether a company’s values align with their own and in turn driving their spending.
“As a Chamber we think it is vital that companies have access to pragmatic information and guidance so that they can reduce the environmental impact of their own organisation as well as contributing to what we as a region and as business community might achieve in that regard, and we fully endorse the Circular Yorkshire campaign.”
James Farrar, CEO of York & North Yorkshire LEP added: “We were one of the first LEP’s in the country to develop a Circular Economy Strategy and Plan and we recently declared our ambition to be a carbon-negative region by 2040 going above and beyond the Government’s commitment.
“Our role as a LEP and through our Growth Hub is to collaborate with partners to help identify and put in place solutions to help us grow our economy. Implementing circular business models is one of those solutions that can improve the productivity and sustainability of many sectors, something that has never been more important.”
To find out more about this campaign, visit circularyorkshiremonth.com.
