The ‘Smarter, Greener Businesses’ event at Daventry’s iCon Environmental Innovation Centre featured talks from organisations promoting low carbon technologies and setting the standards for environmental best practice.
The free event on September 30 2015 was organised by Daventry District Council (DDC) in partnership with Investors in the Environment (iiE), a national not-for profit scheme designed to help businesses save money, reduce their impact on the environment, and get promoted for their green credentials.
There was a welcome by Alice Ellis, Environmental Improvement Officer at DDC, Kim Coley, Commercial Executive at iiE, Robert Buck from IKEA Distribution, and Nick Bolton from Electric Corby. The event finished with lunch and an opportunity to network.
One of the attendees was Bruce Lange, Health, Safety and Environmental Engineer at Ford in Daventry. He said: “We already do a lot of recycling at Ford but I was looking to see if there were any other ideas that we may have overlooked.
“A lot of our plastics have other materials in them and I picked up some good ideas for systems we could employ to recycle those better.”
Dean Tonks is the Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Futures Housing Group, which includes Daventry & District Housing.
He said: “I attended to get a greater understanding about iiE and how it might work for us. We are looking to make savings as a group and this is a good opportunity. I found the event very informative and I will be going back to explore how we can take it forward.”
Councillor Jo Gilford, Environment Portfolio Holder at Daventry District Council, said: “This Council adopted the iiE scheme to demonstrate our continued commitment to the green agenda. The aim of this event was to give businesses an opportunity to find out about iiE and it’s very pleasing to hear that those who attended found it beneficial.”
iiE’s Commercial Executive Kim Coley said: “It’s fantastic to work with Daventry District Council to bring businesses together to engage with and be inspired by sustainable initiatives.
“The smarter a business is with its efficiencies and behaviours, the more sustainable it will be in the long term. We know that by being greener, not only do businesses save money, but they also have the opportunity to form strong partnerships with other like-minded businesses and be promoted for their green credentials – there’s no end to the business benefits!”
For more information about the iiE accreditation scheme visit www.iie.uk.com.