Exeter - the South West’s most sustainable city

The Exeter Chamber of Commerce’s April Networking lunch held on 17 April was a sell-out success.  The theme of this lunch - ‘Exeter - the South West’s most sustainable city’ - brought together a huge variety of over 110 businesses.

The event included a panel consisting of John Rigby (Chairman of the Low Carbon Task Force), Adam Fox-Edwards (MD of the illustrious Arundell Arms and winner of the 2012 DEBI sustainable business award), Ewan McClymont, Director of Corporate Development for Bishop Fleming) and Keith Budden (Strategic Partnership Manager of E.On, a key supporter of the group).  Each member of the panel discussed what sustainability meant to them, how it has impacted on their businesses in practical terms and their vision for Exeter’s future. 

The event was chaired by Chris Lorimer, Deputy Principal at Bicton College and Chair of the Exeter Sustainable Business Network (ESBN), a sub-group of the Chamber. Chris said, “Putting sustainability at the heart of your business strategy is sound business sense – helping competiveness, profitability and creating greater alignment with our marketplace. Our panel today have shown that sustainability not only matters, but that it bolsters your bottom line.”

This themed networking lunch ties in with the launch of ESBN’s new website - www.sustainableexeter.co.uk. ESBN is currently hosting an event on Thursday 16 May at the Flybe Training Academy, focusing on how businesses can reduce their waste costs and take advantage of business opportunities.

This event will include presentations from Flybe, on how they have minimised the amount of waste they send to landfill and reduces their waste costs.

Delegates will also learn how NISP has connected industry and created opportunity for business whilst discovering what waste reduction initiatives the UNITE Group have implemented. Finally, there will be a presentation of Circular Business Models which many big names such as B&Q, M&S, and Caterpillar are adopting. This will be followed by an opportunity for networking.

Please visit the website for more information or contact the Chamber Office on 01392 431133 if you are interested in attending this event.