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Pictured: Steve Bowyer, Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough being interviewed by RTVE, Spain’s equivalent of the BBC. The crew filmed several projects in Peterborough for a documentary about circular cities in Europe which is expected to air in January 2018.
A pioneering economic model that is helping Peterborough achieve international acclaim, and could help local businesses enhance their overall efficiency, will be the main topic at the next Bondholder Breakfast organised by Opportunity Peterborough on 1 February 2018.
The circular economy aims to reduce consumption of raw materials and keep resources flowing within the economy for as long as possible by rethinking how we design, make and use everything, and how we perceive “waste”. It’s not only good for the planet, it’s good for business.
Peterborough’s internationally renowned city-wide circular economy initiative is run jointly by Opportunity Peterborough and Peterborough City Council through the Future Peterborough programme. In the last year alone the team has been asked to share their knowledge and expertise at international conferences in Dubai, Finland, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Ireland.
The team is already working with a number of local organisations across the city to collaborate, review their processes and find new ways to use their waste, but want to encourage more organisations to adopt circular principles and understand the commercial opportunities this new way of working is presenting.
With the planet’s finite resources under increasing pressure, the circular economy is coming to prominence following recent announcements from companies like IKEA, John Lewis and Lloyds Bank to develop circular practices.
To discuss the benefits of the circular economy, the Future Peterborough team will be presenting their key achievements to date and their ambitions for the city at the Breakfast event.
This will be alongside guest speakers, Bio-Bean, a manufacturer that is turning waste coffee grounds into bio-fuel for London buses at their factory in Alconbury and Business in the Community, which is helping service-based organisations across the country adopt circular economy principles.
Katie Thomas, Circular Economy Project Officer within Future Peterborough said, “Our aim is to develop a fully circular economy within Peterborough. The progress that has been made to date means the city is being hailed as a thought leader alongside places like New York, Amsterdam, Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro.
“There’s been a big appetite for this new economic model in Peterborough and we’ve got over 250 local companies supporting Share Peterborough, our city-wide resource sharing platform. Our Circular City Champions scheme is also helping us focus on showcasing excellence in specific circular economy principles like redesigning, reusing and remanufacturing resources whilst also trying to overcome sector specific challenges.”
On the ground, companies like Perkins Engines have been remanufacturing since they were founded, and the team at Serpentine Green Shopping Centre will be exploring the potential to incorporate circular economy principles into the site’s expansion plans.
Steve Bowyer, Chief Executive of Opportunity Peterborough said, “We want this Breakfast to not only celebrate Peterborough’s achievements, but also provide practical insights into how local companies can benefit from becoming circular. The government appreciates the potential of this approach and included it in its Industrial Strategy White Paper, so I think companies need to consider ‘when’, not ‘if’, they should implement circular economy practices. There’s increasing competition for raw materials and we need to help local companies move away from a linear ‘take-make-dispose’ economic model. It makes good business sense.”
The event will be free of charge and open to any business professional in Peterborough on the morning of 1 February at the Allia Future Business Centre, 7.30am – 9.00am. To book a place please email: bondholder@opportunitypeterborough.co.uk .
For more information about the event please click here. For more information about and the Bondholder Network, please click here.