Liverpool eco innovations scoops awards for groundbreaking R&D

ECO innovations developed by businesses and Universities in Liverpool to tackle climate change have been honoured at an awards ceremony. City Centre Commercials, based in Kirkby, and Used Kitchen Exchange, based in Widnes, both worked with Liverpool John Moores University as part of Eco-I North West (Eco-I NW), a research and development programme to create new sustainable technologies, products and services.

The programme is being delivered by a consortium of North West Universities including:- Lancaster, Central Lancashire, Cumbria, Liverpool and Manchester Metropolitan. Over the course of the programme it will have given more than 330 SMEs access to the extensive knowledge base, cutting edge research facilities, built new networks to drive innovation, and supported the development of innovative solutions which will save 3,850 tonnes of CO2.

The success of the programme was celebrated at the Eco Innovation awards at the Museum of Science and Industry, in Manchester.

Winners included:- Used Kitchen Exchange, who are behind an innovative, ethical solution for pre-owned kitchens. They scooped the award for:- 'Most Impactful Business Innovation' for their work with Liverpool John Moores University to develop a carbon saving tool to benchmark and promote carbon and tree savings for reuse, with average savings of 3.5 tonnes of carbon and 1.6 trees every time a kitchen is reused.

Co-founder Phil Lord said:- "We are grateful for the recognition from Eco-I NW. Working with Liverpool John Moores University has been instrumental in validating our sustainability credentials and consequently the success of our business. The collaboration enabled our idea to achieve eco validation and engage with the industry. From starting the business 8 years ago, we have grown to a workforce of almost 40 and a £6m turnover. We have proven the economic and environmental value of a circular economy and look forward to expanding our vision to power circularity in the Interiors Industry including kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and other furniture."

The 'Best concept in development' award went to City Centre Commercials, who worked with Liverpool John Moores University to manufacture and test its novel GeoBrick, a clay free unfired brick which is made from recycled aggregate from construction, demolition, and excavation waste.

Eco-I NW, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), was led by the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation (CGE) team at Lancaster University.

Commenting on the awards, Dr Andy Pickard, manager of the CGE, said:- "Eco-I North West has been an incredibly successful programme which has showcased what can be achieved via collaborative research between academia and business. These awards have been a celebration of the impressive work by our 6 Regional University partners, talented undergraduates and postgraduates, and hundreds of small and medium sized businesses. Over the last 3 years we have created a melting pot of disruptive innovation, driven by collaboration which will continue long into the future. But if we are going to truly achieve the rapid transition to more sustainable economies and societies in the face of the climate emergency, we need to grow our network of collaborators. I would encourage businesses to connect with this Region's Universities and start the conversation."

Keynote speaker at the awards was Wayne Hemingway, the celebrated designer, who spoke about his passion for sustainability.
 

School pupils champion social change in a special Big Issue magazine takeover

THE Social Enterprise Academy and the Big Issue, hosted an event for School pupils across 6 Schools, who this week took part in a special Big Issue magazine takeover where they showcased their own social enterprises.

The event at the House of Lords included:- 2 Dragons' Den pitches; from Beam Primary School (Barking and Dagenham) and Southgate School (Enfield). The Big Issue, Social Enterprise Academy and other partners of the programme were able to meet the young social entrepreneurs from across London who were in the special edition magazine, including:- Oaklands School (Hounslow), Elm Court School (Lambeth), Millennium Primary School (Greenwich), and Sanders Draper (Havering). There were also speeches from Lord Bird, founder of The Big Issue and Neil McLean, CEO of the Social Enterprise Academy.

Some examples of the amazing social enterprises include:- creating sustainable food products from waste ingredients, sharing and upcycling clothing among pupils, growing produce, reducing waste and recycling in creative ways, and using community spaces to trade fairly and improve mental wellbeing.

Each pupil involved has been thinking about the future, and what they can do to make it better for themselves and for everyone.

The Social Enterprise Schools programme was established in 2007, in partnership with The Scottish Government, and now operates across Scotland, England, and internationally. It enables young people to identify a social or environmental issue that is important to them, before designing and launching a trading social enterprise that will directly address the issue.

The Big Issue has worked with the Social Enterprise Academy for the past 5 years to create a:- 'Schools takeover edition' of the magazine, which pupils sell in their Schools to raise money to support their own School social enterprises and their wider communities.

In the coming weeks, pupils across the UK will be taking part in Sell Off Challenges, selling copies of this Big Issue special edition to raise funds for their social enterprises.

The special edition magazine, supported by Kibble, HIE and Artemis, includes:- a free 24 page supplement, which profiles School social enterprise projects across the UK and further afield.

Big Issue Editor Paul McNamee said:- "Every year when we work with the Social Enterprise Academy we see Schools' social enterprises getting bigger, bolder and more creative. From growing produce to making food and sharing it in their communities, to ingenious ways that pupils are upcycling clothes, to raising awareness of rainforests and helping hedgehogs to cross the road – there is so much joy and energy in these projects. It's especially exciting this year to see how Social Enterprise Schools is growing in England and much further afield. We see School students learning blacksmithing and using chook-poo for projects in Australia, and young people in Malaysia making sure their classmates are able to reach the library and don't go hungry. It all shows how the brave, compassionate and creative approaches of young people actively running social enterprises can make real impacts; locally and globally."

CEO at the Social Enterprise Academy, Neil McLean said:- "We can see from the stories in this year's magazine the magic that happens when 1 young person believes they can make a real difference. Their passion and purpose as social entrepreneurs is infectious and spreads to their classmates, their School and the wider community. We need social entrepreneurship now more than ever to help tackle the challenges facing the world. We want to make sure that every young person has the chance to take part in Social Enterprise Schools and reach their full potential – developing the entrepreneurial and core skills they need for the future while creating the meaningful change they want to see in their community."

Leah McGee, Assistant Headteacher, at Sanders Draper, said:- "The students got a lot out of being a part of the Social Enterprise Academy. I had 4 teams of students putting projects together and they have really come out of themselves in terms of confidence. The whole idea of giving back to their community has really resonated with them and they want to take that forward into the future. And that's not just in terms of their projects, but for the whole School community."

The Social Enterprise Academy also uses this week's magazine to launch a new award recognizing Schools who demonstrate outstanding financial skills. The James Fairweather Award is a tribute to James Fairweather, the late CEO of Big Issue Invest and chair of the Board of Social Enterprise Academy, who championed financial literacy and how young people can effect change in the world.

If you would like to buy the special edition, you can get the magazine from your local vendor or you can subscribe online or buy a subscription and provide a vendor with a regular income.

If you buy a subscription and allocate it to a vendor via the vendor map, the vendor receives 50% of the net profits.

For more information on how to get involved in the Social Enterprise Schools programme, please visit:- SocialEnterprise.Academy.