Plan for Jobs: Environment Secretary visits University of Brighton’s Clean Growth UK
Environment Secretary visits Clean Growth UK which has helped create over 700 green economy jobs.
Rt Hon George Eustice MP
The Environment Secretary today (Thursday 8 July) visited Clean Growth UK to discuss how they are creating new green economy jobs. This comes as the government’s Plan for Jobs has been running for a year, helping protect livelihoods and support millions of people across the whole of the UK.
As part of our drive to reach Net Zero by 2050 and ahead of COP26, we are backing a green industrial revolution through the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan. This will mobilise billions in private and public sector investment to boost our green technology and finances industries and create 250,000 highly skilled green jobs across the UK. Clean Growth UK has already created or safeguarded over 700 green economy jobs by supporting a range of businesses to secure more than £15m million in research and development funding to develop new green products and services. Their innovation and commercialisation support has helped create new green jobs including roles in waste management, zero-emission electric bikes and modelling for flood risks.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
As we look ahead to COP26, our green industrial revolution and our Plan for Jobs are helping create new green jobs across the whole country.
It was brilliant to see this in action today at Clean Growth UK and hear how the organisation is both boosting the local economy and supporting the nation’s drive to become Net Zero by 2050.
The Plan for Jobs is working and is protecting jobs across the whole country, including in the South East. In the region, 1,554,400 people have been supported by the furlough scheme and 210,834 loans have been offered to businesses, totalling more than £8.8 billion.
Zoe Osmond, Director for Clean Growth UK, said:
The UK leads the world in climate change legislation and targets and today we discussed the challenges our SMEs face when innovating and growing the clean-green businesses we need for a net zero, nature positive world.
We now need a set of clear, long-term policies for climate and nature to enable businesses to invest, grow the green economy and turbocharge the green revolution. This will lead to a welcome growth in skilled green jobs and ensure our covid recovery is truly green and equitable.
Local companies who have benefitted from Clean Growth UK’s support include:
Medisort
Medisort collects, processes and disposes of healthcare waste in the South East, which includes children’s nappies and adult incontinence products. The company accessed the Green Growth Hub’s peer-to-peer action learning platform and received coaching which enabled them to secure investment for a dedicated nappy waste treatment and recovery facility. Over the coming months this will helps increase the amount of recyclable waste, improve the segregation route for materials and reduce the costs associate with recycling and incineration.
Zedify
Zedify uses zero-emission electric cargo bikes to run a delivery network around cities in the UK, delivering whatever clients need moving across congested urban environments including food, office supplies, textiles and print media. The company started in Brighton and Hove and following support from the Green Growth Platform it now operates in nine UK cities and has more than 100 staff.
Ambiental Environmental Assessment
Ambiental Environmental Assessment uses complex data and sophisticated computer modelling to predict flood risks. The assessments help developers, banks, insures, planners and government agencies make informed decisions to protect people’s lives, properties and businesses. By partnering with the Green Growth Hub, students are working on some of the projects, building their own experience and careers while supporting the business to get skilled help where it is needed most.