Fund launches to help local businesses become more sustainable

The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise (GBSLEP) has launched the West Midlands Low Carbon and Circular Economy fund to support firms in the low carbon and food and drinks manufacturing sectors.

A total of £240,000 will be available to support businesses located in the GBSLEP, Black Country LEP (BCLEP) and Coventry and Warwickshire LEP (CWLEP) areas.

To apply for a grant, food and drinks manufacturers will need to work with low carbon innovators to develop more eco-friendly production methods that can either cut waste or carbon or drive the use of sustainable food and drink packaging.

To qualify for a grant from the West Midlands Low Carbon and Circular Economy Fund, projects are expected to fulfil one of the following themes:

• Implementing circular economy principles for food waste in food and drink manufacturing
• Decarbonisation of food and drink manufacturing processes
• Sustainable packaging in food and drink manufacturing

Cllr Ian Courts (pictured), leader of Solihull Council and WMCA portfolio holder for environment and energy said: “As the Net Zero Champion for GBSLEP, I 'm backing the brand new West Midlands Low Carbon and Circular Economy Fund. It 's an important initiative that provides funding for businesses to lower their carbon emissions.

“This is critical in achieving our local and national net zero targets and most importantly mitigating the impact on our environment. Low Carbon is a key growth sector and GBSLEP is committed to helping SMEs to create solutions that will help deliver the government 's Plan for Growth and Green recovery. ”

For further information and to apply, click here.