How sustainability-led funding is energising the West Midlands’ growth

Written by Dave Atkinson, regional director for the Midlands at Lloyds

Across the West Midlands, transformation is underway as more businesses make sustainability central to their growth plans.

From transport innovations to grassroots biodiversity projects, businesses and communities are proving that investing in sustainability projects and economic success can go hand in hand.

The latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking showed that more than a third (35 per cent) of companies in the West Midlands, the highest proportion in the UK, think that investing in sustainability – such as decarbonising operations or offering customers eco-friendly packaging or energy-efficient services – represents the biggest opportunity for them to grow their business over the next six months.

The region’s Clean Futures Accelerator, anchored in Coventry and Dudley, is enabling dozens of small and medium-sized firms to bring low-carbon transport ideas to life by providing around £50k each in additional private investment.

The scheme is helping to shape a more sustainable supply chain for the future of British industry and highlights how public-private partnerships can supercharge local growth.

Meanwhile, projects like the Canal & River Trust’s Wild Waterways are transforming overlooked urban infrastructure into nature-rich visitor attractions.

Across seven miles of canal, wildflower planting, biodiversity improvements and visitor enhancements are creating places that support both wellbeing and the local economy.

The West Midlands Growth Company is also helping to lead the charge in sustainable tourism, funding first-year Green Tourism accreditation for regional hotels, venues and attractions.

It’s a simple but powerful way to raise environmental standards across the region’s thriving visitor economy, and further evidence of the business appetite to embed long-term sustainability.

At Lloyds, we’re proud to support Midlands businesses on this journey.

A great way for Midlands businesses to become more cost-effective over the longer term and make strides in reducing their carbon footprint is by taking advantage of business loans and funding for sustainable equipment and renewable energy sources like our Green Finance funding, Clean Growth Financing Initiative (CGFI), or Building Transition Loans.

Through these products, we’re helping firms invest in low-carbon equipment, improve energy efficiency, and future-proof their operations.

These tools are critical to enabling the region’s net zero ambitions, and they’re already delivering real impact on the ground.

Take ABC Leisure, one of the UK’s leading providers of canal boat holidays and marina services.

With a £5 million funding package from Lloyds, the business has restructured its borrowing and invested in a raft of initiatives, from solar panels and energy-efficient infrastructure to the rollout of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel across its fleet.

They’re also expanding into eco-friendly holiday lodges and off-grid energy systems, proving that low-carbon leisure can be both desirable and commercially smart.

Or what about Aston Marina, a family-run hospitality destination in Staffordshire that’s growing sustainably with help from a £2.75 million Lloyds loan.

Their landmark solar farm, designed to blend into the surrounding landscape and boost biodiversity by 55 per cent, will power day-to-day operations while reducing environmental impact.

It’s a bold, values-led step towards energy independence and future resilience.

These are just two examples of the difference ESG-led funding can make - enabling businesses to evolve, expand and innovate without compromising their values or the planet.

The West Midlands is already redefining what regional success looks like. And as we continue to back businesses that prioritise purpose as well as performance, we’re helping to build an economy that’s not just competitive, but truly sustainable.