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Behemoth
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds
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 Posted: Wed Dec 07, 05 10:04 am Post subject: Defra cash for Green Business |
 
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Wednesday 7 December 2005 00:01
Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (National)
DEFRA DISHES OUT MORE CASH FOR GREEN BUSINESS SUPPORT
Over £90 million is to be dished out to fund green business support services, Ben Bradshaw Minister for Local Environmental Quality confirmed today.
The funding comes from Defra's Business Resource Efficiency and Waste programme which recycles revenue generated through increases in Landfill Tax.
Today's package, the second year's worth of funding under the programme, will see an additional £95 million invested in organisations that can help businesses cut waste, shift waste from landfill and improve their efficiency.
The money will fund a range of free services and targeted support for businesses of all sizes and sector: from large quoted companies to smaller enterprises.
Ben Bradshaw, Local Environmental Quality Minister, said:
"Waste is about more than recycling - it links into the big issues about how much this country is producing and consuming.
"Although we all want to continue to enjoy the benefits of a modern society, the impacts of our everyday consumption patterns on the environment remain severe. The inefficient use of resources can also affect business competitiveness - including small businesses.
"Many businesses simply do not realise that they can expect to save around 5% of their turnover by cutting waste, often with little or no investment.
"Add on top of that savings through improved resource efficiency , whether that be water use, energy use or the use of virgin materials, then we are talking about a substantial amount of money out there to be saved.
"The Landfill Tax therefore shouldn't be seen as a burden, but as an opportunity for businesses to really get to grips with some of their key environmental impacts while providing a welcome boost to profits."
The money has been split between 11 organisations and programmes:
* the Carbon Trust will receive £25m to help organisations respond to climate change and cut their emissions
* Envirowise will be given £19m to help businesses cut waste, water and energy use and to run waste efficiency clubs
* The Environment Agency will be given over £4m to tackle waste crime and improve the small business environmental legislation portal NetRegs
* The National Industrial Symbiosis Programme is to receive £6m to help businesses find value in wastes they normally sent to landfill
* The Strategic Supply Chain Group will receive £237,000 to promote sustainable procurement through supply chains
* The Waste and Resources Action Programme will be getting over £9m for a range of projects including an SME waste collection pilots, market development for business wastes, capital support for recycling infrastructure and business development in the recycling sector
* The Market Transformation Programme will receive £3.3m to fund further work to address product design and relating environmental impacts
* DTI will receive £8m to fund collaborative research and development on commercial and industrial waste issues.
* Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts will receive £2m to administer a fund for community groups who have special expertise in helping businesses to become more resource efficient.
* Regional Development Agencies have been awarded nearly £12m to fund co-coordinating BREW work and funding extra regional initiatives.
* A further £2.1m will be invested into improving the quality of data on waste as part of a Defra initiative.
In 2005/6 BREW allocated £43m to business support. This enabled, among other things: the national role out of the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme; Envirowise to target several more sectors of business with free environmental advice; WRAP to expand their market creation work to include recycled plasterboard, tyres and batteries; and, the funding of 18 new research and development projects looking at waste management and waste minimisation.
NOTES TO EDITORS
* Defra's BREW programme recycles revenue generated through increases in Landfill Tax to fund a range of free services and targeted support for businesses.
* From April 2005 the landfill tax rate for waste will increase by at least £3 per year until a rate of £35 per tonne is reached. Currently the rate is £18.
* Government has committed to making this increase revenue neutral to business and local authorities.
In the Spending Review 2004 settlement Defra was allocated £284m (£43 million for 2005/06, £95 million for 2006/07 and £146 million for 2007/8.
Public enquiries 08459 335577;
Press notices are available on our website
https://www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development
End
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