£8.65 Million to Protect the Environment and Increase Commercial Success in the North West
ENWORKS, the Northwest environmental business support service, has received approval for a £2.55 million investment from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF) matched with £6.1m funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to continue its work with the region’s SMEs until 2010.Already well established, ENWORKS is a not-for-profit organisation that helps Northwest businesses reduce their energy use, make cost savings and reduce their impact on the environment.
With the additional support and investment of the new ERDF programme, ENWORKS will:
• assist a further 1,500 Northwest businesses
• achieve a further £31 million in cost savings for Northwest businesses
• further increase / safeguard sales by £52 million
• additionally save 519,000 tonnes of materials
• additionally save 125,000 tonnes of carbon
• additionally save 760,000 tonnes of water
The funding will allow ENWORKS to continue its delivery of a regional and comprehensive environmental business support programme linked into Business Link Northwest.
By connecting directly with SMEs the programme will improve market penetration, quality, consistency and the impact of resource efficiency, as well as supporting businesses as they adapt to the threats and opportunities of climate change.
One of the most significant targets of the Northwest Operational Programme is to reduce the CO2 outputs of the programme by 25%.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive at the NWDA said:
“Additional funding from the NWDA and the ERDF will allow ENWORKS to continue to provide a unique and innovative approach to improving business competitiveness and environmental performance.
“The programme is a prime example of how the Agency is working with partners to ensure the Northwest continues to be the leading region to implement sustainable development practices.”
David Malpass, Director of European Programme at the NWDA said:
“ENWORKS is an award winning programme that has clearly demonstrated its success since its inception in 2001. The new ERDF programme will enable an even greater number of Northwest businesses to gain significant commercial and environmental benefits by adopting more efficient business practices and reducing their impact on the environment.”
Tony Dean, Northwest Regional Director at the Environment Agency said:
“We welcome this additional funding for ENWORKS.
“ENWORKS helps Northwest businesses use resources more efficiently. In so doing businesses become more competitive and reduce their impact on the environment. This decision demonstrates NWDAs commitment to support a more environmentally sustainable approach to economic development.”
Related Links
To find out more about ENWORKS click here
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