Up to £7,000 available for businesses to reduce their environmental impact
Horticultural businesses in Kent and Medway are being offer the chance to apply for expert guidance and up to £7,000 in funding to reduce their carbon footprint with sustainability training programme ‘Growing Green.’
Exclusively designed for local horticultural and plant-based food and drink businesses, Growing Green is delivered by Growing Kent & Medway, in partnership with Low Carbon Kent. It follows a successful pilot which ran in 2022.
Participants in the three-month flexible programme will gain insights into reducing their energy use, optimising resource use, and finding new ways to create value from their waste materials.
Successful applicants can benefit from accredited training, professional membership, an environmental sustainability assessment and green action plan, a grant of up to £7,000, and the chance to attend networking opportunities and events.
Dr Nikki Harrison, director of Growing Kent & Medway, said: “Most business owners are aware of the commercial and environmental benefits of reducing their carbon footprint, but it is not always easy to know where to start, where should you invest resources, and which changes will have the most impact.
“Growing Green is designed to empower participants to make innovative, cost-effective changes to their products and processes that will sustainably grow their business. Our guidance and grants will help develop and implement effective plans to help achieve their net-zero goals.”
The Growing Green pilot, which saw 33 businesses take part, was heralded as a success by an independent report. The assessors anticipated that as well as driving down carbon emissions, the project would deliver over 20 new jobs and £3mn in GVA (gross value added) in Kent and Medway by 2028.
Projects developed by businesses in the pilot programme included machines that turned food waste into new products, a bottle-return reward scheme and rainwater harvesting systems.
The programme will train small groups throughout 2025, with the first intake starting in February. A briefing will be held on Thursday 30 January at 9.30am for anyone interested in applying.
Rob Robinson, sustainable business and circular economy programme manager at Low Carbon Kent, said: “Our accredited training and tailored support are intended to help business owners be more confident and knowledgeable about the environmental impact of their operations.
“We envision the skills gained through Growing Green will inspire them to continue their environmental sustainability journey beyond the programme, to not only help make Kent a greener place to live and work but to provide tangible opportunities for commercial benefits, efficiencies and collaboration too.”
