Agriculture & Environment

The West of England’s buses are going green – both in colour and to help the planet.

The West of England has beaten off stiff competition to become home to a brand-new National Forest set to transform the landscape.

The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has welcomed leading waste management and industrial cleaning specialist Robert Hopkins Environmental Services to The Platinum Group.

Hills Waste Solutions’ commercial transport depot at Amesbury, near Salisbury is the latest site to change from diesel to sustainable Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) - a move which will reduce fuel-related Carbon (CO2) emissions by up to 90%.

A dairy farmer and farm vet have joined forces to launch a new device to improve management, health and welfare of ‘down’ cows, as well as staff safety.

The Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, a leading research centre at Lancaster University, has received a further five years of funding from the Rubin Foundation Charitable Trust.

Lanpro has appointed Zoe Connolly Technical Director and Ecology Lead for the Northern Region. She will be based in Manchester.

Thrings has announced the continued growth of its award-winning agriculture team with the arrival of a ‘dynamic’ new litigation expert.

Wiltshire-based Biotechnology business Advetec has appointed a customer success director as the company seeks to strengthen client relationships, drive value and pursue further growth.

Jeremy Clarkson is set to host the Cereals Event next year at Diddly Squat Farm, an exciting new site and collaboration for 2026.

Iconic York Minster sets powerful example of sustainability and heritage preservation with a solar powered strategy for future generations.

Using an additive on your grass, maize or wholecrop silage at harvest can yield many benefits, including helping to produce a better-quality feed and improved animal performance.

Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Redcliffe & Temple BID have announced the renewal of their three-year contract with Veolia, the UK’s leading resource management company.

Radstock-based JWitt Waste Recycling has received its permit from the Environmental Agency. It has officially begun helping businesses across Bath, Bristol, Somerset and Mendip to reduce their carbon footprint by turning their non-recyclable waste into fuel.

Venton Ltd based in Summercourt, near Newquay, has seen their sustainability project come to life, with the support and funding from Cornwall Council’s Growth Hub Net Zero Grants Programme, and has recently installed its first one hundred solar panels to the centre.

Alongside its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2040, East Devon District Council has awarded Carbon Action Fund (CAF) grants to 28 local businesses and community organisations, enabling them to significantly improve their decarbonisation efforts.

Woodlands.co.uk, the leading organisation selling British woodlands and tree-planting land for conservation and enjoyment, is delighted to announce its partnership with Quick Brown Fox PR as its first-ever public relations agency.

Milton Park, the UK’s largest single ownership innovation community for science and technology, is poised to support thousands of new jobs sustainably

Sustainability remains firmly on the agenda in 2025 for Corby company See Limited, following four award wins this year – including one at national level.

Keenan Recycling, the UK’s largest national food waste collections company, recently brought together top hospitality and sustainability leaders at the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa in Bath to discuss actionable solutions for achieving carbon neutrality.

The farm let sector remained stable in 2023, despite fears that owners would take land back in-hand for environmental uses.

A survey of more than 200 businesses, by metal recycling and waste management specialist Ward has found that 62% of respondents have made no preparations for Simpler Recycling legislation, coming into force early 2025.

Minister for Climate Change Kerry McCarthy has visited a major National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) project in Bristol which is upgrading vital infrastructure that will benefit tens of thousands of residents.

Major changes in the global political and economic landscape have put the spotlight on sustainability at an international level.

Young people from a special educational needs school have gained valuable employability skills thanks to a work experience project supported by business lender UKSE.

Mayor Dan Norris has announced £2.3 million of funding for environmental projects across the West of England that will enhance nature, improve public health, and mitigate against the impact of climate change.

Wyevale Nurseries’ Sales and Marketing Director Kersten Catella has been selected to speak about her industry experience and leadership role at an inspirational ‘Women in Horticulture’ event next month.

Regenerative farming could provide the answer to healthier soils, farm business resilience and food security. And a major new conference which seeks to explore these links is offering a £5,000 prize fund to help farmers to make the transition to a regenerative farming system.

Cheltenham-based recycling firm Printwaste is alerting local businesses about potential penalties if they don't prepare for upcoming changes to food waste legislation, as it introduces a new in-house food waste collection service aimed at promoting compliance, hygiene and sustainability.

Businesses have met in Manchester to hear how a new law to protect and enhance nature will impact property development.

Local business Combe Garden is helping families reduce the carbon footprint of the food they eat, just one of the many small businesses helping to drive progress in the UK’s journey to Net Zero.

The West of England is set to launch its Local Nature Recovery Strategy on Thursday, 7 November, at the West of England Nature Partnership conference supported by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

Leading Warwickshire green energy specialists Stratford Energy Solutions are delivering a pioneering project which will save a local school more than £1million.

Milton Park has been named as one of the country’s most sustainable innovation communities, thanks to its initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and maximise biodiversity. 

It was a night of double celebration for Peter and Jenny Olds of Cornhill Farm as they took home the trophy for ‘Best Commercial Farmer’ and were crowned ‘Cornwall’s Farmers of the Year 2024’, sponsored by Stephens Scown, at Addington Fund’s Cornwall Farm Business Awards last week.

An award-winning Somerset-based waste management company has invested £220,000+ in two new items of equipment to help it increase its efficiency when transporting larger quantities of waste material.

From 31 March 2025, the UK Government is introducing ‘Simpler Recycling’ legislation - and many businesses in the Southwest will need to ensure that all food waste is segregated from other waste.

Team members at Allison Homes South West, a leading housebuilder in the region, have been helping to keep a Devon beach clean of litter.

A Chester-based ecology consultancy company is the latest organisation to be acquired by Inflexion-backed Celnor Group.

Heatio, a Liverpool-based cleantech startup, has been named Equity-Backed StartUp of the Year.

On Wednesday 25 September, managing director of The Gardens Group, Mike Burks, was presented with the Pearson Memorial Medal by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).

Inyanga Marine Energy Group has successfully completed hydrodynamic testing of the revolutionary Passive Pitch Unit for its patented HydroWing technology.

With a strong focus on sustainability at this year’s UK Construction Week Birmingham show (NEC, October 1st to 3rd), the organisers has announced a brand new Net Zero Trail which will highlight the latest eco innovations and ideas driving the construction industry towards a net zero future, which visitors can seek out across the UKCW show floor.

Wyevale Nurseries’ Sales and Marketing Director Kersten Catella has been voted on to the board of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and will serve a term of five years with the trade body.

Liberty Recycling Solutions (LRS) is excited to announce the launch of its innovative automated recycling solution, specifically designed to address the rapidly growing problem of lithium-ion waste and starting its journey in being the first operator with the capability to recycle vape waste in an automated, safe and sustainable way.

Metal recycling and waste management specialist, Ward, is seeking views from businesses on new Simpler Recycling legislation, set to come into effect from 31st March 2025, as part of the government’s Resources and Waste Strategy.

A host of volunteers have rolled up their sleeves and dug in to help progress the £4.1m Stafford Brooks biodiversity scheme enabling wildlife and nature to flourish in the town.

An innovative collaboration project between industry leaders has been given the go ahead which aims to accelerate the generation and use of green hydrogen on industrial sites and take a step closer to a greener future.

Westerleigh Group has taken a significant step towards safeguarding its living memorial and tree collection by using industry-leading software.

Blackfinch Energy, in collaboration with BPG Energy, is proud to announce that the Bradley 2 Wind Farm in Deuchries, Aberdeenshire, is now providing clean, renewable energy to several of the UK’s most renowned high street names and 5-star hotels.

A leading British commercial nursery is creating a new reservoir to help capture, store and recycle more water while also protecting the environment and reducing flooding around its Hereford site.

An office block in Bedminster has turned its roof into a “renewable power station” by installing money-saving, carbon-cutting solar panels thanks to funding from Dan Norris’s West of England Mayoral Authority.

Local businesses could receive a multi-million-pound boost if a proposed solar development near Newark is approved.

A journey to sustainability that started with a summer holiday read has led to Crossbank Dental Care in Kendal being awarded Green Small Business certification, an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) benchmark in sustainable and environmental excellence.

The new cooperative for environmentally-minded farmers is now looking for more members

Leicestershire developer Morro Partnerships has recently cemented its pledge to become better environment makers after sealing its sustainability partnership with waste management experts Bakers Environmental Solutions.

Cornwall-based Fishy Filaments, the world’s first recycler to transform end-of-life fishing nets into high-value materials for 3D printing and injection moulding, is launching its latest Crowdcube campaign to fund the next phase of its award-winning growth.

Midlands-based metal recycling and waste management specialist, Ward, has extended its contract with Nottinghamshire-headquartered Arc Partnership for another two years, following a successful two-year alliance.

A group of sustainably minded students have worked with experts from E.ON Control Solutions (ECS) to help make new energy work for future generations at Parrs Wood High School in Greater Manchester.

Following a successful first season, farmer’s wellbeing podcast Keeping on Track is making its return – with the support of leading agricultural law firm Thrings.