72 ENERGY
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On top of that Miranda predicts that sooner or later there will be serious carbon taxation. “It is coming down the road,” she adds.
Burnley College’s new Low Carbon Hub has been set up to help business meet the challenges of transitioning to a greener future, including offering hands-on training for workers.
Neil Burrows, assistant principal and head of Themis, the college’s apprenticeship training arm, says: “There’s a green revolution taking place in business. Every business out there is going to have to adopt sustainability measures.
“Firstly, customers are now ever more vocal in their demands to see what environmental and sustainable policies your company has and, if you don’t listen to your customers, you won’t have a business for long.
“Plus, the supply chain is placing much more emphasis on sustainability and actively doing business with those who can prove their green credentials.
“Also, it is becoming an increasingly important ethical choice for a company. If you want your business to survive long into the future, we have
to put measures in place now to protect the planet so there is a future.”
The project is specifically aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to develop a low or net-zero carbon plan – unlocking future markets and opportunities.
If you want your
business to survive you have to be on top of your energy use
The college has established a centre of excellence for sustainability, focusing on the key areas vital to supporting businesses in the move toward a more sustainable future.
Training and development courses provide opportunities for managers to fully understand energy management and explore green solutions.
The hub is also filled with energy technology, from ground heat pumps to solar batteries, and other examples of the infrastructure
which could help businesses reduce their environmental impact.
The initiative is being funded through the Strategic Development Fund, led by The Lancashire Colleges. It is being supported by Blackburn College, Lancaster and Morecambe College and West Lancashire College.
Lancashire County Council is also involved in various initiatives towards the transition of the county’s economy away from carbon by 2030.
As part of that work, it is developing a commission to bring in specialist external expertise to support an understanding of future developments at its key sites, such as the Samlesbury Enterprise Zone.
A spokesperson says: “This involves looking at a host of measures that could be delivered on site, such as EV charging and other infrastructure sustainability measures.
“As well as reducing carbon and increasing sustainability, the aim is to make the sites more desirable to current and future occupiers. It could also help companies to achieve their corporate social responsibilities, potentially reduce energy costs and help to attract and retain a local workforce in an increasingly competitive labour market.”
GIVING A HELPING HAND
It is not just businesses that have been hit by the impact of soaring energy bills. Workers in companies across the county are also feeling the squeeze.
One business has moved to help ease that pressure on its staff. In April the Tangerine Group pledged to give a weekly energy subsidy of up to £40 to its hardest hit employees.
Employees earning under £25,000 have been receiving £40 a week, and those earning between £25,000 and £34,995, £25 a week.
The move came as a direct response to rising costs globally and, in particular soaring gas and electricity bills compounded by the war in the Ukraine.
The payment covers 89 employees, more than half of Tangerine’s workforce at the Lytham-based headquarters, where its businesses, including VetPlus, operate from.
In June the group posted another year of record growth and profits, with a 27 per cent increase in turnover and pre-tax operating profits up by 58.3 per cent for its financial year ending June 2021.
The family-owned business, founded by current owner and chairman David Haythornthwaite, is a leading manufacturer and exporter of animal health and nutritional products. It manufactures all its products in purpose-built facilities in Lytham.
It has grown consistently over its 27-year history and the latest results represent its most successful year-to-date, with revenue growth driven by higher levels of pet ownership globally, and significant growth in the Asian markets where it has a strong on- the-ground presence in the region.
Announcing the energy initiative David Haythornthwaite said: “When we saw the news about the rise in energy prices, we felt it was important that we took action to directly help those employees who would be hardest hit.
“There has been a lot in the media about the need for the government to do something and for those employed in the public sector, I would agree.
losing a single day, in itself, a remarkable achievement. While others have used Covid as an excuse for not going to work, our teams have stood up and got stuck in.”
In its 25-year history, the family-owned business has increased turnover and profit year on year and has a global presence in 42 countries.
We felt it was important that
we took action to directly help those employees who would be hardest hit
David Haythornthwaite
“However, in the private sector where we operate, I feel very strongly that this is down to individual employers to step up to the plate and play our part. As John F Kennedy famously said, ‘ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’”
He added: “We are proud of our team - they’re like family and have been hard- working and loyal throughout the pandemic, so we believe it’s only right for the business to support them.”
In a letter to employees David said: “We have continued to operate throughout Covid without
Julie Dillon, a mum of two teenagers, has worked in the canteen at Tangerine Group’s head offices for the past decade.
She said: “Everything has gone up, energy bills, food, petrol. We try our best to keep to a budget but our household has definitely felt the impact. There’s not much left at the end of the month to put away and save or spend on doing something nice with the kids.
“When we were given the news that Tangerine was going to support us with an additional energy subsidy, I genuinely got goosebumps. I never expected the company to do it. It’s such a massive help and I’m really grateful.”
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