Green Economy: Who are we and what’s it all about?

Following our launch event, Green Economy director Amy House gives a recap on what Green Economy is all about, who we’re looking to partner with, and what you can expect from us over the coming months.

After more than a year of development, Green Economy is officially live and kicking – and not a moment too soon. The starting gun for the race to net zero has been fired, opening up a £350-400 billion dash to decarbonise our homes, workspaces, transport networks and energy systems. There are already over 75,000 businesses waiting in the wings with the solutions and services we need, and many more are on the way.

This burgeoning green sector is not only the answer to the climate and environmental crises we face, but also a huge employer with the potential to create prosperity in every corner of the country.

However, we face some huge challenges, and I’m not just talking about COVID-19 and the general state of the economy. The UK is already falling behind on its climate targets, there are massive gaps in policy and legislation, and confusion around how to proceed with the huge tasks ahead.

What that means on the ground, at a local level, is that there continues to be a nagging market failure around the uptake of green and low carbon technology. Those that recognise the need to invest are unsure where to turn, while many suppliers are either unaware of the opportunities within their grasp, or simply can’t access them.

That’s where Green Economy comes in.

Who we are

Green Economy was established with a singular vision – to build a greener, net zero economy powered by local suppliers. We have set out to support both buyers and suppliers of green technologies and services by strengthening supply chains, connecting up local opportunities and addressing the market failures I’ve outlined above.

Steering this ship is a fantastic crew of chartered environmentalists, consultants and sector experts who together have over 40 years’ experience supporting green technologies and services businesses. We started life in Greater Manchester as part of GC Business Growth Hub, where we nurtured the growth of a thriving green sector that is now the strongest outside of London, and now we’re looking to replicate that work across the country.

To sum up our approach, we operate across five pillars:

1. Drive Green Economy growth by providing business support and market intelligence, embedding best practice and upskilling people across the sector
2. Build the sector and supply chain by unifying the sector through our online Marketplace and encouraging collaboration
3. Improve access to sales opportunities by helping buyers to navigate the complexities of the sector and ensuring opportunities are accessible to all
4. Increase confidence to buy green by showcasing the best the sector has to offer, demystifying technologies and supporting buyers with procurement
5. Support the delivery of net zero policies by strengthening policymakers’ knowledge of local and regional capabilities.

What we do

Our Marketplace is a catch-all directory of installers, equipment suppliers and solution providers covering every need – from electric vehicle charging to LED lighting, waste management and beyond. Users can search by location, accreditation and more than 70 different services to identify their perfect project partner.

Our Sales Hub provides members with a direct link to sales opportunities, tenders and frameworks seeking green suppliers and installers. For larger public or private sector buyers, our advisors can help to identify local supply chain capabilities, communicate requirements and support the end-to-end procurement process (see an example below).

We will also soon be launching a packed events programme, offering our supplier members access to workshops, intelligence webinars, networking opportunities and meet-the-buyer sessions to grow their business.

It doesn’t end there. Our Green Intelligence service keeps subscribers up-to-date with the latest environmental news, case studies and thought leadership, and there are many more exciting plans in the works (watch this space!).

Don’t just take it from me

To give you a flavour of the sort of work we do, I’d like to highlight some kind words from Alan Jones, Business Development Manager at E.ON, who spoke at our official launch event in June. E.ON have been working in partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority on domestic retrofit projects across the city region and needed support to involve local installers in the process.

Here’s what Alan had to say:

“One of the things we’re really keen to do at E.ON is get local supply chain partners involved in the work we’re doing to ensure the local pound is kept within the local economy. But this isn’t easy for a business of our scale. We face challenges around identifying local suppliers, many of whom have limited capacity and cashflow, a lack of knowledge of industry requirements and limited resource to complete what has traditionally been a really onerous onboarding process.

“To overcome these challenges, we’ve simplified our processes and introduced dedicated support for SMEs. However, if we tried to communicate all of this ourselves, the likelihood of local SMEs actually hearing about it is very small.

“Working in partnership with Green Economy has been really valuable because they have been able to communicate with local businesses on our behalf and get people coming forward. They also helped to organise local supply chain engagement events and provide assistance to those companies completing the onboarding process. It has been incredibly beneficial – we simply wouldn’t have been able to work with local suppliers as much as we have been if it wasn’t for their support.”

So there you have it: supporting the drive to net zero, and providing social value for a major buyer at the same time, by unlocking opportunities for local suppliers. That’s us in a nutshell.

Which one are you?

We’re looking to grow our membership base and collaborate with a range of partners in our launch year:

• Green suppliers across all sub-sectors: Whether you’re an established green tech installer or a budding start-up, we want to help you showcase your products and services. Join us as a member to get a profile on the website and access exclusive sales and training opportunities, and don’t forget subscribe to Green Intelligence.
• Buyers of all sizes (including those who need a helping hand): We have an important role to play in making sure more businesses understand the transition to net zero and can confidently use our Marketplace to procure the goods and services they need on their journey. If you’re reading this and interested in keeping up with everything green and net zero, sign up to Green Intelligence. If you already know what you need, the Marketplace is ready and waiting.
• Funders and partners: We are looking for funding partners aligned with our vision to grow the green economy and shared values to bolster our activity and enable us to reach and support more businesses. If that sounds like you, get in touch with us for a chat.

You can also follow us on social media via Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to say hello and get the latest updates. Welcome to the Green Economy family!