Winchester: Green growth funding creates 220 jobs in the south

The annual Future South conference and expo, taking place this year on November 4 at Winchester Guildhall, will showcase how recipients of £36.5 million in green-growth grants, loans and other much-needed funding are moving ahead with their expansion plans, and on how the investments channelled through Future South have made possible the creation of 220 jobs at more than 130 small and medium-sized low-carbon firms.

Future South is a partnership of businesses leaders, technologists, academics and local authorities. Former business secretary Sir Vince Cable will be the keynote speaker at its conference.

Grant recipients have included the Hampshire food packaging specialist KCC. It helps retailers to replace petroleum-based plastics and aluminium foil used in ready-meal trays with a 100% compostable alternative. To service demand, the company is opening a 7,500 sq ft office and production hub in Eastleigh.

Kevin Clarke, KCC’s managing director, said: “Green growth funding helped make our product more credible with major retailers in the UK who have taken an interest in what we are doing. We’re now opening a production line to manage output for a blue chip US chain. This is in turn creating jobs for British companies which make the specialised manufacturing equipment we have designed to suit our process.”

Other funding recipients have included The Recycled Assets Company, a fast-growing social enterprise which provides relocation and logistics support. Its services include helping business clients clear out furniture and equipment and convert confidential waste into energy-efficient, burnable briquettes.

Another grantee has been SEaB Energy, an anaerobic digestion specialist based on the University of Southampton Science Park, which employs 22 people and exports its waste-to-energy technology to Portugal and the USA. 

Sandra Sassow, its chief executive, said: “Our grant has been vital for the growth of the company. It provided us with a catalyst to establish a prototyping and production facility with a small laboratory where we run our own experiments on anaerobic digestion. It enabled us to create seven new jobs and ramp up production of our Flexibuster system which we have now started exporting. This is already producing energy from waste at a supermarket in Portugal.”

The average salary of the 220 jobs so far created under funding distributed by Future South is £30,000 a year. The partnership has attracted more than £30m in government and private investment and created Greentech South, the UK’s first ‘environment and energy cluster’, a dedicated EU-recognised network designed to support low-carbon business.

Alongside the annual conference will be an exhibition of smart green technologies under development or already on the market. Exhibitors will include SEaB, The Recycled Assets Company, and the Southampton-based Bowman Power Group which designs and manufactures technology to improve the fuel efficiency of diesel generators worldwide.

Stewart Dunn, Future South chairman, said: “Our work is all about encouraging a partnership approach to sustainable energy and innovation across the south. We’re thrilled to be welcoming contacts old and new for what we fully expect will be a fascinating day of presentations, networking and exhibitions.”

The memory of David Green, one of the founders of the partnership, will be honoured with the launch of an award in his name. Entrants working on innovations in the low-carbon field may be individuals, businesses or community groups. The winner will be announced at the conference, which is this year sponsored jointly by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. 

For more information about the conference or David Green Award, visit www.futuresouth.org or email [email protected].