Register for the workshop on our Eventbrite page or join the workshop on Microsoft Teams
Are you interested in reducing the environmental impact of your business but not sure how to go about it? Then come along to the last of our free Net Zero Pathway to Change workshops on Thursday 28 July to learn how to use life cycle assessment tools and smart product design to meet your business’ net zero goals.
The two-hour workshop, led by Dr Rob Barker, expert in Chemistry and Forensic Science at the University of Kent, will follow on from Part 1 in which attendees were introduced to the concept of life cycle assessment and how the process can be used to improve the sustainability of their own businesses.
In Part 1, Rob explained that a Life Cycle Assessment is ‘a systematic analysis of the potential environmental impacts of a product/process/service through its entire life cycle’. This means that when businesses conduct an assessment, they must consider:
- The resources they use (e.g. electricity, gas, water and raw materials), where they come from and how efficient this source is;
- Transportation of products, the raw materials used to make them and the waste from the production process;
- The manufacturing of packaging, how it is transported and whether it is easily recyclable;
- The different types of waste they produce and how this is disposed of.
In Part 2, businesses will have the opportunity to discuss the findings of their own evaluations completed in the time between sessions using the University of Kent self-assessment guide (Word, 90.82MB). Attendees will then split into groups to assess the sustainable improvements that could be conducted within a case study business before regrouping to discuss the findings of each group and explore the viability of the factors identified.
The workshop will take place from 10am-12pm on Thursday 28 July at Canterbury Innovation Centre. Those who cannot attend in person will be given the option to join online via a Microsoft Teams link. We recommend that participants complete the self-assessment guide before attending to get the most out of the session.
The Net Zero Pathway to Change workshops are part of a wider programme, funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund and led by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Kent County Council and the University of Kent, to support SMEs within the Local Authority areas of Swale, Gravesham and Canterbury to identify, adapt and implement measures that reduce their carbon emissions. As such, businesses from these areas who attend the workshops are able -and encouraged- to apply for £5k funding to continue to access support from University of Kent academics to take further steps towards meeting their net zero goals.