Register of Interests

BioRegional was established with the aim of taking an entrepreneurial approach to bringing local sustainability into the mainstream of our everyday lives.

The parent organisation is the environmental charity, BioRegional Development Group which focuses on research, education and building working examples of how sustainable products and services can be made economically viable and easier for people to adopt. Where opportunities to bring further environmental benefit have existed, the charity has been able to establish related businesses which have grown out of the work of the charity, often with experienced BioRegional project staff running these operations. All businesses which carry the BioRegional name retain some relationship with the parent charity through licensing of the name and some form of profit-sharing agreement, so that in the longer term income can be generated for the charity to continue to do its good work. This enables the group as a whole to encourage both the entrepreneurship and the environmental leadership required to make sustainability part of the mainstream.

Each BioRegional business is structured to reflect the needs of the industry and the stakeholders. Charity trustees are not able to have commercial interests in the BioRegional businesses, retaining the charity’s independence and the ultimate integrity of the BioRegional brand.

Below is a short description of the group’s activities, together with a register of staff interests in BioRegional businesses where this represents more than 1% of the company or organisation.

BioRegional Development Group
Registered charity with a board of trustees. Established 1994.

BioRegional Charcoal Company Ltd
Company trading in local wood products including charcoal and firewood in the UK. BRCC was established in 1995 and has private shareholders but all voting rights remain with the charity. Pooran Desai is a director of BRCC and holds 8% of the company’s shares. Charity trustee Sarah Purdy is also a Director of BRCC.

BioRegional MiniMills (UK) Ltd
Paper technology company with a shareholding that includes venture capitalists, paper companies, individual experts and BioRegional Development Group. The company was established in 1997. Sue Riddlestone is a Director of BRMM and holds 12% of the shares. BioRegional Development Group hold 33% of the shares.

BioRegional Consulting Ltd
This is a wholly owned subsidiary of the charity established in 2004 offering consultancy services as required, including to local authorities, retailers and other charities. Directors of the company company are employees Joanna Hills and Ben Gill, as well as former employee Jo Taylor and charity trustee Andrew Hope. Ben Gill is company secretary.

BioRegional Quintain Ltd
A property development company which employs the 10 principles underlying One Planet Living is backed by leading UK property developer, Quintain Estates and Developments PLC. Established in 2005, the charity owns 16% of the shares. Pooran Desai is a director of this company and owns 16% of the shares with any profits from his shareholding applied to charitable and environmental projects.

One Planet Products Ltd
As well as being a project within the charity BioRegional has set up a not for profit members owned club that provides its members with a mechanism through which they will be able to purchase environmental products, materials and services more cost effectively and more easily, as well as give assistance in meeting EcoHomes build standards. Directors include BioRegional employees Mark Watson, Nicole Lazarus and representatives of other member organisations. Mark Watson is company secretary.

BioRegional Forestry
A partnership established by former charity employees, Nick Shanks and Mark McCallum, offering sustainable forestry services and wood products in London and the South East of England. Established in 2002, 10% of profits are gift-aided to the charity. The partnership now also employs former charity employee, Tony Button.

Last updated 6th February 2008