Social Enterprise Eco Park - Business Plan and Feasibility Study

Overview

Executive Summary

The current global economic situation and pressures to reduce the impact and cost of climate change are resulting in a rethink of local economies, local jobs and resource use. Social enterprises are at the forefront of this transition and offer a model that incorporates charitable objectives with a business focus, raising revenues that will support local economic and social needs. Environmental social enterprises go one step further providing triple bottom line benefits of environment, society and the economy.

This plan sets out a replicable model for an eco park for social enterprises; the vision is of a high performance business park, built or retrofitted to high environmental standards, enabling a range of social enterprises to co-locate and share expertise and resources, linking with universities and entrepreneurs to provide an incubator and knowledge hub for new social enterprises.

The aim is to enable mainstreaming of self-sustaining social enterprises and maximise the creation of new local employment and training, targeting those not in employment, education or training. The focus of the park is on product reuse, material recycling, renewable energy and low carbon retrofit. The park will also provide legitimate end-of-life solutions to the business community, such as take-back options, repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing.

This business plan serves not only as a specific plan for the establishment of such a park in the East Midlands but also sets out a viable vision for the future which maximises environmental, social and economic wellbeing.

The potential economic and environmental benefits of the park include: creation of around 130 new jobs and 160 training and volunteer placements; local economic development which diverts around 9,000 tonnes of landfill a year and delivers around 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide savings; and a centre for innovation that showcases sustainability in its own operations whilst maximising the wider benefits to be gained from the co-location of different green enterprises on the same site.

Published June 2009
Pages 3

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