Each year, our Chamber Events Team co-ordinates and delivers an impressive 200+ events for the business community. That averages out at around four events per week, hosted at our Commerce House office in Festival Park, and a mix of other venues across the entire county.
For many delegates, networking is a prime reason for attending events with the chance to make new contacts and hopefully open up the potential for new customer sales. Another reason for joining our events is to learn more around a specific topic, giving us the chance to educate and inform our members.
We recently asked our British Chambers’ of Commerce (BCC) colleagues to press Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), to deliver a webinar on the topic of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Simpler Recycling.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation will place the onus on packaging producers to fund the full cost of managing packaging waste. This includes collecting, sorting, treating, and recycling. Brand owners and producers will now cover these costs.
Simpler Recycling requires all businesses and relevant non-domestic premises with 10 or more full-time employees to separate card, glass, paper, plastic, and metals (cans, tins and foil) and food waste from general waste, saving resources from going to waste and supporting the circular economy in the UK.
We very much recognise the aspirations of EPR and Simpler Recycling in developing a truly circular economy, as well as driving the need to promote sustainable packaging practice. However, we do have real concerns about the cost impact on businesses, who are still reeling from some of the announcements made in the Autumn 2024 Budget, such as increases to employer National Insurance Contributions (NIC). One of our members has estimated that EPR will lead to an additional annual increase of more than £800,000.
As a Chamber, we have written to Rt Hon Steve Reed, (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), to raise our concerns about the way EPR is being implemented. Lack of awareness and lack of clarity around the costs involved, is extremely unhelpful and does little to boost business confidence.
DEFRA recently delivered a webinar on EPR and Simpler Recycling, exclusively open to Chamber members. You can view the slides from the webinar, through our website:
Energy, Environment & Sustainability Forum – Staffordshire Chambers
During 2024, we started to deliver a number of Big Business Breakfast events, which grew in popularity over the year. We brought together a group of inspirational guest speakers, including James Timpson OBE, the boss of the Timpson Group and renowned economist, Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research
Big Business Breakfast events have focused on a number of business themes including how to develop an inspirational culture in your organisation, business finance and funding and a review of local economic performance.
Our next Big Business Breakfast of 2025 takes place on Friday 20th June 2025 and will have a theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a topic that seems to be on everyone’s lips. Keep an eye on our events calendar as tickets go on sale shortly!
