5th November 2024
ReLondon is proud to be partnering with Southwark Council to support 16 forward-thinking high street businesses in the London Borough of Southwark to implement ideas that tackle the stuff they or their customers buy, make, use and throw away, while also helping their business to grow.
16 businesses, including two local markets, have been awarded grants of approximately £5k from the Southwark Pioneers Fund to trial practices that reduce waste and increase reuse, repair, rental and recycling. Projects were selected for their potential to strengthen business performance and contribute to local employment and place-making – demonstrating the variety of local benefits that circular economy practices can create.
ReLondon’s pan-London High Streets Beyond Waste grant programme will feed into a blueprint for a ‘zero waste’ high street – paving the way for high streets across the country to follow suit and drive innovation and economic growth.
Leveraging local funding opportunities to support everyday businesses
Having previously delivered support to Southwark’s early-stage entrepreneurs in prior rounds of the fund, Southwark Council wanted to extend its support to the existing, everyday businesses at the centre of the borough’s community.
They saw the transformational potential of helping high street businesses make better use of physical ‘stuff’ – including strengthening the resilience and innovation capacity of small, local businesses, increasing green skills and job opportunities in the borough, and improving resident access to ‘low waste’ products and services.
Leveraging the groundwork laid by ReLondon’s pan-London High Streets Beyond Waste grants programme, Southwark recruited ReLondon to run a similar programme specifically for Southwark-based high street businesses, using funding from the Southwark Pioneers Fund. Businesses were invited to attend one of three bespoke ‘beyond waste’ workshops run by ReLondon to craft practical ‘zero-waste’ ideas, before applying for grant funding to implement them.
Learnings from this programme will support teams across the council to achieve their goals for the local area – from local economies, markets, climate and waste, to public health, licensing and transport.
Meet the businesses going beyond waste
Here’s how these Southwark businesses are putting their grants to good use:
Reducing single use packaging for Londoners
Origin Coffee and NoNo Coffee are both exploring reusable coffee cups, tackling the issue of reuse and return, while BYO are making it easier to shop packaging free with a new line of refillable frozen foods.
Tackling food waste
Sollip is using food waste for new products; while The Flygerians are using technology to get on top of their orders and inventory to avoid throwing things out. Hej Coffee is looking at making good use of their coffee grounds!
Keeping clothes in use
Handmade Stories, Lowie, and Edy and Bridge are all small, local clothes shops working to keep clothes in use for as long as possible through resale, redesign and reusing fabric scraps.
Greener, cleaner markets
Blue Bermondsey and East Street Market are making the markets better-looking, greener place to be for their traders and customers through improved recycling facilities and ‘zero-waste’ community activities.
Solving business problems through ‘zero-waste’ initiatives
Bermondsey Social Club are removing the headache of dealing with ice deliveries by making their own; Origin Tattoo London and Arcade Hair Salon are taking measures to reduce unnecessary single-use items specific to their trades; Dulwich Physio is keeping rehab equipment in use through rental and resale; and easyGym Camberwell is upgrading customers’ experience by making low-waste options available.
Cllr John Batteson Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Jobs and BusinessSouthwark’s fantastic local businesses have a key role to play in meeting our environmental targets and the council is determined to help them succeed. The 16 businesses who have been awarded this grant funding have shown their commitment to reducing waste and inspired others with their innovative plans to change their own companies. I’m delighted that this funding has been awarded and I look forward to seeing the projects progress.
Wayne Hubbard CEO, LondonTransitioning to a circular economy can’t happen without including the kinds of high street-based businesses and services we all use every day. Southwark’s high streets sit right at the heart of the borough’s local communities, so the impacts of reducing waste, and reusing, repairing, and sharing more stuff are felt at a local level, with tangible benefits for the businesses themselves and the people they serve. It’s fantastic to see how these 16 businesses who represent a range of sectors and use different materials are paving the way for Southwark’s high streets to move beyond waste.
Want to get involved?
ReLondon has over seven years’ experience helping small businesses realise the commercial benefits of making better use of ‘stuff’. We offer advice, training and funding through a dedicated in-house team.
Our approach is designed to be replicated across London and continuously evolve the blueprint for resilient, circular high streets of the future.
Get in touch if you’d like to bring the benefits of the circular economy to businesses in your area at business@relondon.gov.uk .
