Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest
Date: Wednesday 18th September 2024
Time: 10am to 2.30pm
Price: Fully funded by Cumberland Council (lunch and refreshments included) – businesses from outside of Cumberland can attend but charges will apply
Venue: Lakes College, Hallwood Road, Workington, CA14 4JN
“Business as usual will not be possible due to climate change” Deborah Meaden, Entrepreneur and ‘Dragon’
Climate damage and legislation will impact every business:
– The right to Buy
– The right to Sell
– Availability and Cost Impacts
The reality is that whilst much ‘sustainability’ (ESG) legislation is currently focused toward larger organisations, and reporting requirements are not yet impacting SMEs this legislation and the actions of these larger companies will have an impact on SMEs to the point that business as usual will not be viable for most within 5 to 10 years. This session was inspired by a SME Manufacturer who closed their doors because they didn’t see the upcoming impact of sustainability.
Building on the speakers acclaimed keynote ‘Adapt or Die’ this session is aimed at SMEs to help them protect their future with the tools, to:
- assess the risks in Your business
- build risk mitigation and adaptation plans
- identify opportunities for growth
Part 1:
The first part of the workshop is a presentation on the issues around ESG and some specific examples of the impact (case study example and how it can impact manufacturing and service businesses).
Part 2:
The proposal is then a worked exercise around these risks, mitigation and adaptation, leaving attendees with the tools to take back to their own businesses.
Part 3: One of the risks (covered in Part 1, above) is the downward supply chain pressure that will impact most SMEs. More and more companies (incl. Government, NHS etc.) are asking of their suppliers what they are doing; what is their sustainability plan?
And many SMEs have neither the expertise nor resource to confidently respond. Therefore, Part 3 will go through a framework to help attendees build a credible response and inform their own sustainability plans.