Sharing best practice, overcoming hurdles and seizing the benefits in achieving net zero, sustainability and governance goals were among areas addressed by the region’s business leaders and academics at the East Midlands Sustainability and CSR Conference 2025 on 11th September.
Delivered by East Midlands Chamber, in partnership with and hosted by the University of Derby, with sponsors Epson UK, Blueprint, Flogas (part of DCC Energy) and Geo Green Power, the conference brought businesses and researchers together to share insight, experiential evidence and data in the context of the current economic and political climate.
Initial findings from soon to be published research, conducted by the University of Derby and East Midlands Chamber into the extent to which the region’s firms have embraced Green Growth were shared. The full report – Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands – is expected to be released shortly.
East Midlands Chamber Director of Policy and Insight Richard Blackmore chaired panel discussions on community support. Speaking afterwards he said: “Getting firms from across the East Midlands together in a place where the very latest research can be presented, where businesses can share what’s going well in their own journey toward becoming more sustainable and embracing CSR, but also hearing of the challenges they’ve faced is invaluable.
“While firms are progressing on that path, the conference proved there are important conversations to be had to get the approach right so that it does not just tick a box but brings significant benefit to a business. Sharing best practice from multiple industries and sizes of firm, engaging with academics that are analysing findings and having open discussions in workshops can only be productive.”
University of Derby Associate Professor of Strategy and Sustainability Dr Polina Baranova shared findings from the latest East Midlands Chamber and University of Derby research into Green Growth Trends, now in its tenth year and expected to be published soon. Speaking afterwards she said: “In academia we talk about impact. The partnership with the University of Derby and East Midlands Chamber on conducting Green Growth Trends research has been going on for more than ten years now. What we do is impactful, is helpful to lots of stakeholders around the region and that’s what research is all about, as far as I’m concerned.
“What we’re seeing generally is that businesses are increasingly trading in green goods and services so the market for green goods and services is developing well. When there is more competition, more engagement from businesses, consumers buy products and carbon reduction is applied, that is a positive sign.”
Spenbeck Co-owner, Sustainability and Building Health Consultant Becky Valentine gave a talk on approaches to effective governance. Speaking afterwards she said: “This conference has been hugely important. We hear of the lack of perceived collaboration opportunities – addressing that is what it’s all about at a conference like this, bringing data into the room, bringing the concerns of businesses into the room, bringing everybody together to actually move forward in a meaningful, purposeful way, rather than doing it in a silo. Across a region the size of the East Midlands, bringing all the powerhouses together to make it happen is good.”
Geo Green Power Managing Director James Cunningham gave a talk on resilience and growth through engagement with CSR and sustainability. Speaking afterwards he said: “When people come together from different places, different walks of life, different parts of industry, that’s something I like. You’ve got people who are customers, people who have experienced and know what’s involved with installing renewable technology and reducing their carbon footprint. You’ve got people that are starting to learn about it, they know a bit but maybe there are a few myths they’re trying to debunk.
“It’s amazing to get lots of people with the same frame of mind in a room, who are feeling positive about ESG and know that this is a very real issue we face in climate change.”
Flogas (part of DCC Energy) Strategic Energy Partner Jasvinder Aujla gave a talk on overcoming challenges businesses face in reaching sustainability and CSR goals. Speaking afterwards she said: “The conference was an eye-opener for me, even though I’ve been in the industry for so long. The work that is being done by companies around nature-based solutions, for example, was eye-opening. There’s a lot to learn from events like this.”
Samworth Brothers Community Engagement Lead Karen Holdsworth took part in a discussion on the role played by community support. Afterwards she said: “For more and more people coming in as a potential recruit, questions often asked are: ‘what is your volunteering policy? Can I get involved in volunteering? Do you partner with any charities?’
“It’s really important and perhaps more important than ever because charities are struggling. It’s time for businesses to step in and it doesn’t have to be a monetary donation. Contribution can be time, can be a product or can be skills.”
Epson UK Corporate Sustainability Manager Taranpreet Rai shared insight from Epson UK’s approach to environmental sustainability and community engagement. Afterwards they said: “There are a lot of different things people can do but taking sustainability and CSR in bite-sized chunks is the most important thing because it is so vast and expansive. Consider: ‘what’s within my realm? What do I have control over?’ Then change those things first instead of trying to change everything overnight.
“Having like-minded people at the conference to talk about things that are going wrong or right for them is helpful. That’s something not spoken about enough – things going wrong. It means you can find solutions. Sometimes all it takes is change in one area and then you can try something again and it works.”
Loughborough University Lecturer in Accounting and Finance and Small Business Engagement Co-ordinator Dr Elaine Conway shared insight on CSR engagement. Afterwards she said: “CSR can be everything – there is reputational benefit to a business on one hand but ultimately it’s staff helping and volunteering. It can benefit retention – there are new ideas coming into the business. You can look at ways a charity can help in training your employees with something they may need, like marketing support.
“It hits your bottom line because you’re not necessarily paying for those things but you’re trading together in a relationship and just making it work so much more effectively.”
Speakers & Panelists at the 2025 East Midlands Sustainability and CSR conference:
- Dawn Whitemore – President, East Midlands Chamber
- Richard Blackmore – Director of Policy and Insight, East Midlands Chamber
- Professor Christopher Bussell – Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby
- Dr Polina Baranova – Associate Professor of Strategy and Sustainability, University of Derby
- Becky Valentine – Co-owner, Sustainability and Building Health Consultant, Spenbeck
- James Cunningham – Managing Director, Geo Green Power
- Jasvinder Aujla – Strategic Energy Partner, Flogas (part of DCC Energy)
- Sally Ann Hurn – Head of Sustainability, Duncan and Toplis
- Dr Barbara Tomasella – Deputy Lead for Sustainability and Green Growth Research Cluster, University of Derby
- Dr Elaine Conway – Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, Small Business Engagement Co-ordinator, Loughborough University
- Greg Brown – Strategic Energy Partner, Flogas (part of DCC Energy)
- Ellie Field – Nature Economy Manager, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
- Taran Rai – Corporate Sustainability Manager, Epson UK
- Karen Holdsworth – Community Engagement Lead, Samworth Brothers
