Description:
What is the BASIS Project?
The Birmingham and
Solihull Industrial Symbiosis Project, or BASIS, aims to create a diverse
network of businesses across the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP),
with the aim of supporting their transition to become more resource
efficient and cost-effective business.
The project is funded
through the European Union’s ERDF framework and is led by Birmingham City
Council. International Synergies is the primary delivery partner and will be
responsible for the engagement with industry to provide resource efficiency
support. The focus of the project will be working with SMEs and identifying
opportunities to delivery industrial symbiosis benefits within the network,
forming the mechanism for delivering the required project outputs of business
assists (12 hours).
The Industrial Symbiosis approach seeks to work closely with SMEs to
quantify their wastes and seek resource efficiency improvements that deliver
financial savings. These underutilized resources can be process by-products,
discarded waste materials, low grade energy, waste water discharges, logistics
(empty vehicle movements), capacity (such as warehouse or office space) and
shared expertise. Through the project’s delivery of one to one business support
and attending business opportunity workshops, the aim is to connect industry in
a way that one companies wasted resource becomes another’s valuable process
input. These discreet new business opportunities will deliver substantial cost
savings, generate sales from new markets and contribute towards creating an
environmentally sustainable local economy.
Besides
this profitable trading of waste resources, the ISL team can give free support
in the following areas:
Supporting applications for waste
permits, licenses and exemptions from the Environment Agency
Conducting compliance, waste, water and
energy audits
Providing consultancy support for the
implementation of environmental management systems
Providing staff training in
environmental issues and management
Signposting to available grants to
financially aid the implementation of capital improvements
All business support under the BASIS project is fully funded by the
GBSLEP, and free for local business at the point of use. SME’s located in the
Birmingham and Solihull area, along with the transition regions of Lichfield,
Tamworth, Burton on Trent, Uttoxeter, Cannock, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre
Forest areas should contact the local delivery team below for more details and
to arrange a free initial consultation.
