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Tevi supports new circular economy initiative for Cornish businesses

Businesses from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly gathered at the University of Exeter campus, Penryn today for the 2018 Circular Economy Summit.

More than 50 companies attended the event, which aimed to show how they can make changes to their business practice and transition towards more circular approaches. The circular economy moves away from using finite resources, aiming to design waste out of the economic system whilst also cutting costs for businesses.

Today’s event was a milestone in the initial months of the Tevi Programme, a unique and exciting European-funded programme which aims to create both economic and environmental growth in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The initiative helps enterprises to grow, whilst minimising their use of natural resources and reducing the amount of waste they produce. Tevi does this by giving businesses individual support and tailored solutions, including engineering design and business administration.

“Moving towards a circular economy makes good business sense because costs are lower, thanks to using fewer natural resources, turning to sustainable sources for things like power and through generating less waste,” said business-facing manager Dr Edvard Glücksman from the University of Exeter.

“We have a huge range of incredible companies in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly but they are often small and so lack the time and expertise to be able to make use of available opportunities. This is where the Tevi team comes in, lightening the load and helping companies discover and adopt new ways of working to benefit their bottom line and the environment.”

Tevi (which is Cornish for ‘grow’) is led by the University of Exeter and is delivered in partnership with Cornwall Council, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Cornwall Development Company. It represents an investment of £3 million, with nearly £2 .5 million awarded by the European Regional Development Fund and the remainder invested by the project partners. The project will last until 2021.

Faye Clifton from Green & Blue in Perranporth said: "It's exciting to find business support so perfectly aligned with our mission and values at Green & Blue.

“Tevi is just that programme and so far the meetings we've had have been enthusing and actions based and the research projects that the team has undertaken for us have been really useful as we develop new products."

Date: 26 September 2018