Funding for green businesses
With COP26 over, and the Government setting legally-binding net zero commitments, time is running out to curb climate change, so a green business focus has never been higher up the agenda.
Increasingly consumers and investors are expecting businesses to show their green credentials, with regulations – such as the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars, on natural gas boiler installations from 2025 and tighter packaging regulations – coming in to enforce it.
The Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) programme is designed to help businesses across Kent, Greater Essex, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and the Solent area make the transition to a low carbon economy. The programme helps green SMEs grow and improve their resource efficiency through funding and business support.
For environmental sector businesses
If you help your customers reduce their impact on the environment or you serve an environmentally-focused industry, then you can apply for a LoCASE Business Growth and Innovation Grant of up to £10,000.
These grants can be used for a range of business development projects, including equipment and machinery, product development, marketing, IT, consultancy, certification and accreditation or resource efficiency.
Businesses that have taken advantage of a LoCASE Business Growth and Innovation Grant include those supplying or manufacturing renewable energy, energy storage and energy efficiency products, green architects, landscapers and builders, recycling and re-use businesses, environmental advisors and consultants, and many more in this growing sector.
For other types of businesses
If you’re in an industry that isn’t typically considered a “green” industry, don’t fear. You can still apply for a LoCASE Energy/Resource Efficiency grant of up to £10,000. These grants are designed for projects that help you reduce your carbon footprint and operating costs. They can cover items such as LED lighting, insulation, heating or machinery upgrades, or renewable energy systems. Similarly, projects reducing waste materials or water
can also be covered. Note that grant requests over £5,000 will need to deliver more significant impacts than lower value projects.
Both types of grant cover 40% of the project’s expenditure. For example, if your energy efficiency project totals £10,000, the grant will cover £4,000 of your costs – so you end up only paying £6,000 once funds are claimed back.
Get involved
LoCASE is delivered across the Local Enterprise Partnership areas of EM3, C2C, SOLENT and SELEP. It also runs Steps To Environmental Management workshops, a series of fully-funded accreditations designed to benchmark and set sustainability targets for the SME supply chains. LoCASE is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
To find out more, visit the website at www.LoCASE.co.uk
