April 22, 2014

After winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development in 2010, recycling and waste management firm Recycling Lives has just scooped the award for the second time.

On this occasion, it was the company’s recently launched “Flat Panel Display recycling and employment project” at HMP Kirkham that impressed the judging panel.

By establishing a busy recycling centre within the prison, and integrating the training and work experience opportunities there with the six-stage charity programme available at its own premises, Recycling Lives offers prisoners at HMP Kirkham the chance to secure supported accommodation and stable employment after release.

Granting the award for a second time to Recycling Lives, the office for the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise stated:

Widely accredited for its environmental management, the company targets niche recycling markets, processing previously unrecyclable items, such as flat screen displays, and making working components available for re-sale where possible.

Thus, Recycling Lives diverts products from landfills and contributes significantly to environmental improvement. Through its work, the organisation offers ex-offenders, homeless people and long-term unemployed individuals routes to employment via rehabilitation, training and accommodation, enabling them to develop vital social and employability skills.

Bu supporting charities, social enterprises, community ventures and ethical businesses, Recycling Lives sets a benchmark not only for the sector, but for industry in general.

Recycling Lives was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Preston, Lancashire. The company is considered a social business by its directors, having expressed a commitment in 2011 to working only on projects which demonstrate a positive social impact.

In addition to its earlier Queen’s Award, Recycling Lives was championed for its commitment to positive social impact in a 2012 Government white paper entitled “Social Justice: Transforming Lives”. The company’s founder and chief executive, Steven Jackson OBE, was also recognised in the 2013 New Year Honours List for Services to Employment and the Community in Lancashire.

Mr Jackson commented on this latest award, saying:

We’re all incredibly proud here at Recycling Lives: to be recognised not once but twice by the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is a huge honour.

For years, Recycling Lives has sought to develop effective and creative solutions to recycling and waste management challenges that prioritise not only environmental sustainability, but social and economic sustainability as well.

Organisations need to see that it is absolutely possible to build up and sustain a successful commercial business while making Corporate Social Responsibility a primary concern.

In addition to expanding its commercial recycling and waste management activities, Recycling Lives hopes to extend its social impact via its charity-led Community Dotcom services.

The company’s nationwide Community Dotcom schemes, including SkipHireNetwork.org, OfficeClearanceNetwork.org, BulkyWaste.org and ScrapCarNetwork.org, enable charities and ethical businesses to deliver reuse and recycling services to householders across the country.

825 hits

Liz Tapner, Chief Executive of Selnet Ltd (Social Enterprise Lancashire Network) was asked to represent the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) at a ministerial visit at St Georges Hall on 23rd January 2014 to launch the Liverpool City Region pilot of The Social Investment Business (SIB) Local Impact Fund. It’s aim to offer simple unsecured finance and investment readiness support to charities and Social Enterprises in the Liverpool City area. There are 2 pilots as part of the current EU programme Liverpool and Northamptonshire.

A group of LEP representatives from across the North West had a private meeting with Chair at SIB Sir Stephen Bubb and Nick Hurd MP who gave recognition to the economic significance of the Third Sector as a growing and viable sector that needs affordable long-term finance.

Mr Hurd also acknowledged, the need for local staged investment and the value of the representatives local knowledge and intelligence to enable then to meet real local issues & needs

Questions from the session included how the LEPs are planning to support social enterprise as part of their economic growth strategy? To this Liz Tapner was able to respond that she has been working with the LEPs Technical Assistance Group who are currently writing Lancashire EU Structural Investment Funds Strategy (ESIF) enabling them to consult with Third Sector front line service delivery organisations and their support agencies.

Liverpool City Region is showing great leadership in supporting the social sector by setting up a Local Impact Fund, how does Lancashire plan to provide similar opportunities? Through strong partnerships with Social Enterprise North West, Selnet, ONE Lancashire and her position within the Technical Assistance Group, Liz is championing ongoing support and investment to the Social Enterprise Sector in Lancashire and is keen to work with the Social Investment Business and the LEP to include setting up a Local Impact Fund amongst other initiatives.

Read the following post Third Sector Representation in Lancashire’s Growth Plans to find out more about Lancashire’s growth development plans and how our sector is being represented.

Photo Left to right:
Sir Stephen Bubb – Chair Social Investment Business, Aidan Manley – CEO Cheshire & Warrington LEP, Liz Tapner – CEO Selnet / Representing Lancashire LEP, Nick Hurd MP – Minister for Civil Society, Kevin Janes – Cheshire & Warrington SE Partnership / Cheshire & Warrington LEP, Angeliki Stogia – European Officer Network for Europe, Karen Tierney – Acting Deputy Director New Economy/Adviser to Greater Manchester LEP , Dr Pernille Kousgaard – Liverpool City Region LEP

1120 hits