Introducing this year's Environmental Guest Judge - Rob Robinson
This year’s environmental guest judge is Rob Robinson, Sustainable Business & Circular Economy Programme Manager at Kent County Council. Here he explains what he is looking for as a judge.
Rob joined Kent County Council in 2016 with a varied background including business consultancy, building and energy surveying, pharmaceuticals and medico-legal casework.
Over the past nine years, he’s co-developed and worked on many local, regional and international projects, with an ever-growing list of forward-thinking organisations that have followed through on their plans to invest in their business. This may be through the need to realise building efficiencies, effect improvements to operations or simply identifying what opportunities and business cases might be pertinent in each sector scenario.
The case studies page on the Low Carbon Kent website covers many such examples, from investing in renewables or green tech to embracing collaboration opportunities with other businesses to share resources.
Firms just like yourself, seeking justification to move ahead with one or more projects that you may have been mulling over for a period of time.
Both the Procurement Act and Simpler Recycling regulations coming into play this spring have brought the wider context into even sharper focus on the back of a year of tightening supply chain, consumer and staff demands to commit to tangible CSR and, or net zero targets.
There are many themes that overlap into this sphere, the vast majority strongly rooted in common sense and brimming with additionality and co-benefits, so don’t talk yourselves out of including ‘environmental sustainability’ more centrally into your business planning this year.
Low Carbon Kent remains an accredited IEMA training centre and runs tailored workshops with managers and workforce on how best to identify then move forward with decarbonisation plans, using this training to help the region realise its potential with a view to embedding green skills and a just transition to a low carbon economy.
Please feel free to reach out if you’re interested in joining up too, there’s never been a more pertinent time to get involved.
“I know first-hand that there's a great deal of commitment and action out there on my doorstep on this topic, much of which may not get the recognition it deserves.
“We all need to be a bit better at sharing successes and business lessons on embracing positive environmental activity.
“Don't be afraid of coming forward to shine a light on what you've been up to by entering.”
Environmental judge Rob Robinson, Sustainable Business & Circular Economy Programme Manager at Kent County Council.