In the first ever waste scheme tailored for the food and drink sector in Northern Ireland, Envirowise are inviting food and drink professionals to sign up to the Food and Drink Resource Efficiency Programme, to be launched at Invest NI Headquarters in Belfast on 19th September.
The programme, designed to address the main environmental and resource efficiency issues affecting the industry, will help those in the sector minimise their environmental impact, and realise potential cost savings of up to £1,000 per employee, or up to one per cent of their turnover.
Envirowise is funded locally by Invest NI, and is dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of business practice.
Delivered in conjunction with Invest NI's Food Division, the Food and Drink Resource Efficiency programme will develop businesses' understanding of current environmental and waste legislation, and give them the tools to both 'map' waste more effectively, and create processes to minimise its creation.
Issues concerning general and hazardous waste as well as packaging will also be addressed with expert advisors on hand to identify specific issues using a bespoke diagnosis tool. Training and one-to-one advice will also be provided to those already signed up to attend the meeting.
Sam McCloskey, Envirowise Regional Manager for Northern Ireland, comments: "This programme is the first of its kind and a milestone for the Food and Drink sector in Northern Ireland. It will give businesses the opportunity to work directly with our advisors and really make a difference to both the environment and their bottom line."
Olive Hill, Invest NI's Director of Technology and Process Development, said: "Invest NI helps local businesses to become more competitive. One way to do this is to reduce overheads by making more efficient use of resources. Envirowise, in partnership with Invest NI, works directly with local Food and Drink companies helping to improve productivity and save money by minimising the generation of waste.
"This programme represents an excellent opportunity for Food and Drink suppliers to benefit from free expert professional advice on the application of low cost measures to help streamline their business and cut costs."
Ms McCloskey concludes: "We are confident that by showing their support for this programme, Northern Ireland's food and drink professionals will become pioneers for the rest of the sector."
For further information on the Envirowise Programme, please contact Nuala Devlin, Envirowise Co-Ordinator on Tel: 028 90 706080, nuala.devlin@envirowise.gov.uk.