21 Feb 2024
West Midlands Combined Authority: West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge
The West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge was launched by Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, in March 2021 and now has over 100 pledged organisations including many SWM members such as National Express West Midlands and Mott MacDonald.
Current Project
23 Jan 2024
Environment Agency: Scaling up the climate change adaptation response in the West Midlands
We have worked in collaboration with the Environment Agency for the past two years to help accelerate and scale-up the region’s response to climate change adaptation. While there is an increasing recognition that we are experiencing a greater number and intensity of extreme weather events, progress on dealing with their risks and impacts remains slow. This collaboration aims to drive forward activity across multiple sectors in the region, to increase resilience and encourage adaptation action.
Completed Project
18 Dec 2023
Local Government Association: Sustainable Manufacturing in Telford & Wrekin
SWM were commissioned by the LGA’s Economic Growth Advisers Programme to assist Telford & Wrekin Council with their green and sustainable growth model for the manufacturing sector.
Completed Project
23 Aug 2023
Birmingham City Council: Sustainable Tourism Hub
SWM worked with Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Growth Company to produce an online Sustainable Tourism Hub.
Completed Project
30 May 2023
Midlands Forest Network: Audience Audit
SWM carried out a high level audience audit for the Midlands Forest Network Partnership to assist with the stakeholder engagement element of their plans to expand the forest network across the region.
Completed Project
8 Nov 2022
Local Government Association: Climate Change Sector Support Programme - Regional Retrofit Action Plan Training
Delivered through a collaboration between the Local Government Association (LGA) and Sustainability West Midlands, the Regional Retrofit Action Plan Training brought together council officers to address retrofit challenges at the local and partnership level. The training supported the development of councils’ regional work by exploring how to effectively utilise and support key partners and stakeholders both nationally and regionally, focusing on three key themes: training providers, communities, and the private sector.
Completed Project
22 Dec 2021
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Embedding sustainability principles into the heritage sector
This project concluded nearly four years of support to the Heritage Fund, the overarching outcome being the full embedment of sustainability across the organisation, both through staff training and the development of a framework to allow staff to assess applications for their sustainability credentials in a consistent way in future.
Completed Project
18 Nov 2021
Climate Change Committee: Improving the accessibility of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment -Part 2
Part two of this project, which provides support to the Climate Change Committee on improving the accessibility of outputs associated with the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, focused on producing outputs that considers the above advice, to bring thousands of pages of text to life and make the key findings and messages clearer, more digestible and understood by the primary audience, which is central Government.
Completed Project
17 Jun 2021
Midlands Net Zero Hub: Midlands Low Carbon Sector Study
SWM and kMatrix were commissioned by the Midlands Energy Hub to provide an evidence-based study to understand the current state of the Low Carbon Environmental Goods & Services (LCEGS) Sector in the Midlands, where support is needed to help grow this sector, and the role the sector can play in driving a low-carbon recovery from Covid-19.
Completed Project
15 Jun 2020
Climate Change Committee: Improving the accessibility of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment – Part 1
SWM provided advice to the Committee on Climate Change on how to improve the accessibility of the the third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment Evidence Report, due for publication next year. The project looked at better use of communications, providing engagement opportunities and reframing of outputs.
Completed Project
15 May 2020
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Sustainability webinar for Heritage Fund staff and applicants
This project brought to a head over two years of support to the Heritage Fund as we ran a webinar for around 65 staff and potential grantees on how sustainability aspects can be better embedded into funding applications.
Completed Project
5 May 2020
Midlands Net Zero Hub: Midlands Energy Hub Board
SWM have been on the board of the Midlands Energy Hub since it's establishment in 2018. Working in partnership with the UK Government through BEIS, the Midlands Energy Hub is supporting the delivery of a carbon neutral Britain at a local and regional level.
Completed Project
5 May 2020
Midlands Net Zero Hub: Rural Community Energy Fund
SWM have been on the board of the Midlands Energy Hub since it’s establishment in 2018. The Hub oversee delivery of the Rural Community Energy Fund across the Midlands.
Completed Project
14 Feb 2020
Climate Change Committee: How does people’s behaviour affect their response to extreme weather events?
This project looked at how people have reacted to extreme weather and why, and what behaviours people and communities demonstrate when they are preparing for, responding to and recovering from an extreme weather event.
Completed Project
7 Aug 2019
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Ensuring our heritage is Fit for the Future
SWM has been commissioned to provide sustainability appraisals of applications for grant funding to the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Completed Project
16 Oct 2018
National Lottery Heritage Fund: Embedding sustainability into Heritage Lottery Fund operations and grant assessments
HLF commissioned SWM to convene a series of national workshops for staff so that they can become more knowledgeable about sustainability and therefore more confident how to assess the credentials of grantee applications.
Completed Project
20 Sep 2018
The Marches LEP: Energy Strategy – Stakeholder engagement
SWM supported the Marches LEP with stakeholder engagement to help develop their BEIS-funded energy strategy ensuring that it builds on local strengths and opportunities.
Completed Project
17 Jan 2018
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS): Fit for the Future II
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) commissioned SWM to analyse LEP, combined authority and city region progress and appetite to tackle climate change, embrace a low carbon economy and reduce carbon emissions.
Completed Project
10 Jul 2017
Environment Agency: Flood community engagement plan: Initiation workshop
The Environment Agency (EA) commissioned SWM to convene a workshop that took place on 30 March 2017, bringing together staff from across the West Midlands area to begin the development of a Strategic Community Engagement Plan that aims to help the organisation effectively target communities at risk of flooding.
Completed Project
8 Jul 2017
Energy Systems Catapult: Engaging with LEPs and the energy agenda
The Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) commissioned SWM to undertake a review of energy and low carbon activity and commitments in all 38 LEPs in England.
Completed Project
28 Apr 2017
NHS Sustainable Development Unit: Sustainability review of reusable sharps containers
SWM were commissioned by the SDU to provide a sustainability review of reusable sharps containers from by Sharpsmart, using University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) as a case study.
Completed Project
20 Apr 2017
Severn Trent: Review of Corporate Responsibility Report
Severn Trent commissioned SWM to provide an independent review of their Corporate Responsibility report, along with a wider review of communications materials associated with Corporate Responsibility.
Completed Project
11 Apr 2017
Climate-KIC: Audit report of UK climate-related innovation networks and clusters
Climate-KIC commissioned SWM to undertake an audit report of UK climate-related innovation networks and clusters. It aimed to identify where in the UK there are existing climate innovation strengths and where there is potential for establishing new ones.
Completed Project
1 Dec 2016
Environment Agency: Fit for the Future?
This project assessed the commitments of all 39 LEPs in England to reducing carbon emissions, stimulating a low carbon economy and adapting to climate change. The report provided a benchmark of each LEP against each of these three metrics and discussed geographical progression patterns.
Completed Project