News / Festival of sustainable business
Godwin pledges to make West of England ‘home of new green jobs’
The Festival of Sustainable Business returned for another year—this time at its new home, Bristol Beacon, which ran from June 9 to 10.
Curated by sustainability consultancy Future Leap, the festival brought together public and private sector organisations to “unlock growth through sustainable transformation”.
Since its inception in 2019, the festival has been a key feature in Bristol’s business calendar, which hosted at venues such as We The Curious and Paintworks.
Aside from a few interruptions due to the global pandemic, it has returned annually, uniting “movers and shakers” in the sector to spark public discourse through discussions, panel events and exhibitions.
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The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Retrofit West, and green energy provider Ecotricity led a diverse group of around 40 sponsors and exhibitors, highlighting both the region’s progress in sustainability and the challenges it faces.
The newly elected metro mayor, Helen Godwin, delivered the keynote speech on Monday, emphasising the commitment of local authorities to champion the region as “the natural home of new green jobs”.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Godwin said: “I think there’s a very strong case for why we should be the home of green jobs. A lot of that comes down to our landscape and natural environment—the way we’re set up.
“We’ve got vast amounts of green space and farmland that’s been in use for generations. We also have a long history of using renewable energy sources like wind and solar.”
“But just as importantly, we have a real and pressing need to retrofit our existing housing stock. That’s crucial. And, yes, we can also talk about tidal energy—I’ll come to that—but first, we’ve got to deal with the housing we already have, while also building new homes to high environmental standards.”
“I think there’s a very strong case for why we should be the home of green jobs,” said Helen Godwin, newly elected metro mayor
On the topic of creating new green jobs, Godwin stressed the importance of attracting more young people to the sector.
“One of the biggest barriers to doing that properly is skills. So one of my main goals is to ensure both young people and older individuals looking to change careers can see a clear pathway to retrain and acquire those vital skills.
She said: “Take solar, for example—there’s currently a major shortage of solar engineers. These are people not just to install, but to maintain solar panels as well. That’s going to be critical.
“And, as you may have seen last week, the government has announced that all new homes will be required to have solar panels. That’s a huge opportunity for our workforce to upskill and step into these key jobs for the future. It just feels like we are naturally positioned to lead in this space.”
With tidal power back in the spotlight following a recent report, Godwin expressed a strong desire to harness tidal energy.
“There’s been a lot of renewed conversation about this in recent days, but it’s actually something the Western Gateway has been exploring for quite some time,” she said.
“There’s a real opportunity in the Severn Estuary to harness the tidal range and develop a predictable, safe, renewable source of energy.
“I’ve been working closely with Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool. He said to me, ‘We’re doing this—and we have the second largest tidal range in the UK. You’ve got the largest—so we should be working together.’ And he’s right.
“So I’m really hopeful that by collaborating with Liverpool and with our partners across South Wales, we can make this a reality. The skills needed to deliver that kind of project are going to be essential—and we should be building those skills right here, locally.”
Addressing scepticism around the drive towards sustainability, Godwin said: “I think the cost of doing nothing—for our society and for the world—is far greater than the cost of taking action. And that’s why the jobs point is so important.
“For most people, if they don’t see how Net Zero affects their lives in a positive way—if it just feels like something is being taken away, like the freedom to drive their car—they’ll understandably see it as a negative. But if they’ve got a son or a grandson training to be a solar engineer, or someone working in retrofitting homes, then suddenly it starts to feel real.
“That kind of understanding often grows within families. It’s a multi-generational thing. People learn as they go—and they learn from each other.”
She pointed to the success of an ambitious scheme in Lawrence Weston, which thrived in spite of divided local politics.
“Just look at Lawrence Weston. It’s a community that hasn’t always had the easiest time. But now it’s home to the biggest community-owned wind turbine in the country,” said Godwin.
“They’ve embraced the transition. They’ve learned about it. They understand it—not because politicians told them to, but because local organisations like Ambition Lawrence Weston, led by people like Mark Pepper, took the time to explain the benefits and involve the community.
“So I’m not here to comment on political soundbites. But what I do know is that for families in the West of England, what matters most is job security—good jobs that pay a decent wage and give people a sense of value. That’s where the focus should be.”
“Businesses know their own operations best, so it’s about bringing together that internal knowledge with external best practice to create meaningful change where it matters most,” said Tom Batten, head of consultancy at Future Leap
Tom Batten, head of consultancy at Future Leap, spoke to Bristol24/7 about their role in helping businesses achieve net zero ambitions through consultancy services, including carbon measurement and compliance. The two-day festival aims to drive climate action, featuring talks and workshops to promote sustainable practices.
Batten said: “Over the two days of the festival, we’ve got a wide range of activities taking place, all centred around the goal of driving action to combat the climate crisis. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring together businesses of all sizes from across the region to learn from one another and share best practices.
“We’ve organised a number of excellent initiatives to support this. On the main stage, there will be a series of engaging talks. Meanwhile, my consultancy team will be running workshops tailored for smaller businesses, offering practical advice on how to measure and reduce their emissions.
“We’re also offering some fascinating tours of the site, showcasing the steps the Beacon has taken to become more sustainable.”
He added: “Then, on Tuesday, we’ll be hosting our ‘Hear It from the Horse’s Mouth’ stage. This will feature businesses sharing their own sustainability journeys, allowing their peers and other organisations in the region to learn directly from their experiences and successes.”
When asked what needs to be done to transition to a greener economy, Batten said: “Well, that’s quite a big question. I think, given that we’re transitioning towards a greener economy, you could argue that every job has the potential to be a green job.
“However, it’s absolutely vital that businesses equip themselves with the right skills and knowledge to effectively drive the change that’s needed.
“Green jobs can range from hands-on roles like installing heat pumps, to more strategic positions such as sustainability practitioners within organisations.
“For example, at Future Leap, we’re running a Sustainability Skills Bootcamp, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority. The aim is to provide a broad set of skills to business professionals who want to lead on sustainability within their organisations.”
He concluded: “What we often find is that while there’s a general understanding of sustainability, each business faces its own unique set of challenges. Businesses know their own operations best, so it’s about bringing together that internal knowledge with external best practice to create meaningful change where it matters most.”
The festival welcomed high-profile businesses from Bristol and beyond that are making waves in sustainability, including the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Pieminister, Bottle Yard Studios, UK Green Building Council, Route Zero, Burges Salmon, Ambitious and Kelpi.
“Around 30 per cent of the UK’s emissions come from our housing stock, and the majority of that is due to heating,” said Simon Andrews at Retrofit West
Ecotricity, founded by the renowned green entrepreneur and campaigner Dale Vince, has long been a voice in the wilderness—even when sustainability wasn’t part of the mainstream conversation. Sending his best wishes for the festival, Vince said: “We’re joining forces with Future Leap to support Bristol’s Festival of Sustainable Business.
“It’s all about sharing what works, learning what doesn’t, and helping more organisations get on the path to net zero. We’re looking forward to hearing from the green pioneers of the southwest and beyond. There’s a lot of good stuff happening out there.”
Familiar names such as Bristol Waste also made an appearance—an organisation whose work goes far beyond ‘collecting rubbish’. Speaking to Bristol24/7, Mike Chappell from Bristol Waste explained how the company, which has a commercial arm providing businesses with waste and recycling, facilities management, cleaning and security services, has sustainability and social value at its heart. Initiatives include a new £5m Materials Recycling Facility, IT Reuse and Reuse Shops at their recycling hubs at Avonmouth, Hartcliffe and St Philip’s.
Others are making creative inroads into the sector, such as Climate Play, which uses LEGO blocks for storytelling. It is not just for children, corporate groups and grown-ups are also using the method to retell stories and reshape narratives around sustainability.
“Bristol Waste has a score of measures to amplify Bristol’s sustainability capabilities, more than collecting rubbish”
Grace and Green, the Bristol-founded sanitary product brand with B-Corp certification, who was present at the event, recently celebrated a major milestone with its rollout to the Boots group, showing sustainability and sustainable business model can go hand in hand.
One initiative gaining attention for its potential to make existing homes warmer and more energy-efficient is retrofitting.
Retrofit West, funded by the West of England Combined Authority, has played a key role in this area. The community interest company (CIC) promotes retrofitting across the region by working with consumers, landlords, and small construction businesses.
Lucy Hawthorne, founder of Climate Play uses LEGO to address “elephant in the room”
Speaking to Bristol24/7, Simon Andrews, managing director at Retrofit West, said: “The retrofit process itself is relatively straightforward and simple in principle—there are just numerous factors that need to be considered and brought together.
“But what really stands out when you step into a retrofitted home is the comfort. It’s noticeably different from a non-retrofitted house.
“Take my own home, for example. I live in a terraced property in Bristol—there are thousands like it—currently heated by gas. I’m in the process of transitioning away from that. But when I visit retrofitted homes—and we see quite a few in this line of work—then return to my own, the contrast is striking.
“There’s a certain staleness in a house that hasn’t been retrofitted. You’re often dealing with blasts of heat, cold spots, and draughts. In contrast, a retrofitted home offers a much more stable and pleasant environment to live in. It just feels better.”
Bristol Beacon is the new home of Festival of Sustainability Business
On scepticism around retrofitting, Andrews said some doubt is “not a bad thing”.
He said: “Yes, there is scepticism out there—and rightly so. It’s completely understandable, and in fact, it’s healthy to question things. But our role is to help people see things differently and, hopefully, change their minds.
“Around 30 per cent of the UK’s emissions come from our housing stock, and the majority of that is due to heating. That’s the core issue we’re trying to address. Our aim is to significantly reduce the emissions produced by households, and that starts with making homes more energy-efficient and sustainable.”
All photos: Milan Perera
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