MDX conference reveals small businesses are leading the way with green innovation

The event showcased a large project by MDX researchers which is exploring the small business finance market

Policy makers and researchers at a major event hosted by Middlesex University revealed how Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are leading the way as environmentally friendly green businesses, but desperately need more financial support from the government.

MDX researchers leading the project SME Nature Positive Finance, - funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and Innovate UK - held a conference at the Hendon campus to discuss their findings.

Trailblazing UK small business environmental innovators and expert speakers from the British Business Bank, the national Green Angel Syndicate and NatureMetrics (a UK environmental-DNA measurement company) also shared their views on the role of investment to encourage study of the impact of biodiversity in business and the implications for SMEs.

"The conference demonstrated how some UK SME environmental innovators are leading the way in valuing nature, but more government support is required to assist their research and development and collaborative solutions." Professor Robyn Owen.

The term ‘SMEs’ refers to businesses with less than 250 employees who make up 99% of the businesses in the UK private sector and account for more than half of national jobs.

This ongoing project, which is being spearheaded by researchers from the MDX Centre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research (CEEDR), aims to explore the SME finance market in four high-risk environmental impact sectors: agrifood, infrastructure, fashion and textiles and ecological services technology.

Professor Robyn Owen, (pictured above) who is leading the MDX CEEDR research team, said: “We believe that the conference raised critical debates for the UK’s transition to a global leading green economy.  Not enough attention has been given to supporting the green transition of UK smaller businesses and there is a shortfall in the finance required to enable them to innovate and become leaders of change to achieve net-zero and to protect the biosphere and nature.”

“All businesses are dependent upon nature’s services for food, water, energy and health security and there is an urgent need to value nature within business as usual. The conference demonstrated how some UK SME environmental innovators are leading the way in valuing nature, but more government support is required to assist their research and development and collaborative solutions. The conference concluded with a rallying call for the UK government to develop a roadmap for SME green finance.”

The SME Nature Positive Finance Project is a collaboration led by Middlesex University, together with the University of Reading, Centre of Sustainable Fashion at University of the Arts and Kingston University and industry consultants in small business finance. It is funded by Innovate UK and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of their Integrating Finance and Biodiversity (IFB) Programme.

Find out more information about the conference including a detailed report of the various discussions.