Chester Town Hall event guides businesses on how to be more sustainable and inclusive
Helping businesses to be more sustainable and inclusive was the subject of a networking event held between University of Chester staff and local businesses at Chester Town Hall.
Staff from Chester Business School (CBS) and The Sustainability and Environment Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute (SERKEI) worked in partnership to host the event for University staff and students, as well as local businesses and other organisations.
This event followed on from the full-day 'Survive or Thrive' conference held at the University’s Riverside Innovation Centre in 2024. Feedback from that event highlighted a demand to continue discussions around how to become more sustainable and inclusive.
Local, regional and national economies are changing, and organisational impacts on people, communities, and the planet have never been more important. To thrive, organisations of all kinds need to be a force for good that people want to work for, buy from, and invest in.
The town hall event featured short talks from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Colas, Groundwork, See Impact, and the University's Professor Chantal Davies, followed by informal networking. Topics for the talk included 'the business of nature' and environmental justice.
The event provided an opportunity to share good practice and practical advice on how to overcome challenges when aiming to be socially responsible and sustainable, with attendees invited to join a private LinkedIn group to continue these important conversations and support.
Louise Goodman, Lecturer at University’s Chester Business School, highlighted how important it is to bring together businesses, staff and students: “Businesses face so many, often conflicting pressures and challenges, but the Survive or Thrive events are proving that there is real passion to do business better, and to share with and learn from others.
“We’d like to thank those who agreed to speak on the night, and to everyone who attended – business leaders, University students and staff. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next event!”
To enquire about sustainability and environment research and knowledge exchange at the University of Chester, please email: sustenv@chester.ac.uk . For more information about the University’s public events, visit: https://www.chester.ac.uk/about/events/