Ikea and innovative start-up Agri-Grub will be among those sharing their tips for success at the free Going Circular webinar, being held on October 14, to help companies boost productivity and become more resilient after Covid-19.

This event is being run by the Circular Peterborough team at Opportunity Peterborough which runs the city’s circular economy programme in partnership with Peterborough City Council. The team works with businesses of all sizes, but the workshop will be centres around SMEs.

The circular economy aims to move society away from the ‘take-make-dispose’ model - where raw materials are collected, transformed into products, and later discarded as waste - into one where resources are used for as long as possible and productive uses are found for waste streams.

Delegates will hear from businesses in the area who have benefitted from adopting circular principles, and some of the commercial opportunities for waste streams:

· Start-up, Agri-Grub, which is turning AM FRESH’s waste fruit into protein and pest control

· Ikea is reusing, repurposing, and recovering materials

· The National Institute of Agricultural Botany will also discuss how plant resources could provide renewable materials to businesses across all sectors to reduce the use of plastic and non-biodegradable materials.

There will also be time for delegates to discuss how their businesses could use circular economy principles, and the opportunities and barriers they may face. The Circular Peterborough team will use the feedback to adapt city level strategies and to tailor long term one-to-one business support for delegates.

Tom Hennessy, chief executive of Opportunity Peterborough said: “Covid-19 created huge disruption across supply chains, and has really tested business’ resilience. We want to rebuild the economy quickly, but we also want to keep this growth sustainable. With the circular economy, we can help businesses improve their operations while also protecting our environment.

“Any SME is welcome to attend, whether they’re new to the circular economy concept, already planning to make changes, or are looking for extra inspiration on their circular journey.”

The webinar will run 10.30am-12pm online. Delegates will receive a link directly. For event and registration details see here.