External daytime view of Cloth Hall Court with blue sky.

News.

RRfW Annual Conference underlines Well Met’s commitment to sustainability

Well Met, Leeds Beckett University’s conference department, are delighted to host the second annual Resource Recovery from Waste (RRfW) Conference at Cloth Hall Court today, Wednesday 22nd November.

Previously bringing together more than 80 delegates from government, industry and academia, this year’s conference aims to answer the question ‘What do business cases for resource recovery look like, and what can we learn from successful examples?’. Working towards the ultimate aim of creating a shared vision and approach for sustainable waste and resource management in the UK RRfW is a 5-year, £7.2M programme of research funded by NERC, ESRC and Defra aiming to “deliver the science needed to accomplish a paradigm shift in the recovery of resources from waste”.

Keynotes will be delivered by David Fatscher of the British Standards Institution and Chief Scientific Advisor at Defra, Professor Ian Boyd, among others. Together, both conceptual ideas and practical experiences on the formulation of business cases for resource recovery will be presented to delegates along with specialist sessions and discussions, including: Decision-making and business model innovation for sustainability.

Sustainable business development has consistently been a key driver for Well Met, with Leeds Beckett becoming the first English university to achieve the international environmental standard (ISO 14001) back in September 2003. Holding the enviable BREEAM rating of Excellent across all buildings on the University’s premises, Leeds Beckett University actively promotes a lasting culture change throughout their business. Examples of their inherent environmental consciousness include harvesting rainwater and solar hot water for washroom facilities, using local food suppliers to reduce food miles and tending to a vibrant wildflower meadow within Leeds city centre.

Claire Vidler, Conference Manager at Cloth Hall Court commented:

“When the opportunity to host the Resource Recovery from Waste Annual Conference presented itself, we knew that it was a great fit with our own objectives in terms of providing sustainable conferencing facilities.
With sustainability at the heart of everything we do at Well Met, we are always keen to work collaboratively with businesses that share the same passion and enthusiasm for sustaining a greener environment. In that regard, hosting the RRfW conference ticks every box for us.”