Member Article

The Rt Hon Lord Jack Cunningham of Felling, Chair of The North East Sustainable Resources Board (NESRB), talks challenges, achievements and upcoming focuses

Lord Cunningham is a doctorate in chemistry prior to joining the House of Commons in 1970. He was the MP for Copeland for 35 years and made a Peer in 2005.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

In the current tough economic climate and much reduced capacity of the public sector, the Board has faced tough challenges in maintaining support from its members and sponsors. Despite this, the Board continues to enjoy healthy and enthusiastic support from both public and private sector stakeholders. The Board provides the only senior level forum and leadership for waste/resource management issues in the North East and provides effective cohesion in this diverse sector.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

The Board has generated 2 important strategic projects for the waste/resource management sector in the last 12 months – the North East Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey and the GIS Waste Mapping Tool. Both are available via the Board’s website – www.nesrb.org.uk

1) North East Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey

This was commissioned by the Board to provide a much greater insight into waste arisings from a very significant sector. The survey highlighted the large quantities of resources that we are throwing away via landfill, and the potential opportunities of exploiting them as a valuable resource.

2) GIS Waste Mapping Tool

This interactive tool uses data collected from publicly available sources such as the Environment Agency’s Waste Interrogator (2009) and Defra’s Waste Data Flow. The data was then set up (with the Environment Agency’s cooperation and licensed approval) to render it suitable for import into a Geographical Information System (GIS). The data is displayed in a variety of formats including charts, diagrams and data tables.

What is your biggest focus for the coming year?

The launch of “The Sustainable Resources Management Plan for North East England” – a major publication by the Board, which sets out how we can use resources more sustainably and benefit from their value. The Scoping Document for the Plan was published earlier this year and highlighted that the North East sends £33 million worth of resources to landfill every year. This document sets out how we can utilise those resources, via a range of projects which the Board has developed. These will appeal to a variety of investors including the retail, construction, community and energy sectors.

If you had to choose one top piece of advice for someone just starting out in business, or is currently operating within your industry sector, what would it be?

Be patient – the environmental sector is one of the few growth sectors around at the moment. However, awareness is constantly growing and businesses are facing greater pressure to adhere to the demands of their customers and new environmental legislation. Therefore the market is ready for new businesses which will help to meet these demands.

Can you share with us your view of the current landscape of business, in this region or generally and where your organisation sits within it?

It has been a difficult couple of years for all areas of business and the public sector cuts are yet to have their full impact on the economy. The North East Sustainable Resources Board is well-placed to fill the gap left behind by the abolition of Government Office for the North East and ONE North East. We have developed good relations with Defra, BIS, WRAP and the London Waste and Recycling Board, and are a unique organisation outside of London. We aim to act as a template for other areas of the country and as point of contact for organisations outside the North East.

Contact details – c/o Helen Watson, NESRB Coordinator, RenewPlus Ltd,

Metropolitan House, Longrigg Road, Swalwell, Gateshead NE16 3AS. Tel:- 0191 495 6260.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Helen Watson .