FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
CIWM (the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management) has revealed the six companies selected to receive funding from its Circular Economy Innovators Fund, established to help accelerate the growth of high potential small and micro businesses in the field.
Selected from over 100 applications, all of which were assessed by a cross-divisional CIWM panel, the six companies, each of which will receive tailored marketing, communications and brand development support to the value of £10,000, are:
- Loom – which is developing software to support the upcycling and redesign of clothing
- Maconda Solutions – an enabler for the circular built environment
- MarinaTex – a versatile material made from marine waste that is being developed as an alternative to single-use plastic
- The Little Loop – a circular marketplace for new and pre-loved children’s clothing
- Velorim – which collects and recycles bicycle tyres, inner tubes, and Li-ion batteries
- WEEE Scotland – which is helping to address the challenges of redundant electrical equipment through repair, refurbishment, and remanufacture.
Commenting on the selection of its Circular Economy Innovators, Richard Hudson, CIWM Technical Manager, said: “Small and micro businesses, like those selected for support through the CIWM Circular Economy Innovators Fund, are the foundation on which the circular economy will be built. Their innovation and enthusiasm are matched by their potential to make a meaningful change in the way we manage and protect our finite resources. We are confident that the provision of brand, marketing and communications expertise will help these innovators to better tell their stories, continue to raise their profile, and leverage the potential to scale up their operations.”
The CIWM Circular Economy Innovators will receive support from Barley Communications, whose experienced brand designers, media relations specialists and social media experts will develop a tailored brand communications plan and corresponding assets and content for them.
Frontline workers form the backbone of facilities management services, serving as the face of the brand and interacting directly with customers. Yet research by both L&G and the Living Wage Foundation reveals the majority feel overlooked and expendable.
Accelerating the problem is a growing technology gap. Despite having 2.7 billion deskless workers worldwide, representing 80 per cent of the global workforce, only one per cent of software and technology investments has been allocated to this segment. This means there is a huge disconnect between frontline workers and their headquarters, leading to lack of sufficient training, communication challenges and low employee retention.
For this webinar, FMJ has teamed up with frontline training platform Lingio to bring together a panel of experts, to discuss how easy-to-use and efficient AI tools can help create engaging and gamified learning experiences that fit the needs of underserved deskless workers. The result? Better software and learning experiences lead to improved staff engagement and reduced staff turnover by up to 95 per cent, according to McKinsey.
To register for the webinar taking place on 11 September at 11:00 am click here.
