Environcom launches program to boost green manufacturing

The electronics recycling firm Environcom, has launched a £100,000 (US$160,000) joint initiative with the Cranfield School of Management that seeks to provide a training and development program to drive innovation in green manufacturing and support the growth of the recycling industry in the United Kingdom. Helping commemorate the launch of the program was Nick Boles, a member of the U.K.’s Parliament.

Under the first stage of the initiative, Environcom and the Cranfield School of Management will develop a post graduate program to look at the various drivers and behavior change needed to grow the recycling economy. Environcom says the program will support recycling, usage and sales of second life electrical items. The program also will include the design, research and business development to support the full green manufacturing sector.

In remarks made during the announcement, MP Nick Boles, said, “Environcom is an important employer, not only in Grantham, but in all of the four areas it operates in. Its collaboration with Cranfield University is an important driver for green manufacturing. In addition, the creation of 100 new jobs across its business will massively help boost these local economies as well as Britain’s wider green economy.”

Sean Feeney, Environcom’s CEO, noted, “Environcom is at the heart of a new manufacturing industry that will create millions of pounds of revenue for the UK economy. Through our reuse and recycling program, we are re-manufacturing valuable resources such as copper, steel and plastic back into U.K. industry, as well as creating a new remade in Britain market for waste electrical items. Our announcement with Cranfield is the first step to build vital skills to drive the green economy forward.”

Additionally, the company, which says it is the largest electrical reuse and recycling specialist in the U.K., has announced the creation of 100 jobs across its four U.K. sites. Combined, the facilities process more than 5 million pieces of waste electrical and electronic equipment each year, either for reuse or recycling.