Groundwork Sustainable Business Services

1981	The Groundwork movement begins Groundwork was established as a radical experiment to bring together communities, businesses and government in a joint effort to improve the quality of life and promote sustainable development in places that had become run-down and neglected.
1991	Rio Earth Summit and Local Agenda 21 The Rio Earth Summit set out a new Agenda for the 21^st century, Local Agenda 21, which encouraged communities to work at a local level to tackle action to improve the environment. Groundwork supported this new agenda for action through leading on the creation of innovative partnerships between local businesses and local government.
1992	The UKs First Green Business Clubs Groundwork developed and launched the first Green Business Clubs, known as Business Environment Associations (BEAs). These place focused BEAs encouraged local businesses to start improving the environmental performance of their own businesses. Groundwork’s Environmental Business Services team educated companies on new environmental regulations around waste and water pollution, encouraging business to develop and implement environmental policies so to create new market and sales opportunities.
1995	Green Business Parks Groundwork started an innovate new place based partnership bringing together business communities on industrial estates to develop and implement place based improvements to reverse declining industrial estate, creating greener, safer and more prosperous environments for business to thrive.
2000	ENWORKS Groundwork’s Environmental Business Services team start to deliver ENWORKS; a 12-year, £2 million EU funded programme which provided energy, resource efficiency, low carbon business support across the North West of England.
2005	The UK’s First non-retail Business Improvement District To sustain successful Green Business Park projects first developed in the 90’s, Groundwork pioneered the use of the recently introduced Business Improvement District model to the UK to empower business communities on business parks / industrial estates to create long term improvement plans funded principally by local resident companies. Winsford Industrial Estate in Cheshire became the UKs first non-retail BID om 2005, which subsequently led to a £20million+ programme of Groundwork managed Business Improvement Districts across town center and business park locations.
2016	BEE Anglia Started to deliver BEE Anglia; a 6-year, EU funded programme in Suffolk and Norfolk which helped over 880 businesses understand their energy efficiency and develop action plans to reduce their carbon emissions.
2021	New website and brand! Rebranded as Groundwork Sustainable Business Services and launched our first website – showcasing the variety of ways that Groundwork can help businesses act more environmentally responsibly.