AN initiative aimed at encouraging employers to work together in tackling environmental challenges has made further progress after a business club meeting.

The Darlington Employers Environment Partnership (DEEP) was formed a year ago by several key local businesses to share good practice around Net Zero targets.

The idea was initiated by Darlington Building Society and some of the town’s major employers were among the first to sign up, with ‘Network and Learn’ meetings so far held at Cummins, Teesside Airport, Zigup (formerly Redde Northgate), and Teesside University’s Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre.

However, the DEEP steering committee was keen to also engage with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so a presentation was made at the latest meeting of Darlington Business Club.

Seth Pearson, Director of Darlington Cares, which manages DEEP, highlighted the commercial benefits of businesses being involved in the partnership.

As a result, Darlington Business Club itself has become a new member, along with award-winning TEP Electrical Distributors, and IT company Resilient Business Systems.

They agreed to sign the DEEP pledge, which includes making sustainability a priority, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and setting a target to reduce energy consumption.

Mr Pearson said: “It was a really productive meeting, with clear evidence that the DEEP initiative is of significant interest to Darlington Business Club members. As well as the three new members, we know there are others actively considering membership.”

Deputy Leader of Darlington Borough Council, and Cabinet Member for the Economy, Councillor Chris McEwan, welcomed the progress, saying: “As a local authority, we can’t deliver Net Zero targets by ourselves – we have to work with others.

“DEEP has a solid membership among some of the town’s biggest employers but it also recognises that the majority of people work for SMEs. They are the lifeblood of our economy and it’s great to see this progress being made.”

The Darlington Business Club meeting, held at Hopetown railway heritage centre, was also attended by Decerna, which is delivering the Tees Valley Net Zero programme, and offering a range of support, including up to £2,000 in grant funding.

Sarah Marshall, General Manager of TEP Electrical Distributors, said: “We believe that through collaboration with trusted partners, sharing best practices and key learnings, we can help businesses identify effective and comprehensive solutions.

“Our expertise in reducing energy consumption through LED lighting and SMART controls enables us to support local businesses in making these vital transitions. We look forward to advising on the cost-effective, high-impact benefits of LED technology.

“Together, we can navigate the challenges of reaching net zero in a cost-effective and impactful way.”

Michelle Read, Officer Manager for Resilient Business Systems, added: “We decided to join DEEP because we have been for years now actively reducing our own carbon footprint whilst helping our customers reduce their carbon footprints, especially relating to all things IT.

“We focus on purchasing recycled equipment, repurposing old devices, and disposing of unusable machines. We also actively promote systems that allow remote working for our own users and our customers. We hope that we can help drive other members and local businesses to implement similar systems/processes as we all work together to attain net zero.”

Companies which are already DEEP members include: Aldi, Amazon, BHP Law, Circo, Corstorphine and Wright, Cummins, Darlington Borough Council, Darlington Building Society, Darlington College, Darlington Primary Care Network, EE, JBA Engineering, Lingfield Point, Newlands Group, North Star Housing, Point North, Student Loans Company, Teesside University, and Zigup.