Thames Valley businesses leading the way in sustainable innovation

We were delighted to attend the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce International Green Technology Conference at Microsoft's UK HQ in Reading recently, for what was a fascinating day highlighting the many and varied business opportunities presented by green technology and the infrastructure needed to support them.

Attend by over 150 delegates, a particular highlight was a session showcasing four regional businesses:

• AIM listed Eden Research is developing plastic free sustainable biopesticides for crop protection where regulatory changes are creating significant growth opportunities
• LabCycle is addressing the huge issue of single-use plastic with our research and healthcare systems Annually, millions of tonnes of waste are sent to landfill or incinerated. The company is creating a circular economy to sort, decontaminate and recycle this waste
• Moving to clean energy, Tokamak Energy based near Oxford, continues to secure significant funding to support R&D investment into High Temperature Superconducting magnets. Tokamak aims to deploy commercial fusion power plants in the mid 2030s, delivering clean safe energy to tens of thousands of homes and businesses
• Finally, Reaction Engines is delivering revolutionary engine and thermal management systems which will not only enable space access, but dramatically improve fuel efficiency in applications across the aerospace, electric vehicles, and energy sectors

Alex Nicholson, Partner at James Cowper Kreston, comments “It was a privilege to listen to innovators from these companies.  Not only are they seeking to develop ground breaking sustainable solutions to benefit us all, but they are also directly contributing to make the Thames Valley an ever more attractive place to work and to live”