Growing Green

A sustainability training programme for horticultural and plant-based food and drink businesses in Kent and Medway.

Grants, accredited training, sustainability assessments and a personalised action plan to make your business grow greener.

If you’re looking for funding and guidance to reduce your business’s carbon footprint, sign up for Growing Green. This environmental sustainability training programme provides tailored support and grants, specifically designed for horticultural and plant-based food and drink businesses.

Our trained advisors can help you move towards net zero, find value from your waste materials, or help reduce your inputs and resources.

Boost your sustainability knowledge and environmental credentials

By signing up for Growing Green, you can

• Apply for a grant of up to £7,000
• Earn accredited ‘Environmental Sustainability Skills for Managers’ qualification, worth £120
• Get a guided assessment of your current environmental impact
• Generate a green action plan to reduce your footprint
• Receive affiliated membership to IEMA, worth £75.50

Whether you already have plans for making your business greener, or are keen to reduce your energy costs but unsure where to start, Growing Green can help.

Online Briefing 

If you're interested in applying and would like to find out more about Growing Green, join the online briefing

Thursday 30th January, 9.30am 

Register your place

What is involved?

Your Growing Green training will take place over three months. You will then be invited to apply for a grant of up to £7,000. You will be expected to;

• Attend a two-day training course* (online and in-person)
• Commit to developing your assessment report and action plan
• Join a visit to a local sustainable business (half-day)
• Complete a grant application form
• Deliver one day of social value engagement** 

Our programme is designed to be flexible, allowing you to manage your time commitment around the pressing demands of your business.

*The person attending the course on behalf of your company will need to be a PAYE employee or a named company director 

**Guidelines for our social value will be made available

About the grants

Grants of up to £7,000 will be available to businesses who participate in the Growing Green training programme. You will need to match fund 50% of your total project cost through eligible cash or in-kind contributions.

An independent assessment panel will review all funding applications. Your project proposal must be innovative and demonstrate how it will help you meet your sustainability goals. Our team will support you during the application process. Once your grant has been approved, you will have three months to deliver your grant project and the funding will be paid retrospectively upon completion. You will need to submit a grant claim at the end of your project, providing evidence of eligible expenditure.

Who can apply?

Growing Green is open to;

• Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, registered or trading in Kent and Medway
  • Large businesses are not eligible to apply
• Horticultural or plant-based food and drink businesses and the supporting supply chain

Please note, you must;

• Comply with UK subsidy control conditions
• Have not previously participated in Growing Green training

If you would like help to reduce your energy costs, improve your environmental credentials and join a network of sustainable businesses in Kent and Medway, don't miss out. 

How to apply

The registration form for participation in the Growing Green training programme will be available soon. Enrolment is subject to eligibility checks. You will be asked to complete a separate grant application later in the programme.

Please note, your data will be shared with Low Carbon Kent for the purposes of administering your training and grant.

Places are limited to 20 businesses per group and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to eligibility checks. The programme will start on the following dates:

• Group one: February 2025
• Group two: April 2025
• Group three: May 2025
• Group four: June 2025

Key dates for the first group, starting in February will be:

• Thursday 13th February 2025, online business induction
• Thursday 27th February 2025, in-person training, East Malling, Kent
• Thursday 6th March 2025, online training

If you have any questions about Growing Green, please email [email protected]

The Growing Green Sustainability Training Programme follows a successful pilot which ran in 2022, funded by the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund. Discover how previous participants of Growing Green have reduced their costs and made their businesses more sustainable in our case studies.