Amplifi, a local initiative aiming to amplify environmentally-conscious business and support the community, welcomed over 120 guests at a free business launch event at The Amelia Scott, Tunbridge Wells on 31 January.
Hosted by joint-founders, Pete Kenyon, partner at Cripps LLP, and Jenny Kitchen, CEO of Yoyo Design, the event kicked off with a bespoke Amplifi video welcome from researcher, professor and author of ‘There is no Planet B’ Mike Berners-Lee.
Guests were then provided with recent examples of sustainability success in two presentations from COOK! head of sustainability Andy Stephens and Elvis & Kresse co-founder Kresse Wesling CBE. The final speaker, Simon Heppner, founder of Net Zero Now, illustrated how sector-specific initiatives are the most effective way to get results.
The second half of the evening saw guests split into sector focus groups led by an industry expert in their field: food, drink & hospitality, media, creative & technology, professional services, public sector, real estate & construction and retail.
Pete Kenyon said: “We were blown away by the phenomenal response to this event, and after months of planning, it was overwhelming to see the appetite from local businesses to work together to drive action and consider their environmental impact.
“We were incredibly delighted to be able to announce that RTW Together BID committed £20,000 to help subsidise the costs for our first cohort to take the Net Zero Now journey during 2024, and as a result we saw a large number of businesses committing to joining together to harness their collective power.”
Jenny Kitchen added: “This is very much just the beginning of the journey, and to keep the momentum going, the sector groups will continue to meet regularly and share best practices and initiatives to help them be more sustainable.
“We warmly invite any other businesses who would be interested in working collaboratively on the road to net zero to get in touch with us as we know that working together will get us there faster.”
Amplifi is a not-for-profit company that is also supported by a local collective who have offered expertise for free or financial support. It includes Cripps, Yoyo Design, Crowe, Childrensalon, Handelsbanken, Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, RTW Together BID, Fuggles, AXA Health, Colley Raine & Associates, the TN Card, and Times of Tunbridge Wells.
