17/04/2013

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Don’t Waste an Opportunity for your Business – Dublin SMILE Event, 25 April.

Dublin, Ireland — 17 Apr. 2013

A unique networking and business event will take place in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday 25th April which promises to provide excellent opportunities to businesses in Dublin to save on their costs and manage their waste more effectively.

SMILE stands for Saving Money through Industry Links and Exchanges. This free event offers businesses the opportunity to connect with likeminded organisations and, through facilitated networking rounds, identify ways in which they can work together to better manage their waste streams and reduce their costs. An added advantage of this SMILE event will be the opportunity for attendees to get benefit from Eco-Design, Waste Prevention and Energy Management workshops.  These workshops will see a series of case studies presented on best practice eco design and examples of ways to reduce waste during the design of a product. Electricity bills can also be reviewed in 15 minute intervals on a one to one basis on the afternoon of the event. The event and workshops are free to attend, however places are limited and registration at www.smileexchange.ie is essential.

The event is set to take place on Thursday, April 25^th starting at 9am in Tallaght Stadium. SMILE Resource Exchange is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under the National Waste Prevention Programme and this event is co-sponsored by South Dublin County Council, South Dublin Enterprise Board and supported by South Dublin Chamber. 

In addition to the facilitated networking rounds and resource efficiency workshops, there will be a number of speakers at the event including; The Mayor of South Dublin County, Councillor Cathal King; Mark Finnegan, Sustainability Specialist at IKEA Dublin who will speak about their approach to reuse; and Keiron Philips, Project Manager of the Green Business Initiative at the Environmental Protection Agency who will discuss the various supports available to businesses to help them become more resource efficient.

Speaking about the event, Mayor of South Dublin County, Cathal King said “I am very happy to see both South Dublin County Council and South Dublin Enterprise Board supporting businesses in the County in this innovative and sustainable way. I welcome SMILE Resource Exchange to South Dublin and look forward to positive reports of exchanges taking place.  It is good to see the use and reuse of resources.”

Loman O’Byrne, CEO of the South Dublin County Enterprise Board said “This is just one example of what the Enterprise Board and the Council can do together to support and develop businesses in our County.  The formation of the LEO (Local Enterprise Offices) will formalise the existing synergy between the two organisations and there will be many more events like SMILE Resource Exchange”. 

The exchanges made at the previous SMILE events have involved all sectors and product categories; goods that have been exchanged are as diverse as drums; containers; cardboard; furniture; plastics and Styrofoam. Also all resources offered are either free of charge or below market value. Following the event attendees will also receive a report detailing all those in attendance at the event and the details of all the potential exchanges. This will support the follow up between the businesses after the event.

For further information and to register for the SMILE Exchange Event in Tallaght Stadium on Thursday, April 25^th, please contact: 01 436 1864 / www.smileexchange.ie.  Registration for the event is essential as places are limited.

ENDS

Notes to the Editor
Goods that have been exchanged to date include: plastic reels; CD cases; plastic containers; fabric; bags; pallets; Styrofoam packaging; surplus goods; cardboard boxes; print; ; shredded paper; foam pieces; 15,000 unusable hotel key cards; photocopier; pallets; metal steps; pallet stacker; office tables; ceramic beads; abrasive belts; desktop PC; paper’ furniture; latex gloves;  string; wood pallets; uniforms.

Research conducted by Smile Resource Exchange in May 2012 highlights businesses’ attitudes to waste disposal, and changing trends, with upcycling growing in popularity.  The Smile survey, completed by over 100 businesses throughout Munster, indicates that SMEs are actively engaging in actions to reduce their environmental impact, with the majority of companies (92pc) disposing of unwanted waste through recycling; although 48pc also still sending quantities of waste to landfill. Just one respondent said they send 100pc of their waste to landfill, while the majority said they send just between 1pc and 24pc of waste to landfill.

When asked about the benefits of implementing environmentally friendly measures, the most quoted perceived benefit was 'cost reduction' closely followed by 'waste minimisation'. Other responses include fostering a 'better image among customers', knowledge that they are 'doing their bit for the environment' and 'increased efficiencies'.