Brief description | Helping businesses to achieve cost savings in energy, waste and water. |
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Region | Internal EU borders |
Countries | United Kingdom / Northern Ireland (UK/NI) – Ireland (IE) |
Location | UK/NI: Ards Borough Council; Armagh City & District Council; Antrim Borough Council; Banbridge District Council; Craigavon Borough Council; Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council; Down District Council; Newry & Mourne District Council; North Down Borough Council
IE: Cavan County Council; Louth County Council; Meath County Council; Monaghan County Council |
Type of project partners | Municipalities Regional government units |
Size (total budget including EU grants) | Over € 500,000 |
Main themes | Competitiveness, business and SME development, trade and investment Environmental protection, climate change and risk prevention |
Keywords (Types of Activities) | Marketing, promotional activities, awareness campaigns Other |
Keywords (Aspects of Good Practice) | Genuine cross-border dimension Genuine cross-border impact Innovative Efficient Good dissemination Good sustainability |
Background and Objectives | The project engages with businesses across 13 local authority areas in the border regions between Ireland (IE) and Northern Ireland (UK) with the aim of helping them to identify and achieve cost savings in energy, waste and water. |
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Main activities | The project invites businesses to join the STEM project. These must meet criteria such as to be located within the boundaries of one of the 13 participating local authority areas and be an SME with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million.
Businesses who sign up to the STEM Project can choose one of two options – Savings or Systems:
Regardless of which option a business chooses it will receive up to 5 days site specific support from a dedicated Environmental Officer, as well as access to a range of networking events. |
Main results | The STEM Project has assisted over 300 local businesses in the cross-border region, greatly exceeding the original estimate of 220, and collectively saving them €664,000 per annum. Eighty percent of these businesses stated that they were now more competitive as a result of participating in the STEM Project and 35% were now able to access new markets.
The project’s support for the implementation of a quality management system, including the adoption of an environmental management system (EMS), has fostered an environmentally and economically sustainable enterprise culture in the cross-border region. As a result:
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Aspects of good practice | This project (STEM II) built on the success of its predecessor (STEM I) which attracted a large number of distinctions and awards in the 2004-2008 period.
The STEM project has demostrated cross-border good practice of an examplary nature being a wholly integrated cross-border operation, and has achieved tangible benefits which are sustainable in the longer term, in both the economic and environmental spheres. |
Start and completion dates: | November 2011 – March 2015 |
More information | http://www.stemproject.com |
Partner | STEM Project
Southern Group Environmental Health Committee T: +44 28 37 515 810 F: +44 28 37 515 801 |
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