The Brief

We were asked to make a series of videos on Swansea University’s team on Applied Research for Circular Solutions.

On their website Swansea University note that the ARCS is are a range of economy research and innovation projects funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared prosperity fund.

We created a series of short form videos for the ARCS demonstrating the work they are doing in partnerships with other businesses in regards to tackling climate change. From speaking to those representing the businesses it became clear that they had seen huge benefits from collaborating with ARCS from both a business and knowledge perspective.

We focused on Lux Biotech and how they are looking to use waste to fix excess pollution, improve the environment and improve our carbon footprint. To do this they looked at using waste to grow bacteria and use this with a mix of biochar and hydrogel. Another point raised is that by turning waste into resource this was helping the environment which was always the main aim of the business. Founder Dr Chris Charles spoke of the support he received from ARCS and how this has helped the business grow and function and can now scale up the business as a result of the ARCS partnership.

Zombie Plastics focused on collecting plastic waste from beaches and using this to create new products. One of the unique points with Zombie Plastics was how they could take stuff that previously wouldn’t have been considered for recycling and managing to find ways to be able to recycle it in order to create new products and then be able to recycle them again. This work has opened up further opportunities for the business as they have constantly looked to come up with new ideas and really encouraging collaboration. The partnership with ARCS has also helped the business connect with the corporate sector and they have been able to connect to others as a result.

We also focused on the Art Of Eco business which managed to become innovators in their field by developing and manufacturing a zero carbon sub-tile. They place a great emphasis on being environmentally friendly and when they saw an opportunity to not only help save the planet but also be able to improve on the service they were given, this was a fantastic thing to pursue as a business. Art Of Eco were keen to emphasise that ARCS really embraced what they were doing and were very understanding from both a human and business perspective. One of the main points that was emphasised was how those at ARCS understood that they had their way of doing things and they trusted what the business was doing.

We also focused on Green Up Farm and how they managed to manufacture planting trays that can be reused, recycled and sustainable which would be able to fit into a circular economy as well as learning more about sustainability. ARCS was hugely beneficial to the business. in our film Green Up Farm explained that they had previously been told that mistakes had been made but ARCS offered them assurance that the way that they were doing things was correct. They had turned to ARCS for new solutions about their growing tray and how they could make them reuseable and recyclable and they have been able to provide reliable support to the business to make Green Up Farm both sustainable and profitable.

In our testimonial film we gave an introduction to the businesses we covered as part of this series. We focused on both the individuals and the story behind themselves and their businesses. We also focused on how they got involved with ARCS and the level of support they have received as a result of this. We ended the film with Toni Borella of Green Up Farm strongly encouraging any business to get in touch with ARCS due to the level of support that you’ll receive. There was also a great emphasis on the personal touch that ARCS provide to businesses and that there was strong support and interest from Swansea University in what they were doing.

The Result

Climate change is one of the most prominent issues in today’s world and through encouraging listening and collaboration ARCS and the businesses involved have been able to successfully highlight what they are doing to help tackle climate change through a range of ways.

One of the most successful things about this project was that we were able to demonstrate how there were several different ways of making a positive impact. There was a range of sustainable businesses highlighted across this series that in their own ways were making positive impacts on the environment.