Member Article

Digital funding delivers 300% growth for UK recycling business

An export-based recycling business has more than tripled its workforce, after boosting its digital connectivity with £5,000 of funding from the Digital Enterprise business growth programme.

Clearpoint Recycling, which sells household recyclable materials produced in the UK to European and global recycling firms, has grown from five to 18 staff since 2016 when the business received funding from the Government-backed Digital Enterprise programme towards a £13,000 project to upgrade its connectivity and broadband access.

Commercial director and co-founder of the £8m turnover business, Duncan Oakes, said: “I was quite cynical about the benefits of grant funding for businesses to begin with, but the funding we received from Digital Enterprise was the catalyst that really kick-started Clearpoint’s own investment in IT.

“We went on to develop a bespoke CRM system off the back of that connectivity upgrade. The initial support from Digital Enterprise was, without doubt, instrumental in enabling us to grow and to take on an additional 13 staff in Harrogate in just two years with more hires planned over the coming months.”

Established in 2012 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Clearpoint now handles over 144,000 tonnes of waste plastic, paper, glass, metal and wood a year from waste collection sites across the north of England and Scotland. The firm both buys and sells recyclable waste, with 95 per cent of the UK waste it deals with exported to Europe.

“At the time that we applied for the Digital Enterprise funding we were finding the large amounts of data, mostly image files of the waste products we handle, was a real challenge and we were struggling. High-speed broadband hugely enhanced our capabilities and enabled us to create a unique sales interface that has enabled us to grow as a business. It’s no exaggeration to say that the funding was transformational for us.”

Muz Mumtaz, programme manager of Digital Enterprise, said: “Clearpoint are a fantastic example of how upgrading digital technology can be pivotal for a business. The good news is that there are still £1,000 Connectivity Vouchers available for businesses in the Leeds City Region to boost their internet speeds and other digital technology.”

Worth £1,000 each, Connectivity Vouchers are aimed at small businesses whose current download speeds are less than 30 mbps, firms in areas with poor network coverage, as well as those with a business need for improved upload and download transfer speeds.

The Digital Enterprise programme is funded by the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), its nine local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund.

For further information, go to www.digitalenterprise.co.uk .

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .