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Business
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Circular economy and sustainability
Published 13 January 2022Circular economy is a popular phrase in sustainability circles, but what does a circular economy mean and how can we make it work for our businesses? What does circular economy mean? According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, a circular economy is a move away from a linear economy where we extract materials from the planet, […]
Ethical and sustainable sourcing
Published 3 January 2022Ethical and sustainable sourcing are at the heart of an environmentally friendly sourcing plan. We’ll look at the differences between ethical sourcing and sustainable sourcing and how they are integrated in business. What is ethical sourcing? Ethical sourcing is considering how and where products are made and what they are made of. Ethical sourcing takes […]
What is zero waste and is it really possible?
Published 27 December 2021What is zero waste? Is it really possible to eliminate waste from our lives and in our businesses? The short answer is no, we can’t entirely eliminate waste. What we can do is reduce our waste as much as possible. According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, it means “the conservation of all resources by […]
Plastic free packaging
Published 16 December 2021Plastic waste is high on the sustainability agenda at the moment. With COP26 just ended in the UK, there is a media focus on legislation that will help make change happen. The big issue with plastic packaging is the sheer quantity that is produced and the longevity of plastic waste. Find out about the ingenious […]
Let’s Do Net Zero : how to calculate carbon emissions
Published 26 October 2021Blue Patch members will be attending a primer on carbon calculation, delivered through our members and partners – all experts in the field. We’re off to a flying start with Liberty Bollen, pictured here, from Compare Your Footprint. Liberty will be showing members how to do their own carbon calculation using Compare Your Footprint, a […]
Pioneers of the Green Revolution : on the move
Published 13 October 2021Getting about without petrol is trending. Here are some Blue Patch businesses that specialise in sustainable packaging, last mile logistics and making beautiful bicycles! With COP26 fast approaching, the demand for businesses to act responsibly and sustainably is on everyone’s radar. Let’s see what our three choices are doing… Why it matters Road transport accounts […]
Are circular economy models feasible for mainstream?
Published 19 February 2021A recently published article by The BBC titled ‘Clothes should float in and out of our lives‘ queries whether a mainstream move to circular economy models of business would aid in recovering from the pandemic. Will circular models ever become mainstream? “Yes, absolutely!” is our optimistic answer. In the recent past, sustainable and ethical models […]
Guest Post: Necessity is the mother of invention
Published 20 April 2020This year’s not really turning out how I expected – and that’s putting it quite mildly. 2019 was a big year for me. I celebrated a big milestone birthday with a blowout party and some lifetime travel adventures. I sailed boats and rode horses. I learnt new skills and gained new qualifications. I decimated my […]
Resources and advice for small businesses in the UK on how to deal with the COVID19 pandemic
Published 2 April 2020We’ve compiled a roundup of advice and resources that we’ve seen for businesses and business owners over the past couple of weeks. 1. HM Govt Business Support: Here you’ll find all the support and information put together by the government. 2. ICAEW has a huge selection of resources and advice around tax, audit, financial reporting […]
Tis’ (almost) the season: 6 non-traditional British advent calendars
Published 12 November 2019Have you started playing Christmas music yet? I haven’t. For me, Christmas begins with the advent season and leads up to a day spent with family, good food, drinks, full spirits and lots of fun. I love a good advent calendar. Mind you, my favourites are the ones with adult beverages but I do like […]
What does it mean to be an ethical business in 2020?
Published 4 November 2019In 2017 we featured this guest blog written by Sian Conway of #EthicalHour on what it means to be an ethical business. Now as we step into the first days of 2020 we’ve decided to revisit this issue and share our thoughts with you. So, what does it mean to be an ethical business in […]
Happy feet: Sustainable British-made shoes for children.
Published 9 May 2019I went shoe shopping the other day. I’m not much of a shoe person (hello nail polish, and dresses) but for some reason, my last three purchases have been shoes. Must be the changing weather. Goodbye boots, hello gorgeous, colourful, fun summer wear. Now we’ve just got to wait for those May showers to turn […]
Like a Boss: tips for female entrepreneurs & business owners
Published 13 March 2019A report published by the FSB has several interesting statistics about women in business. The contribution of women owned business to the UK economy has been estimated to be approximately £105 bn, with an increase of 40% since 2012. The number of women owning businesses and employing people in their own businesses has also increased significantly. […]
In with Spring, out with dust
Published 1 March 2019It’s spring! Or so we hope… I’ve been transitioning in between clothing types this week, moving away from my warm wool coat to lighter garb. It’s delightful to not be weighted down by 20 layers of fabric. Spring is synonymous with the shedding of layers (unless we’re talking about trees), and part of that includes […]
Plas-tastico! Celebrating #CEWeekLDN
Published 15 June 2018Circular Economy Week, London 18th – 22nd June 2018 A week of events, activities and workshops to celebrate circularity in the capital We’re celebrating Circular Economy Week, London, an initiative by our friends at LWARB and Advance London with a lightening tour of Blue Patch members who lead the way in circular thinking by tackling ‘the demon plastic’! If you’re feeling […]
GDPR and you.
Published 23 March 2018The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforcement date is almost upon us and everyone seems to be in a panic over it! No, Brexit won’t make any difference to whether you have to comply or not and yes after the 25th May, 2018 you may face fines of up to 4% of your annual turnover. However, it’s not as […]
Take your camera off auto : DSLR Workshop
Published 6 February 2018You own a good camera, yet still shoot in full automatic setting? Feeling overwhelmed by all the settings and buttons on your camera? We’re hosting a brilliant workshop this February with Nemo Roberts. This is a hand-on workshop for people who want to understand basic camera skill ‘exposure’. The word simply means the brightness […]
Blue Patch Workshops: How to Create Tabletop Product Photography that Sells
Published 1 November 2017We’re holding our first business workshop this year and it’s all about selling by making your products look good! This is a hands-on workshop for makers who want to take better images for their websites or everyday instagram feed, without the need for special equipment or heavy post production. It is great for those wanting to learn basic photography […]
6 ways to get your business ready for the holiday season
Published 25 October 2017Christmas is on its way. There. We’ve said it. Yes, it’s a wonderful, magical time of the year with delicious mulled wine, sparkly lights, Christmas trees, pretty baubles and such (Go on Scrooge, I dare you to disagree…) BUT As much as we’d like to leave Christmas things till next month when we can properly […]
What a wonderful day for wool!
Published 10 October 2017We’re nearing the end of Wool Week! Each year, the Campaign for Wool celebrates everything wool for one week. After all, wool is a marvellous fabric that may actually need an entire month to itself if we’re to go by the wealth of wool to be found on Blue Patch made by businesses scattered far and […]
Ready to hire your first employee?
Published 18 July 2017Taking on your very first employee can be a very exciting moment. It can, also, be stressful. All those “i”s to dot and “t”s to cross to ensure that things are done correctly before their first day of work. HR guru Olga of CrosseHR is here to share her tips with all prospective employers and employees. The characters […]
The small business revolution : join us
Published 26 January 2017With new business rates coming into effect in April 2017, many startups, SMEs and independent businesses are facing difficult decisions about their future. The latest in a string of threatened closures is Verde, Jeanette Winterson’s deli in Spitalfields. A massive blow and a place our team is truly going to miss. Verde, a place where […]
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