Making Sustainability Work for SME Supply Chains

About this workshop

This is not just for large organisations, but for SMEs supplying into, or operating within, complex value chains.

This practical, half‑day workshop is designed specifically for small and medium sized businesses, focusing on commercially realistic, proportionate actions rather than complex frameworks, carbon reporting, or compliance‑heavy approaches.

Delivered by an experienced specialist, the session will show how sustainable and circular thinking can support cost reduction, efficiency, resilience, and competitiveness, while also helping SMEs respond more confidently to customer and buyer expectations.

This session is deliberately non‑technical, and no prior sustainability expertise is required.
The workshop is interactive, inclusive, and designed for mixed sectors and varying levels of supply chain maturity, with opportunities to apply learning directly to your own business.

What the session will cover

• Sustainable and circular supply chains – plain English explanations and SME‑relevant examples.
• Sustainability as a driver of efficiency, resilience, and commercial value.
• Linear vs circular supply chains – what this means in practice for SMEs.
• Low‑cost, achievable actions across procurement, operations, and supplier engagement.
• How SMEs can credibly present sustainability activity to customers and buyers.

What you’ll learn

By attending this workshop, you will:

• Understand sustainable and circular supply chains in a practical SME context.
• See how sustainability links directly to cost reduction, waste reduction, and resilience.
• Identify common areas of risk, inefficiency, and value leakage in your own supply chain.
• Explore realistic circular economy approaches for your business.
• Leave with a simple, practical Sustainable Supply Chain Action Plan you can take forward immediately.

Who should attend

This workshop is suitable for:

• SME owners and directors.
• Operations, production, and engineering managers.
• Procurement and supply chain leads.
• Sales and business development professionals.
• Businesses at any stage of their sustainability or supply chain journey.

Arrival, networking & refreshments from 08.30. Workshop commences at 09.00

Please note this event is funded via the Tees Valley Supply Chain programme.

This is a closed event for programme beneficiaries only, and anyone new to the programme can sign up via the following link:

https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/business/supply-chain/

About Tees Valley Supply Chain

Tees Valley Supply Chain is delivered by RTC North on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Tees Valley Business Board.

If your business is based in Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland or Stockton-On-Tees), support is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Support is conditional based on eligibility and suitability checks, and for one-to-one productivity support the completion of a diagnostic.

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Host or Publisher RTC North