University hosts sustainability event to inspire business leaders

Published on 13, October, 2025

The University of Sunderland has hosted an event to showcase what support is available to ensure local businesses are able to contribute to the city’s sustainability agenda.

Business leaders from across the city were invited to Hope Street Xchange on the University’s City Campus (Wednesday 8 October) for the Sunderland City Professionals Network.

It was an opportunity to network, develop and share ideas on how they can contribute to Sunderland’s sustainability agenda, which focuses on becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2040 and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

The event included a panel Q&A with speakers from Sunderland City Council, Durham Wildlife Trust and the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as colleagues from the University of Sunderland who specialise in sustainability.

There were discussions around what support and resources are available to help businesses be more sustainable, such as short courses offered by the University.

Laura Middlemass, Sustainability Manager at the University of Sunderland, who was on the Q&A panel, explained: “As a growing agenda for the city with increasing demands for the business sector to keep up with, the University is here to support businesses with focused short courses on topics like calculating a carbon footprint and writing a carbon reduction plan.

“The University is making great progress in reducing its own environmental impact, but it is also vital that we look at the areas we can influence to accelerate change even further. By supporting businesses in Sunderland to reduce their environmental impact we also support them to meet the increasing demands of tendering for work in the public sector, as well as reducing the impact of our supply chain on the environment.”

>

Tim Pain, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at the University, who gave the welcome speech at the event, added: “Sunderland Professionals Network is such a vibrant community of business people, and we are delighted to welcome them to the University, especially to discuss sustainability, which is a theme close to our heart.”

Sunderland-based accountant Brian Logan, who helps develop businesses throughout the north-east, hosts the Sunderland City Professionals Network.

Brian, who is also a business mentor to The King’s Trust and a director of Sunderland BIDs, said: “Sustainability is very current and increasingly discussed. 

“I have seen local businesses closing and struggling to carry on with increasing costs such as energy. A discussion on how businesses can try to be sustainable and to understand the support out there will be of great benefit to the network, and I am delighted the University of Sunderland has been able to facilitate this.”

Find out more about how you can lower your business's carbon footprint with the University of Sunderland's Sustainability short course here.