The West Country may seem like a long way away from London and much of the UK, and a place to go on holidays to, but on the international stage, it is no backwater.
When it comes to "green and blue economy’" tech, staff welfare and wellbeing and work life balance in a post-Covid world, the region can certainly hold its own.
That’s the view shared by delegates attending the British Chamber of Commerce South West (BCCSW) C7 virtual conference held on Thursday, May 27, which saw panellists and keynote speakers from all G7 countries as well as from the guest countries invited to the G7 Summit that will take place in Carbis Bay in Cornwall on June 11-13.
Stuart Elford, chairman of BCCSW – the regional affiliation of accredited county chambers in the South West – said: “How we achieve a blue and green economy is of particular significance in our region. It is a global issue being played out with pressing consequences for our peninsula.
“Cornwall, the venue for the G7 summit, has the potential to be a world leader in how we manage green and marine assets while growing our economy.”
Some 200 people from across the region and beyond attended the virtual event with the British Chamber of Commerce and headline sponsor the University of Plymouth each hosting a panel session on achieving sustainable free and fair international trade, and the green and blue economy recovery.
Kim Conchie, chief executive of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said it had been "inspiring" to be able to attract world class speakers, from very diverse backgrounds to attend a conference in the South West.
“From a Cornwall point of view it was reassuring to see that the direction of travel we are taking is aligned with the rest of the world," he said. "We’re not at odds with what’s going on in the biggest economies in the world especially when it comes to the green and blue growth and the challenges that we all face going forward, in term of climate change, looking after our planet, promoting staff wellbeing and innovation.”
Mr Conchie said that all delegates recognised the importance of these issues and shared the same concerns the business community in our region has.
He said recognising that places such as Cornwall or Devon are the same as everyone else and no bucolic backwaters for summer tourists but places that thrive on innovation, had been a great morale boost for the region.
“Yes we are a top tourism destination which we must continue to do in a sustainable way. It is about being clean and green and we have to protect the environment if we want to continue to receive people’s custom," Mr Conchie said.
“But through this conference we have seen how we share the same values and aspirations. On several occasions I have received positive comments from delegates that what we’re doing here, what we have here in the South West, is amazing.”
Mr Conchie said three common themes emerged from the conference. The first one being that the Covid pandemic has made businesses, whether they are in California, Cornwall, France or Japan, realise that international trade makes them all stronger.
“The pandemic has allowed many businesses to adapt to international trade and to stop navel gazing,” Mr Conchie said. “Everyone agreed that it is helping raise global aspirations and driving standards up.”
However he said all also agreed that policy makers have to come to some agreement on global regulatory frameworks.
He added: “The British Chamber of Commerce will be writing to the G7 leaders calling on greater regulation solidarity. That will become increasingly paramount going forward in achieving a truly green and blue global economic growth.”
Taking the example of the car industry, Mr Conchie said it had only been when leading economies had announced a moratorium on petrol and diesel cars for 2030 that suddenly the automobile sector had driven innovation to do away with fossil fuel, with those who fight regulations and a common goal, being left behind.
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Mr Conchie said the same will happen for the marine tech, agri tech and looking for innovative solutions to climate change, ocean pollution and looking after our planet, sectors in which places like Cornwall already excel.
He said that delegates from all over the world agreed that new working practices blending face-to-face meetings and Zoom calls will continue as the conference had itself shown that it is possible to bring people from around the world together without incurring any carbon footprint cost.
“The business community is not just made up of greedy capitalists,” Mr Conchie said. “Business leaders are also civic minded opinion formers.”
He said the third theme that transpired from the conference was that businesses will need to become even more eco-conscious, put sustainability high on their agenda and look after the welfare and wellbeing of their staff in order to attract the next generation of talented people.
“I know it is a high aim. But we all agree it is a direction of travel that goes in the right direction. We all recognise that we can’t just sit on our hands and have to take these steps even if they are small.”
