From its grass roots beginnings in early recycling collections, to becoming one of the UK’s leading players in sustainability and regenerative change, Resource Futures delivers vital work across three areas:
- Consultancy
From policy research and circular economy support to behaviour change campaigns and waste strategy support; - Communities
From community action groups (CAG) networks to industry-leading sustainability initiatives such as Community RePaint and Recofloor; - Data
From undertaking waste composition analysis studies on an national and international basis to delivering best-in-class technology solutions for waste management and circularity initiatives.
Our timeline
1982
Save Waste and Prosper (SWAP) incorporated in Leeds.
1983
Jane Stephenson (Resource Futures’ first CEO) starts working with Friends of the Earth in Bristol to set up and run recycling collections as a project manager.
1992
The Recycling Consortium is set up by three Bristol-based recycling and reuse organisations, headquartered in the Create Centre with Jane Stephenson as Director.
1993
- Following a pilot project in Leeds called ‘The Waste Wagon’, the paint reuse programme Community RePaint is established.
1994
Network Recycling incorporated in Bristol.
2001
- Following a successful trial of the Community Action Groups (CAG) model across five districts in Bristol, CAG Oxfordshire is founded by The Recycling Consortium.
- The first Real Nappy Project goes live.
2002
- Save Waste and Prosper (SWAP) launches the national waste awareness campaign ‘Rethink Rubbish’, which engages with over 350 local authorities.
2003
- SWAP (and later Resource Futures) acts as strategic adviser to WRAP’s Recycle Now campaign.
- Sam Reeve (now CEO of Resource Futures) joins Network Recycling as a Site Manager.
2005
- More than 22,000 households doorstepped across the West of England region as part of an incentive scheme project funded by Defra.
2006
- Bristol-based The Recycling Consortium and Network Recycling combine with Leeds-based SWAP to form a new organisation – heralded at the time as a ’supergroup’ – called Resource Futures.
“A merger is better for our clients and better for our business; we are bringing together a wealth of experience and expertise.”
– Jane Stephenson MBE, Resource Futures
2007
Supporting member of Bristol Green Capital Partnership (now Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership) from its inception through to 2024.
2008
- ISO14001 and ISO9001 certification is achieved for the first time.
- Our Waste Education Project begins across schools in Devon.
2009
- Resource Futures is mentioned in Parliament after being commissioned by WRAP to deliver £1.2m of technical services over a two-year period.
2011
- Network Recycling splits off and passes into the hands of former Resource Futures employees, continuing with its recycling work, including at music events.
2015
- Carbon Neutral status achieved for the first time.
- The first of multiple national waste compositional analyses in Wales delivered by Resource Futures begins.
2016
- Ten years of Resource Futures is celebrated with becoming the fourth Bristol-based company to achieve B Corp accreditation (after Triodos, Pukka and Neighbourly), with a score of 104.2.
“We’re delighted to join other purpose-driven businesses and are proud to have created a company where we focus on the positive impact of our work on people and the planet as well as on profit. We truly believe that working to higher standards of transparency, accountability, and performance, is a better way to do business.”
Sam Reeve, Resource Futures
- A new community action groups (CAG) network launches in Devon.
2018
- Delivery starts on an extensive monitoring and evaluation programme to support ReLondon’s three-year flats initiative, seeking to reinvigorate recycling efforts for Londoners living in purpose-built flats.
2019
- Living Wage Employer status achieved for the first time.
- CAG Oxfordshire becomes an independent entity.
- Work with ISWA and the University of Leeds results in a ground-breaking Plastics Pollution Calculator to help governments identify where to take action to reduce ocean plastics.
2020
- Re-accredited as a B Corp, this time with a score of 117.6.
- Support provided to create the 2 Minute Foundation’s ‘Beach Clean Data Dashboard’, helping the organisation visualise the data around its nationwide litter picking efforts.
2021
- Ranking in the top 5% of all B Corps of its size worldwide for its sustainable business practices, Resource Futures is named a Best for the World™ B Corp in governance for its mission, ethics, accountability, and transparency.
- A technical analysis of plastic waste management issues in Kerala is developed in partnership with the University of Leeds.
- Work takes place with all four UK governments to estimate the quantity of fishing and aquaculture gear being wasted across the United Kingdom.
- Resource Futures is instrumental in co-developing a solution for digital DRS on behalf of the Digital DRS Industry Working Group,
2023
- Disability Confident Employer status is achieved.
- Our CAG Somerset network launches.
- Resource Futures is recertified as a B Corp with a score of 110.6.
- Work begins for Defra to provide up-to-date quantitative data on the composition of local authority-derived household municipal waste across the United Kingdom.
- Research for Tearfund reveals that nearly 220m people – roughly 3% of the planet – are at risk from plastic-aggravated flooding.
- Bristol’s Food Redistribution Group – chaired by Resource Futures – launches a tool to help food businesses effectively redistribute surplus food to aid those in food poverty in Bristol.
2024
- The award-winning Recofloor vinyl flooring recycling scheme becomes part of Resource Futures.
- Resource Futures gives evidence at the Welsh Senedd to inform the next iteration of its ‘Beyond Recycling’ circular economy strategy.
2025
- An updated brand identity is unveiled to better reflect Resource Futures’ activities across communities, consultancy and data.
- Resource Futures and Dsposal join forces to improve use of data intelligence in resources and waste.
“We’ve built a strong relationship with Resource Futures based on shared values. As a mission driven company, we believe we can really maximise our positive impact by combining our technical expertise with the deep industry knowledge of the Resource Futures team and we’re all excited about what we can achieve together.”
Sophie Walker, Co-founder of Dsposal