Resource Futures’ roots are in community impact work, with a 30-year heritage of empowering local communities to take direct action to tackle environmental challenges.
Our passionate team work collaboratively and bring innovation to environmental challenges, enabling communities to improve their local area and quality of life.
Our aim is to provide the innovative and practical support charities, voluntary or community groups, and social enterprises need to have an impact in their communities. With tailored advice, guidance and tools that bring people together to make a positive contribution through action, reuse, repair, and sustainable living.
We work with Local Authorities to develop tailored and engaging projects are informed by local strategy and meet the specific needs of their communities. We underpin project development with research, and can work collaboratively to secure funding. If you are interested in learning more, register interest for our upcoming webinar, or get in touch.
Through a combination of holistic advice, tailored resources and skill-sharing opportunities, Community Action Groups (CAG) networks support grass-roots initiatives to develop and thrive.
The CAG model was developed by Resource Futures in Oxfordshire in 2001 (now an independent entity), expanded into Devon in 2016 and most recently established in Somerset in 2023.
CAG provides a unique way of supporting sustainable action in communities, boosting community reuse, repair, waste reduction, sharing, surplus food, composting and more.
CAG networks have far-reaching impact, promoting social inclusion and wellbeing, alongside achieving significant environmental targets.
CAG Devon currently supports 48 network groups. In 2023-4 the network gave upwards of 24,500 volunteer hours, valued at over £380,000. Their activities diverted almost 70 tonnes of waste from landfill and incineration, saving over 360 tonnes of carbon .
In 2023 CAG Devon expanded its subject area focus to encompass all ‘sustainability’ topics, including biodiversity, energy and greener travel.
Community RePaint is a UK wide paint reuse network, sponsored by AkzoNobel, that aims to collect this leftover paint and redistribute it to benefit individuals, families, communities and charities in need. In 2023 alone the network redistributed nearly 370,000 litres of leftover, reusable paint.
In the 2023-4 academic year our Waste Educators team visited over 86 schools, working with nearly 8,500 pupils – 95% of whom feedback that they ‘Really enjoyed’ the experience. Their ‘War on Waste’ project worked with schools on integrated approaches to waste and re-use and complemented a first ever teacher training event delivered in partnership with Devon County Council and Eco Schools.
Resource Futures also support the Network of Environmental Educators Devon (NEED) and are undertaking a piece of work to assist schools in Devon in writing and implementing Climate Action Plans in the move towards Net Zero.
Launched in May 2022, Following research into reuse funded by Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP). The Fixy Project was conceived as a mobile, awareness-raising repair van. Fixy has been working to educate communities on how to use electricals sustainably, showcasing opportunities for reuse and repair. Throughout this project Fixy has collected over 4500kgs of electricals which have been passed on for repair, reuse/redistribution or recycling.
Working in all nine authorities within Devon, our team engage with residents, working closely with the local authority to improve awareness around contamination, increase recycling and composting capture rates, and decrease household residual waste.
Gloucestershire sends over 86,000 disposable nappies to landfill every single day, costing the local authority over £100,000 per year. Our team is on a mission to end this, delivering a Nappy Alliance recognised real nappy education and incentive scheme across the county.
Our expert advice, support and guidance can help you and your charity or community group turn an idea into a thriving and impactful community action project. Whether you’re looking for information on how to get started, grow, or merge we’re here to help you make a difference for your community.
With 30 years’ experience and a team of over 40 specialists, Resource Futures has the expertise to help your business capitalise on the benefits of greater sustainability.
We work across the value chain to deliver trusted, quality outputs and insight to inform and support you key decisions. Minimising the impact of production and consumption through reduction, reuse and recycling.
We tasked Resource Futures with revising and writing a new waste strategy for Herefordshire Council.
They quickly understood our requirements, engaging a range of stakeholders to agree strategic principles, enabling us to set ambitious new strategic goals and transforming our service for the future.
It’s a strategy we’ve now successfully adopted, and we are delighted to be implementing.
Resource Futures supported us from ideation through to finished product. The project required deep understanding of commercial and environmental datasets, environmental law and best practice.
The final product allows our customers to interrogate data, analyse and forecast results, and extract insights specific to their business needs. Delivering value and actionable insight for years to come.
Resource Futures compiled insights into local reuse organisations and potential ways of working together to achieve more through reuse. Their report identified and highlighted factors experienced by existing groups which will help us shape initiatives that overcome barriers and explore opportunities.
It is an important piece of research that helps us improve reuse and repair across Somerset
Working with Resource Futures has unlocked the power of The 2 Minute Foundation’s BEACH CLEAN app data.
We are now able to quantify findings and present powerful evidence to engage stakeholders. The individuals, groups and families taking part are contributing valuable information through citizen science that can be used for better decision making and direct efforts to keep our beaches free from litter.
Resource Futures produced a thorough report, reflecting considerable stakeholder engagement, data collection and analysis.
The effort that has gone into this information gathering has been exceptional given the timing of this project over the pandemic.
The outputs are invaluable and will be used to inform actions which will make a real difference to our marine industries and environment.
