Making a DEEPER impression

A pioneering collaboration in Darlington has hit the milestone of 50 members working together to achieve Net Zero. PETER BARRON wrote the following piece for the latest edition of Business IQ magazine and The Northern Echo

AS he looks back on the remarkable growth of DEEP – the Darlington Employers’ Environmental Partnership – Andrew Perkin is irresistibly drawn to the significance of 2025 being a milestone year for the town.

“We are celebrating the fact that, two centuries ago, Darlington’s pioneering spirit and innovation led the way in developing the first passenger railway. Now, 200 years later, Darlington is in a great position to leave a different legacy – this time around Net Zero,” says the borough council’s Business Growth and Investment Manager.

Andrew is speaking shortly after the announcement that the Darlington Employers’ Environmental Partnership (DEEP) has reached its own milestone, with Teesside International Airport becoming the 50^th member in just 18 months.

“It’s fantastic to have such a high-profile employer as DEEP’s 50^th member,” says Andrew, as he relaxes over a coffee after the latest in a series of regular ‘Network and Learn’ events organised by DEEP, aimed at giving members a valuable insight into how a wide variety of organisations are tackling Net Zero.

Locations for previous DEEP Network and Learn events have included the Darlington plant of global engine manufacturer Cummins, the Tees Valley Net Zero Innovation Hub, Hopetown railway museum, and the airport.

The latest event has been held at Darlington Memorial Hospital, where DEEP members have been impressed to hear how the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is ahead of the national average for cutting carbon emissions through a range of innovative projects.

Afterwards, in the hospital’s Hollies Café, Andrew is joined by other key members of DEEP’s steering committee – Chair Rob MacDiarmid; and Seth Pearson, Director of Darlington Cares – to discuss DEEP’s achievements so far, and how to maintain its momentum.

They agree that DEEP has surpassed all expectations as a way of encouraging local employers in Darlington, and the wider Tees Valley, to work together “to develop the knowledge, skills and tools to deliver sustainable solutions that can help to power the green revolution”.

For Andrew, a consistent theme through all the Network and Learn events has been that cutting carbon emissions is not just good for the planet, but good for business too.

“This is not just about Net Zero, as important as that is,” he says. “It’s also about commercial sustainability and supporting a dynamic local economy. There’s a growing corporate recognition that we have to act to mitigate the impact of climate change, but it also makes business sense.”

Seth sees the strength of the DEEP membership as being the mix of “big beasts” like Cummins, alongside a wide range of small and medium sized companies.

“Sustainability means different things to different companies and not everyone has the same level of resources to manage the challenge,” says Seth. “But if we’re all in the same room, we can all steal from each other and adopt the best practices because we are all on the same journey.”

DEEP’s chair, Rob McDiarmid, comes with a wealth of experience and expertise around the Net Zero agenda. He served as Head of Property Sustainability at the Government’s Cabinet Office before being appointed to his current role as Head of ESG at Darlington-based global mobility solutions provider ZIGUP.

Consequently, the “organic” growth of DEEP has given him particular satisfaction: “What I love is that it’s essentially happened by word of mouth; through a mutual recognition of the issues we all face,” says Rob.

“The growth in membership has definitely exceeded expectations and, through the Network and Learn events, it’s been fantastic to see relationships being formed, knowledge shared, and confidence grow as a result.

“Businesses can often feel like a lone voice in the wilderness but DEEP has shown that’s not the case. We are all stumbling along, trying to find our way, and the support of others is of huge value.”

The milestone membership of the airport is seen as a symbol of how well DEEP has taken off, and an example of the compatibility of Net Zero and business success.

The airport has become the 50^th member as it prepares to launch an ambitious Decarbonisation Action Plan, aimed at providing passengers with zero emission flights from a net zero airport by 2035.

And Managing Director Phil Forster is in no doubt about the business benefits of the Tees Valley being increasingly seen as one of the UK’s green energy hotspots.

“Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at the airport and, when we were approached with the opportunity to join DEEP, we didn’t hesitate,” says Phil.

“The Tees Valley is leading the way by becoming the country’s foremost sustainability hub, and that’s not only great news for the planet but great news for business because it’s generating revenue and creating jobs.

“We are talking to airlines and associated businesses because of what the airport and the Tees Valley is doing around sustainability, and our aim is to be the UK’s first Net Zero airport.”

Steps towards that goal include working with stakeholders to establish a 50-megawatt solar farm and a hydrogen filling station on the airport site, while also making all ground-handling equipment carbon neutral.

Teesside is also at the forefront of the global development of sustainable aviation fuel with five out of seven SAF sites based in the region.

Saudi Arabian firm, Alfanar, recently confirmed plans to develop the Lighthouse Green Fuels facility at the North Tees industrial cluster, which will lead to the creation of thousands of jobs.

“We applaud what DEEP is doing because it’s essential that we all work together,” adds Phil. “We want to work with local businesses and help them to grow because they have a huge role to play in the airport decarbonising.

“It’s a source of great pride that we are DEEP’s 50^th member because it’s a clear demonstration of our commitment to work in partnership with others.”

Seth Pearson describes reaching 50 members as “a truly momentous moment”.

“Having grown from 20 members to 50 in the space of 18 months demonstrates how united and determined Darlington’s employers are in their mission to achieve Net Zero,” he says. 

“And for our 50^th member to be Teesside Airport, with such a regional significance, makes a strong statement about how DEEP provides valuable opportunities for all employers, large and small.”

The question for Andrew Perkin is how DEEP can not only maintain the growth in membership but inspire more meaningful outcomes from the “great connections” that are being made.

“It can’t just be about numbers, we need to see the growth translate into actions that not only help achieve Net Zero targets but contribute to Darlington’s economic fortunes,” he says.

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if, in 200 years from now, people are looking back and celebrating how Darlington’s pioneering spirit played its part in transforming the way climate change was managed?”

Ensuring the message is heard

DARLINGTON Borough Council is determined to shout as loudly as possible about how it is working with stakeholders to achieve Net Zero.

As part of that communication strategy, the local authority has commissioned local company, Hubspoke Media, to produce a series of Net Zero podcasts, including one on the thinking behind the formation of DEEP.

“Communication and sharing information is at the heart of what we are trying to do our around Net Zero and the podcasts we’ve commissioned are part of that storytelling,” says Andrew Perkin.

“We want to raise awareness of the challenges but also the solutions companies are coming up with, so it’s important that we use as many media channels as possible to spread the word.”

As well as DEEP, the organisations featured in the podcast series include Darlington Cares, TEP Electrical, Tees Valley Combine Authority, Clive Owen LLP, J&B Recycling, Darlington College, and North Star Housing.

Adam Walker, Director of Hubspoke Media, says: “During the series I got to speak to a range of organisations from education, local government, housing, private sector business, and waste management.

“Hearing how businesses work towards Net Zero was truly fascinating. All are taking unique approaches, and it is interesting to hear about how they have used the partnership to learn from others.

“Since recording the series, Hubspoke Media has also signed up to the partnership and started the process of looking at how we can work towards Net Zero.”

The 50 mark has been reached and surpassed. Here’s to the next milestone of 100 members!

• The podcasts will be available soon. To keep up to date with those and other matters relating to DEEP, go to www.deepnetzero.co.uk
• To read the virtual edition of the latest Business IQ magazine – featuring the growth of DEEP – go to: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/business/magazine/
  You will find the DEEP profile on Page 108.