Foreward from the Chairman

20 years ago, 18 Staffordshire businesses in conjunction with Staffordshire County Council got together to discuss the issue of the environment and how it was becoming a part of everyday business.  From this initial meeting, Staffordshire Business Environment Network, sben, was born. There are now over 300 members and the needs of these members are the same today as they were 20 years ago. The network prides itself on providing a service based on what its members want.

Working for many years in manufacturing I have learnt nothing stays the same, to progress, we have to move on, become leaner and improve what we did yesterday working within the constraints that legislation puts upon us. At the same time we must build upon what we have already achieved and encourage and support others who have just started on the environmental journey.

People in organisations now have to wear many hats, time and finances are two resources that are not always readily available. For 20 years sben has had the reputation of providing good value training courses that are targeted at current and future environmental issues and offering direction and assistance in all environmental matters. This has made it a model for other business networks to follow and with the support of its members and the hard work of the sben team I am sure it will continue on for many years to come.