SWM Annual Conference 2025: Future-Proofing the Midlands: Climate Adaptation & Business Resilience

SWM Annual Conference 2025: Future-Proofing the Midlands: Climate Adaptation & Business Resilience

Time:  08:30 – 14:00 (+ optional post-conference site visit)

Date: 03 July 2025

Location: Conference Aston, Aston University, Aston St, Birmingham B4 7ET

About the Event

“The UK’s preparations for climate change are inadequate.”

“The Government must act without further delay to improve the national approach to climate resilience.”

These are the headline quotes from the latest ‘Progress in adapting to climate change: 2025 report to Parliament’ published by the Climate Change Committee in April 2025. Its assessment shows that, despite the impacts of climate change already being felt across the country, all areas of society are not adequately prepared to deal with the impacts. These include more frequent and intense flooding events, heatwaves, periods of water scarcity and storms.

This year’s SWM Annual Conference will focus on what our members and stakeholders in the West Midlands and beyond need to do to adapt to these impacts and how national and local policy can lead to the acceleration of the action that is required.

Aims

With the Climate Change Committee’s stark warning and the recent local election results as a backdrop, the conference will explore:

The policy levers that can be used to build adaptive capacity and implement action at the local and national level, through discussion with an expert panel.

What your business and organisation can do to become more resilient to climate change impacts as well as other risks such as supply chain disruption and material scarcity, shining a light on examples of good practice.

The work SWM and their partners are doing to help organisations and places adapt to climate change, and how SWM can help you.

As ever, the Conference will also provide extensive networking opportunities for SWM members and wider stakeholders.

The Venue

Conference Aston is a purpose-built conference centre and hotel, located on the Aston University campus in Birmingham. Wholly owned by Aston University, it has been delivering high-quality conference, accommodation, and hospitality services since the 1970s. Over the decades, it has grown into a dedicated commercial centre, renowned for its professionalism and versatility.

To ensure the venue and team consistently operate to best practice standards, Conference Aston’s sustainability efforts are regularly reviewed by external awarding bodies. This ensures alignment with industry, national, and international benchmarks.

Conference Aston holds ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications, the Green Tourism Gold Award, a Three-Star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and TripAdvisor’s Green Leaders Gold Level status.