14 Jun 2023
By Richard Muir, Deputy Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
The biggest multi-disciplinary cycle event on the planet is coming to Glasgow in early August and the city is gearing up for the gathering. The UCI Cycling World Championships will land in Glasgow on 3 August and for 10 days Glasgow will be the biking centre of the world. Some of the world’s biggest names and elite cyclists and bikers will be in and around Glasgow with an expected million spectators and an anticipated TV audience of around one billion.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce has, for a long time, recognised the importance of this truly global event and in Glasgow House we have created a business hub and event space in the heart of the city which will welcome Chamber members and business guests during the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Glasgow House, a partnership between Glasgow Life and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, offers an opportunity for business leaders to participate in this major event at a business level, to showcase Glasgow leadership and innovation and to engage with business leadership from global brands. Glasgow House will feature themed days, including Built Environment, Life Sciences, Digital, Transport, Diversity and Inclusion, and Life Sciences and investment opportunities within the city.
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is expected to attract the highest attendance of all time for a cycling event out with a Grand Tour. With the influx of international tourists, businesses and dignitaries over the 10 days of competition, it is seen as a major opportunity for Scottish businesses looking to grow internationally to expand their network and promote their firms.
Glasgow has such a rich and innovative business community and events like the UCI Cycling World Championships are an excellent opportunity to show how the city is leading the way on issues such as green technologies, financial services, and life sciences. The Championships reinforce Glasgow’s reputation as a world class event city and build on the legacy of major events the city has hosted in recent years.
It is estimated that the championships will add £67million to our economy and, much like during the Commonwealth Games, businesses will play a key role in ensuring that not only the event itself is successful but that we create a lasting legacy from it. We know business leaders from across the world will be in our city and having co-ordinated events like this provides a unique opportunity to highlight the great work our businesses are doing in tackling global issues.
We’ve also created a unique project called Grounds for Recycling in partnership with Glasgow Life and Zero Waste Scotland which will see over 50 cycle-friendly coffee shops, roasters, retailers and venues join forces to turn used coffee grounds into compost. This hospitality and tourism-led campaign, designed to help tackle food waste, takes place throughout Glasgow this summer from 25 July to 13 August and coincides with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
Many will remember the innovative Glasgow Chamber and hospitality industry led initiative, Plate up for Glasgow, a food waste reduction campaign launched during COP26. Grounds for Recycling is the next reiteration, led by my colleague, Rebecca Ricketts, Senior Project Adviser at Glasgow Chamber. Following the original Plate up for Glasgow campaign, most venues told us that they found used coffee grounds one of the most challenging food waste items to dispose of responsibly.
As well as increased operational costs for our businesses, coffee waste negatively impacts our climate. In one year alone, Scotland sends around 40,000 tons of used coffee to landfill, emitting harmful greenhouse gases, a key cause of climate change.
As Glasgow’s love of coffee continues to grow, it’s crucial that the city finds circular ways to reuse and recycle coffee ground waste.
Global events like the UCI Cycling World Championships offer a unique opportunity for our businesses and we’re determined through the Glasgow House hub and projects like Grounds for Recycling to play our part and maximise opportunities for innovation and trade.
This article was first published in The Herald on Wednesday 14 June 2023
