CEP to support the EEA in understanding drivers of urban sustainability

CEP has been awarded a new project to analyse drivers of environmental transitions in European cities

Collingwood Environmental Planning (CEP) (in partnership with Eunomia Research & Consulting), LSE Cities at the London School of Economics and Milieu has been commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA) to support the delivery of the EEA’s project aiming to better understand what enables or hinders environmental sustainability transitions in European cities, and how these factors may have changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This project follows a previous project delivered by a CEP-led team (2019-2020) which piloted a survey of the drivers and enablers of urban sustainability in European cities.  The results of this previous work were published in the EEA’s report Urban sustainability in Europe – What is driving cities’ environmental change?.  Using the method developed in this previous project, the new project involves a survey targeting 100 European cities followed up by 25 interviews.  The results of this project will directly inform the EEA’s ongoing work on urban sustainability, including the next European State and Outlook on the Environment Report (SOER) in 2025. 

This exciting new project builds on our long track-record of supporting the EEA in developing a knowledge base, conceptual understanding and assessments in the field of urban environmental sustainability.  More information on our wider work on urban environmental sustainability can be found here. 

For more information please contact CEP’s Owen White (Managing Director) or Špela Kolarič (Senior Consultant) for more information. 

Collingwood Environmental Planning (CEP) becomes part of the Eunomia Group

Sustainability consultancy Eunomia Research & Consulting has completed the acquisition of Collingwood Environmental Planning (CEP). The acquisition process completed on 28th July. CEP is now wholly owned by Eunomia and becomes part of the Eunomia group.

The acquisition strengthens and widens the combined team’s expertise and capacity in a number of key fields, including water and flood risk management, natural capital and green infrastructure, policy evaluation, climate change adaptation, environmental foresight and the social aspects of environmental change.

In its 20th anniversary year, Eunomia employs more than 100 consultants across offices in Bristol, Manchester, London, New York, Brussels, Athens, Sydney and Auckland and works with supranational, national and local government, non-governmental and private sector clients. Eunomia specialises in policy, strategy, technical analysis and implementation advice to address the world’s environmental and social crises. It is a key advisor on circular economy and decarbonisation to the European Commission and many of the world’s leading environmental NGOs, brands, retailers and materials companies. It also carries out work on the natural economy, biodiversity and sustainable transport.

Founded in 1995, CEP works with a range of public, private and non-governmental clients both in the UK and internationally, including the EU institutions, to put the environment and communities at the heart of decision making by promoting positive environmental, social and sustainability change through robust and innovative research, strategy and policy support.

Joe Papineschi, Chairperson of Eunomia, said: “We’re hugely excited that, through our first acquisition, we’re bringing CEP into the Eunomia group. Our two companies are natural partners, driven by common values. We both take an evidence-based approach to maximise the positive environmental and social impacts of our work, and focus on providing high-quality advice with the aim of delivering practical solutions for clients.

“We’re a great home for the CEP team and thanks to their highly complementary skills and experience, together we will be able to expand our work in a number of key areas focused on the climate and biodiversity crises. The excellent reputation and track record of the CEP team allows us to offer services to a wider range of clients, increasing and amplifying the impact of our work.”

Ric Eales, Managing Director at CEP, said: “I am personally hugely proud of what CEP has achieved over the last 26 years. What has made CEP different as an environmental and sustainability consultancy has been our ability to operate at the nexus of research and practice, our inter-disciplinary approach, and our focus on new challenges and innovative approaches. We are delighted to become a part of Eunomia, an organisation that shares our culture and values, along with our commitment to delivering quality and innovation for clients. This presents a fantastic opportunity to continue our journey and significantly enhance our ability to deliver positive change and real impact.”

Following this acquisition, Eunomia aims to further strengthen and broaden its expertise on a range of specialist environmental and sustainability issues. Alongside continued strong organic growth, the company will be seeking further complementary acquisitions in areas such as sustainable food, farming and transport.

For more information, please contact Ric Eales (Director, CEP).