Higginson Strategy delivered a fringe event at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool for Magical Mushroom Company, the British biomanufacturer producing protective packaging grown from mycelium and agricultural by-products.
The event asked how can Labour help British sustainable-materials businesses move from innovation to industrial scale?
Bloomberg UK government reporter Joe Mayes chaired the panel, which brought together Magical Mushroom Company Founder and CEO Paul Gilligan, IOM3 Polymer Group Chair Professor Sally Beken and former Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy MP.
The room was packed, with attendees including representatives from WRAP, the British Standards Institution, B Lab UK, the Woodland Trust and Westminster Council.
Speakers explored how circular-economy policy can support economic growth, skilled jobs and resilient UK supply chains, delivering good growth in every postcode. Magical Mushroom Company offered a real-world case study, Britain has world-class materials science, but scaling production at home needs investment, customer confidence and regulation that keeps pace with innovation.
The discussion also covered whether Extended Producer Responsibility and the Recyclability Assessment Methodology can fairly recognise regenerative materials, and the role of whole-life environmental assessment, credible biological end-of-life routes and public procurement in building demand for home-grown alternatives to fossil-based packaging.
Higginson Strategy supported Magical Mushroom Company throughout, from political strategy, messaging and speaker engagement to stakeholder briefings, guest list curation, event planning and delivery on the day.
The strongest fringe events connect a business challenge to the Government’s priorities, bringing together credible expert voices and create a focused conversation with political stakeholders. If your organisation wants to shape the debate at party conference or elsewhere in the political calendar, get in touch with our public affairs and events team.