Archives: 2017

Lidl Ireland joins over 85 of Ireland’s top companies as a member of Business in the Community

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) today announced that leading retailer Lidl Ireland has joined its business network of over 85 companies dedicated to responsible business and sustainability. BITCI is a non-profit business network dedicated to supporting companies of all sizes on their sustainability journey.
Non financial reporting

EU Directive on Non-Financial Reporting signed into Irish law

Business in the Community Ireland has been informed by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation that the EU Directive on Non-Financial Reporting was signed into Irish law on July 30, 2017.

Ricoh Ireland’s newest Production Print employee

Being a responsible and sustainable business is at the heart of everything we do at Ricoh. With a presence in more than 180 countries, we constantly strive to positively benefit the communities in which we operate. In Ireland, one way in which we achieve that is through Business in the Community Ireland’s work placement programme.

Employees, your reputation army

At the Q2 Network Meeting in May, our Head of Marketing Moira Horgan, shared insights on why it is crucial to communicate to your employees about your sustainability efforts. Moira also provided tips on how to do so successfully:
sustainable procurement

ISO 20400 – the New Standard on Sustainable Procurement

ISO has published a voluntary standard on Sustainable Procurement – ISO 20400. This document provides good guidance for any organisation intent on integrating and embedding the principles of sustainability into their procurement processes and operations.

HEINEKEN Ireland announces urban greening community initiative

HEINEKEN Ireland has recently announced an initiative to bring communities together to create urban growing spaces that have a positive impact – socially, environmentally and economically.

Supporting the local community Bank Blitzes Backyard to help older people

On 14 and 15 July, Age Action and Bank of Ireland took part in the Great Bank of Ireland Backyard Blitz, which saw hundreds of bank volunteers swapping their calculators for watering cans and their spreadsheets for spades to give their older neighbours a ‘dig out’ in the garden. The gardening bonanza matched up bank

Corporate Responsibility in Action A&L Goodbody sponsors Writer in Residence at East Wall school

In June 2016, A&L Goodbody created a new three year partnership with Business to Arts to support and fund (€30,000 over the period) a new initiative called the Writer in Residence programme under the Docklands Arts Fund.
CoderDojo

Symantec and CoderDojo Coolest Projects

Symantec were delighted to be part of this year’s CoderDojo Coolest Projects event in Dublin in June. CoderDojo are a non-profit organisation who teach coding to kids aged 7 – 17. During the event hundreds of kids from “Dojo’s” around the world came to showcase one of the projects they have been working on, and

Go Green – How SMEs can save money

Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to enhance their environmentally responsible practices was the audience for a recent seminar hosted by Business in the Community Ireland and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The seminar gave practical insights into how SMEs could reduce their environmental footprint by conserving water,

KBC Building Better Communities

As the Bank of You, KBC’s Sustainability programme aims to make a positive impact on the lives of our employees, our customers, our communities and society at large. At KBC we recognise and respect the importance of our role in society and through our sustainability programme we share our vision for better, brighter communities, support

CSR Activities Continue to Flourish as Awards Shortlist Displays Diverse Range of Projects

Chambers Ireland earlier in the month officially announced the shortlist for the 2017 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards . With fifty companies shortlisted across the fourteen categories, this year’s CSR Awards displays a diverse range of projects from all industries and sectors, from SMEs to MNCs, across every region of Ireland.

In Conversation With David O’Flynn, Head of CSR at Dawn Meats Group

For this issue of our In Conversation with Series we had the opportunity to hear from David O’Flynn, Dawn Meats’s Group Head of CSR.   Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company As Dawn Meats’ Group Head of CSR my role covers our 17 sites in

M&S Sustainability Programme Plan A turns 10 and has saved £750 million in costs

Each year M&S holds an event solely for stakeholders, to discuss their sustainability challenges, successes and goals. Our Senior CSR Adviser Darina Eades attends this meeting and here she shares the insights from the day and the successful evolution of M&S’s sustainability strategy.

The Chambers Ireland CSR Awards 2017 Shortlist

The list of the shortlisted companies for the Chambers Ireland CSR Awards 2017 are:       Excellence in CSR Communication Aldi Stores Ireland Limited – Aldi and FoodCloud Partnership Arthur Cox – ‘Who Wants to be a Volunteer?’ – the Arthur Cox Volunteer Champions (ACVC) Bord Gais Energy – Give a Helping Hand to Prevent Family Homelessness #AHelpingHand Core

Five Charities from Across Ireland Selected to Receive Support from the eir Fund

The eir Fund – Connecting Communities is eir’s Corporate Social Responsibility investment programme, open for application to any charity or NGO in Ireland, north or south, with a registered charity number. Decisions for funding are made on a local basis by eir’s employees based in the four provinces of Ireland. As a direct result of

Cook Medical joins over 85 of Ireland’s top companies as a member of Business in the Community

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) recently announced that medical technology company Cook Medical has joined its business network of over 85 companies dedicated to responsible business and sustainability. BITCI is a non-profit business network dedicated to supporting companies of all sizes on their sustainability journey. It is the only network of its kind in

Great Place to Work is holding a conference event in Dublin

You are warmly invited to register for Great Place to Work conference event with a theme of Trust In A Fast Changing World, to be held in The Round Room at the Mansion House on Thursday 21st September 2017 with a special discount rate of €270 (plus Vat) per person for BITC members. Great Place

Virgin Media support Lessons for Life and the CoderDojo Coolest Project Awards

Lessons for Life Virgin Media staff have completed a gruelling two day bike ride in Cologne to raise funds for Lessons For Life, a charity that funds education projects in some of the toughest part of the world.

Lessons learnt from 10 years of Giving in Bank of Ireland

Give Together, Bank of Ireland’s charity and community investment initiative, is celebrating 10 years of giving this year. In the past decade, close to €31 million has been raised for good causes and over 7,000 days volunteered! Up to the introduction of Give Together in 2007, charitable support was largely driven by projects selected by

Considerate Constructors Scheme launches in Republic of Ireland

  The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the organisation established to improve the image of the construction industry – is now international, having launched its first registered site in Ireland.

BT Ireland diversity & inclusion week shines a light on the benefits of a more inclusive workplace

Last month, BT Ireland held its second annual diversity and inclusion week, designed to celebrate and encourage greater diversity and a more inclusive culture in the workplace.

ESB awards €322,226 to 38 charities working in the areas of suicide, homelessness and educational access and support

ESB recently awarded €322,226 to 38 charities working in the areas of suicide, homelessness and educational access and support, marking ESB’s Energy for Generations Fund spring funding round. Blossom Ireland, The Salvation Army and The Iveagh Trust were three of the worthy organisations receiving funding at a presentation event in ESB’s Head Office on East

HEINEKEN Sustainability Report 2016 – Brewing a Better World

  HEINEKEN Ireland published its 2016 Sustainability Report outlining its ongoing commitment to sustainability. It provides an update on the significant progress made in meeting the ambitious sustainability targets as part of its ‘Brewing a Better World’ strategy. HEINEKEN’S global sustainability efforts are focused on six core areas where they and their stakeholders believe the biggest impact can

Gender Diversity in Practice

  In this report, Business in the Community members share their experiences of building a culture of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and focusing specifically on gender diversity

Update about BITCI’s biodiversity photography competition

  BITCI’s Biodiversity Photography Competition has been running for a few weeks now and the entries are flying in. Additionally, the feedback from our members has been great and because of this we have decided to extend the date for entries to the 31st of August 2017.

Launch of new National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2017 – 2020 “Towards Responsible Business”

BITCI (26 June 2017) participated in the launch of Ireland’s National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2017 – 2020 “Towards Responsible Business” by Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald.

Biodiversity Communications: Raising Awareness Internally and Externally

We recently held our 3rd Biodiversity Learning Network of 2017, which focused on communications around biodiversity. We asked ourselves the following questions: How can companies raise awareness of biodiversity among employees and in communities? How can we identify and engage the passionate individuals within our own organisations? How can we support internal dialogue between departments

Cork Business Forum roundup

Business in the Community Ireland is committed to increasing the reach of the network and promote members in the Munster region. Therefore, in partnership with Cork Chamber, we held our 2017 Cork Business Forum on May 30th in the Clayton Hotel.

The European perspective on the Sustainable Development Goals

  Here are some updates from the European Business Summit which took place in Brussels on May 22nd and find out the key messages for businesses in Ireland: