BITCI News

In our In Conversation Series we get to know the sustainability and corporate responsibility leaders from some of Ireland’s top businesses. This month please meet Penny Bryant, Director of Communications and CSR at Fidelity Investments. Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company I oversee Communications and

Business in the Community Ireland welcomes the adoption of the All of Government Action Plan on Climate Disruption as a decisive and coherent set of policies that will prepare Ireland to become a significant player at European and international level on adapting to climate change. In particular we welcome the approach to systemic change proposed by the Action Plan, placing a focus on

Business will play a lead role in helping Ireland achieve climate action targets Dublin, Wednesday, 12th June, 2019: Almost 50 leading companies, which have signed up to halve their direct carbon footprint between now and 2030, have engaged positively with the challenge and already secured significant emissions reductions of harmful greenhouse gases. This is according

In our In Conversation Series we get to know the sustainability and corporate responsibility leaders from some of Ireland’s top businesses. This month meet Claire Bergin, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Deloitte Ireland. Claire has been with Deloitte for nearly 10 years, from a successful international sport career to Corporate Responsibility Claire’s journey is one to

On May 8, our Senior CSR Adviser Darina Eades delivered a Workshop on Reporting the Impact of the Business on Human Rights. Participants were member companies and the workshop was hosted by A&L Goodbody. The driver of this event was the 2017 Non-Financial Reporting Legislation, applicable to public-interest entities, with more than 500 employees and

Last month KBC Bank hosted the first Inclusive Employer meeting in Cork.  At the session Munster based companies described their schemes to support apprenticeships and work placements which in the majority of cases provide candidates that they can recruit and progress through the organisation. According to Louise Murray our Senior CSR Adviser, the logic stacks

  Following on from our first article on the Sustainable Development Goals and Business this month we look at what are the goals most prioritised by business. We also want to highlight our upcoming SDGs workshop. This year marks four years since the United Nations member states unanimously agreed on the  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and planet by 2030,

At a past biodiversity workshop on the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, we did a nature walk around an urban green space to see what simple actions businesses can take to support pollinators on their sites, in employees’ gardens, and in their local communities.

Today, around 100 CEOs made an appeal to join forces for a New Deal for Europe. They want to accelerate sustainable growth, tackle climate change and create inclusive prosperity. Brought together by CSR Europe, the CEOs raise their voice to enhance dialogue and strengthen interaction with Politics, Civil Society and their Business & Industry peers.

We are delighted to launch a new series for business on the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the next months we will be delving into the SDGs with a series of articles from our expert Sustainability and CSR advisers. Our first article will provide readers with an overview of the SDGs in Ireland and future pieces

In 2018, eir made the strategic decision to move all customer facing employees back in-house. This decision was driven by the belief that for high quality customer service to be delivered, every person dealing with a customer should be an eir employee. In keeping with eir’s commitment to its national footprint, a significant number of

We are delighted this month to introduce you to Sustainability leader Amanda Davis. Amanda is the Senior Manager Global Corporate Responsibility and The Environment at Symantec and has a very wide range of global sustainability and CR responsibilities. Read about Amanda’s achievements, challenges and how she stays inspired whilst also learning the fascinating sustainability journey

Installation of 470 roof-mounted solar PV panels forms central plank of Group’s commitment to BITCI Low Carbon Pledge. In a major demonstration of support for the shift to green energy by business, Heat Merchants Group has installed over 470 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of its business support offices and central distribution hub

Our CSR Adviser Johnny Meehan recently attended the Sustainable Ireland – Sustainable Food Conference in Croke Park on the 11th of April. Johnny shares a summary from the day. I discovered some interesting and alternative perspectives on food that really resonated with me, maybe they will with you too. A different story about food  Ireland it

Our Senior CSR Adviser Darina Eades attended the Irish Centre for Human Rights Symposium on Non-Financial Reporting: Implications for Business and Human Rights in Ireland, on April 2 in NUI Galway.  Her key insights follow.   “Any business serious about conducting human rights due diligence is doing so to prevent harm and to unearth any

 Hear directly from Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland on why the Business Working Responsibly mark is a key accreditation to have and why it was instrumental in verifying the CSR areas at the heart of the business such as diversity and climate change. Find out about the Business Working Responsibly mark.

Following the recent publication of the Inclusive Employer blueprint , this is the first in a regular series of articles containing business tips and examples of Inclusion in Action. In 2018 Accenture Ireland developed a Mental Health Ally programme as part of a wider commitment to becoming a truly inclusive organisation.  Through this initiative, Accenture are fostering a

Our Head of Advisory Services Bernadette Phelan recently addressed the CSR Stakeholder Forum , these that follow are her remarks: Responsible businesses know that building and keeping trust with its many stakeholders (be it employees, customers, suppliers, government, local communities) is a necessary condition for business success.  Trust is fostered through openness and transparency by the business, and

Press Release 28th March 2019: 60 top companies in Ireland have contributed over €30 million to charities and community groups last year while employees racked up 264,735 volunteer hours. This data was captured by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), a business network that advises Ireland’s top companies on corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The

Welcome to a new episode of the CEO As Activist series from The BITCI Podcast. Last week the Leaders’ Group on Sustainability, powered by Business in the Community Ireland, hit another milestone by launching the #InclusiveEmployer blueprint, a practical guide to create inclusive workplaces and reduce social inequality in Ireland. After the event we sat down

 Watch a short interview with Maarten Schuurman, CEO of HEINEKEN Ireland. Achieving the Mark has helped the company know they are on the right sustainability track and also encourage them to continuously improve. Meet all the top businesses in Ireland that have achieved the Business Working Responsibly mark.

Attended by the Minister of Communications, Climate Action & Environment, Richard Bruton TD, the 2019 Green Awards ceremony took place on Tuesday, February 26, at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin. ​Congratulations to all the  2019 winners. ​Launched in 2008, the Green Awards has established itself as a leading platform for sustainability intelligence, leadership and innovation in

For this month of our In Conversation with series we are delighted to get to know more about Aoife Mulqueen, Talent Specialist in Vodafone Ireland. Aoife participated in the panel session at the Inclusive Employer launch last week sharing her experiences in creating an inclusive workplace at Vodafone Ireland.   Please describe your role and responsibilities and

A blueprint targeted at employers to promote social inclusion, reduce inequality and combat poverty was launched in Dublin today. “The Inclusive Employer” is the work of senior management brought together by the business network, Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) and is aimed at implementing change in business at leadership and operational level to tackle

We are delighted to kick off the first In Conversation series of 2019 with the CEO of Calor Gas Ireland Gino Vansteenhuyse. Gino believes education is a vital part of Ireland’s response to tackling climate change. Read through his experience and leadership in driving the sustainability agenda. Please describe your role and responsibilities & how many years you

Technological University Dublin will be hosting an event to bring academics and practitioners of CSR together to discuss and debate current issues in relation to the development of CSR going forward. The first half of this afternoon session will commence with a talk by two academics, followed by a member of the CSR National Stakeholder Forum,

The National Biodiversity Conference is taking place later this month and business will have a starring role. Head of Advisory Services  Bernadette Phelan will be there at Dublin Castle on Feb 20th and 21st to launch the BITCI’s new Biodiversity Handbook for Business, members Intel and Dawn Meats will be presenting their biodiversity work on

The Central Bank of Ireland achieved the Business Working Responsibly mark in November 2019. Do you want to find out how your business performs on CSR and Sustainability? Take our quick online questionnaire and receive the results straight away.

Last week, Business in the Community Ireland was delighted to take part in two government-led forums that will drive Ireland’s ambition on sustainable development. We were delighted to take part in the inaugural meeting of the Business and Human Rights Implementation Group, an initiative championed by An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney TD and chaired by Breege

Episode 2 of The BITCI Podcast CEO as Activist Series is out. This episode goes back to the thought-provoking panel on the low carbon economy. Leaders from the Environmental Protection Agency, EirGrid and IBM Ireland rallied business support for immediate action on climate. Chaired by our Head of Advisory Services Bernadette Phelan with Laura Burke,