BITCI News

This year’s 27th Conference of the Parties or COP27 was delayed from both commencing and concluding due to deliberations on climate compensation for developing countries for losses and damage caused by the climate crisis. The longstanding environmental principle of the polluter pays was at the forefront at this year’s COP, but at what cost? Loss

In the current economic climate employers of all sizes and across a range of sectors are experiencing recruitment and retention challenges.  Proactively building diversity & inclusion into recruitment and retention strategies can help address these challenges.  Through our work on Elevate The Inclusive Workplace Pledge and our experience supporting diverse jobseekers access employment opportunities that match their skills and capabilities,

How things have changed over the last three years! Our personal and professional lives have been transformed by the pandemic and even though Europe, and perhaps indeed the world are headed into a recession (where traditionally social responsibility would go straight to the back burner in “cost savings”) you might be wondering if this time

The decisions made by Ireland’s business leaders on what to do, and how to it, have broad social and economic impact – how can we leverage this to address our fundamental issues on sustainability and social inclusion?    At our CEO Forum, “Collaborate for Change. The Time is Now” on Thursday 10th November, BITCI will continue

Supporting business to build inclusive, thriving communities is at the heart of the work of BITCI. Through our Inclusive Workplace Pledge – Elevate, we have set ourselves a vision to build a workforce that is fully reflective of our society. Despite being at full employment we know that certain groups experience disproportionate unemployment and experience

When people hear the word ‘Slavery’ they associate it with terrible practices that happened a long time ago in locations far away. Thinking a bit more, they might associate it with terrible practices that continue to happen, but in locations far away. Most people don’t realise that modern slavery is something that is happening right

BITCI is supporting Ireland’s business sector in the transition to a low carbon economy with the Low Carbon Pledge – the 1st dedicated pledge generated by Irish business to set industry standards on sustainability and reduce carbon usage. A number of insights and observations have been collated while developing the latest Low Carbon Pledge report

CSR Europe is convening sustainability leaders worldwide at the European SDG Summit 2022: Together for an Inclusive Green Deal. Register for free  to secure your spot for the 21 virtual sessions, including 3 high-level plenaries and 18 European SDG Roundtables. The event will see the participation of over  100 speakers , including EU Commissioners Nicolas Schmit and Mariya Gabriel. Highlights will

This year, BITCI has partnered with PwC for the 4th edition of the Low Carbon Pledge report, outlining the progress made by the signatory companies towards setting and adhering to science-based targets (SBTs). The report and case studies highlighted some key actions and exemplar business practices that are helping companies to drive their emission-reduction efforts

Returning to work following a long career break can be a considerably daunting experience for many women. This is accentuated when your professional field is in the technology space and the pace of change means that previously acquired skills and knowledge have become redundant. Yet, technology offers women incredible career opportunities; the ability to work

What is digital pollution? Digital pollution is responsible for 3.7% of CO2 emissions globally – 50% more than air transport (2.4%) However digital pollution is an issue that is rarely identified, let alone addressed. People often think that online streaming, sending emails, and conducting online searches have no external environmental effect. Because digital pollution is

FoodCloud is a social enterprise with a vision for a world where no good food goes to waste. Their latest innovation, FoodCloud Kitchen will rescue even more surplus food. A taste of how The FoodCloud Kitchen works The FoodCloud Kitchen offers a catering experience with a difference for your event, serving delicious food that is

Veolia’s leadership in environmental and social responsibility has been recognised by Business in the Community Ireland. Veolia has achieved the Business Working Responsibly Mark once again and is accredited for a further three years. Established in 2010 by Business in the Community Ireland and audited by the NSAI, the Business Working Responsibly Mark is the

ALDI Ireland operates 150 stores with a further five stores opening in the coming weeks and stores already present in every county in Ireland, employing over 4,650 people. Our first Irish stores opened in 1999 in Dublin and Cork, and from the outset all our colleagues have been committed to supporting the local communities they

Recent events like the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements as well as the impact of the Covid19 pandemic on minority groups have demonstrated the reality of inequity in the world. A recent research study revealed that 49% of people in Ireland would not like to see more Black people immigrating to Ireland, and the figure goes higher for

Some industries have strong records of prioritising external stakeholder engagement, due to risk awareness or regulatory necessity. Energy and extractives, infrastructure and construction industries have developed in-house capabilities to deal with an array of stakeholders through all project phases. While the core rationale was to mitigate risk and avoid project delays, stakeholder engagement done well

CSRD: What, Who, and When The CSRD is intended to replace the Nonfinancial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and amend several other existing directives and regulations. It is also intended to broaden the scope of the NFRD and to integrate ESG reporting into core business practices by making ESG another annual management reporting requirement for every European “company”

As Ireland’s leading sustainability advisers, we support some of Ireland’s largest businesses on embedding sustainability in their business practices and creating a diverse and inclusive society where everyone thrives. We have been working with businesses for over 20 years to help them assess not only their environmental but also their social impacts. In that time, we have seen a significant change in

Report outlines increase in companies signing up to low carbon pledge Ireland’s largest businesses are making steady progress on meeting net zero targets for greenhouse gas emissions despite global upheaval and uncertainties, a new report published today states. The report prepared by PwC , in partnership with Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), states that progress

  We know the Irish workforce is aging. Estimates from the Central Statistics Office indicate there will be about 1.5 million people aged 65 or over in Ireland by 2051. Also, with the qualifying age for the old-age pension likely to be pushed out, people are going to be in the workplace for longer. As

Vodafone , as one of the world’s leading ICT companies, provides a strong example of how a company is successfully integrating ESG and sustainability considerations with its commercial / corporate strategy. To help the company realise its sustainable business strategy and goals, Vodafone has identified three purpose pillars to underpin its commercial activities: Inclusion for all

Food production, both globally and in Ireland, makes up over a third of overall GHG emissions. The Climate Action Plan (CAP) has a number of agriculture specific actions and where the additional measures are taken into account (With Additional Measures scenario) the anticipated result would be emissions decreasing to approximately 19 Mt CO2 eq by

Transport is a key area of the Climate Action Plan 2021 and targets set out aim to reduce emissions from this sector by up to 51% by 2030. Emissions in the transport sector have risen rapidly in recent decades and remain coupled to economic growth. As one of Ireland’s largest businesses, Dublin Bus recognises that it has

Together, building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world and therefore represent a must-win decarbonisation segment both globally and locally. Cairn Homes want to take a prominent role in promoting sustainable and attainable building in Ireland, while in parallel being respectful of the change this will have on both suppliers and

Bank of Ireland is one of the pillar banks in Ireland and therefore recognises the important role it plays in driving attainment of the national climate targets.  Firstly, Bank of Ireland can show leadership through its internal focus on sustainability and secondly, by setting ambitious climate targets aligned to science-based targets (SBTs), the bank can drive cross-sectoral change

AIB Group has launched the AIB Community €1 Million Fund to support over 30 charitable organisations in communities across Ireland. The bank is asking its customers and the wider public to nominate registered charities that connect with causes that matter most to them and their communities. AIB will allocate €700,000 to charities chosen by its customers

Since the beginning of 2022, we have seen the publication of several worrying climate change reports. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) rang alarm bells in February with their impacts of climate change report followed swiftly in April by their climate change mitigation report. Again the science is clear, human activities have and continue to increase greenhouse gas emissions leading to

Business in the Community Ireland Inaugural study of 120,000 employees lays foundations for diversity and inclusion in the workforce   Dublin, Tuesday, 10th May, 2022: The first report into measuring and setting workforce targets for diversity and inclusion has pinpointed higher levels of female participation at senior and executive levels than the national average. The

Today at the inaugural Elevate Pledge report launch we also announced our new Traveller Employment Programme, an important step-up in tackling the under-employment of Travellers. This programmes is an addition to our award winning employment programmes supporting people with high barriers to employment and it is funded by the Community Foundation for Ireland. Through direct

  As part of our Elevate Pledge Inaugural report launch, we delve deeper into some of the successful diversity and inclusion initiatives highlighted in the report. In this piece, learn about Sky Ireland’s New Horizons initiative. Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. What was your