BITCI News

28th November 2023 The importance of championing and achieving diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace was discussed at the latest Business in the Community Ireland’s Munster Members’ Network meeting in Cork last week. These meetings, which meet quarterly and examine different sustainability issues, comprise leading responsible companies who are keen to share their

Thursday 9th November 2023,  Business in the Community Ireland held its annual CEO Forum which brought together over 100 CEOs from multiple sectors to share insights, experiences and ambitions on how to advance the ESG and sustainability agenda that is so critical for protecting the planet and business development.  Against a backdrop of war, millions

Sustainable corporate gifting is a great opportunity to demonstrate a company’s sustainability commitments, including environmental and social responsibility. By choosing sustainable gifts, businesses can inspire their employees, build a positive brand image, and contribute to a better world. There is a wealth of small, creative, and sustainable businesses to choose from in Ireland.   The

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is delighted to be marking the 20-year anniversary of partnerships between some leading companies and their local DEIS school. These companies, Marks and Spencer, KMPG and Cisco have encouraged their staff to actively volunteer in our Student Mentoring or World of Work programmes since 2003.   Our Student Mentoring Programme

Coillte, Ireland’s semi-state forestry company, has been awarded its first Business Working Responsibly Mark from Business in the Community Ireland. The Mark has recognised that Coillte is in-line with best-in-class sustainable and responsible business practices and is an organisation that fosters a culture of continuous improvement and ongoing accountability throughout its business. Coillite is Ireland’s

Wednesday, 27th September 2023, The 5th annual PwC report on the Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) Low Carbon Pledge found that more businesses are escalating their focus on sustainability and prioritising decarbonisation across all areas of their operations.   However, there is also an urgency on some to be more proactive in setting their targets

8th September 2023, More than 60 people from Limerick-based multinationals, small businesses, schools and community organisations joined events on 7th September to discuss ways to strengthen corporate partnerships and benefit their local communities. The two events were run by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) and jointly hosted by longstanding BITCI member Northern Trust, a

#ThinkLanguages is an annual national event for Transition Year (TY) students which celebrates languages, cultures and diversity.  The flagship event from Languages Connect has grown considerably since its inception in 2018 and strives to take languages out of the books and bring them to life in a fun, interactive and engaging way. It also shines

Tuesday 22nd August 2023, Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is delighted with the success of its Summer Work Placement Programme that saw 19 Leaving Cert students embark on a paid internship with companies in the Funds Industry. These students from 6 North East Inner City DEIS schools were placed in different companies including some

eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, has once again demonstrated its commitment to responsible business practices by achieving recertification for the prestigious Business Working Responsibly Mark. The Mark, awarded by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), is widely regarded as Ireland’s foremost accreditation for responsible business practices, and it is verified through an independent audit by

Business In the Community Ireland (BITCI) welcomes the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and other regulatory efforts ( IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards , the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive , etc) intended to ensure more transparent, accurate, and consistent non-financial reporting.   We are proud to be a part of the European Union’s leading efforts to improve ESG reporting and accountability. These efforts will support

Dublin – 25 April 2023 A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) has been recertified for the prestigious Business Working Responsibly Mark for the third time. The Mark is Ireland’s leading accreditation of responsible business practise in corporate Ireland. It is awarded by Business in the Community and is verified following an independent audit by the National Standards

At its 18th April meeting, the Board of Directors of Business in the Community Ireland appointed Pat O’Doherty, former Chief Executive of ESB as Chairperson. Ronan Murphy retired from the Board after serving as Chairperson for two consecutive three-year terms. Pat brings significant expertise, leadership and insight to the Board of Business in the Community

Business in the Community Ireland inclusive workplace report   Female representation at senior level stands at 41% for participating companies against a national average of 29.7% Less than 1% of employees disclosed a disability, when a rate of 7% would be expected, and only 1.7% disclosed an ethnicity other than white, compared to an expectation

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