BITCI News

Thursday 25th March saw the most anticipated launch of the “Vision 2050: Time to Transform” at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Business in the Community Ireland is the national partner network for the WBCSD and as such we are engaged in bringing the message and deliverables of the newly launched Vision 2050 to our member companies and

Our new virtual conference series, The Sustainability Revolution will take place from Monday 4th to Friday 8th of October 2021. This series is kindly supported by Abbott, BT, Gas Networks Ireland, IBM, J&J, KBC, Musgrave, Permanent TSB and Veolia. To register your interest, please email us at events@bitc.ie . A dedicated website with updates on speakers

Wednesday, 24th March: Over 60 of the largest companies in Ireland have publicly committed to set targets based on science by 2024. They are the first signatories of Business in the Community Ireland’s new Low Carbon Pledge. Business in the Community Ireland, the national network for sustainability, created the initial Low Carbon Pledge in 2018

Watch this video from our Sustainability Adviser Nick Reynolds explaining what are science based targets. To overcome climate change, we need to start seeing a faster level and rate of change occurring in all areas of our lives. We need Governments around the world to put the structures in place to direct and support the

We are well into 2021 and the pandemic is still very much centre stage in our lives. Most businesses across the world are well versed in working from a virtual setting and as we look forward to a post-Covid world our operations will look very different, and let’s hope for the good. Being an optimist

Elaine O’Neill talks to Mia O’Connor about how our Student Mentoring programme gave her the confidence to get into Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Listen to the lessons she’s learnt from her mentor Ciara O’Donoghue through Cornmarket’s partnership with Mount Carmel Secondary School in Dublin. Find out how to get involved with the Student Mentoring programme , part of our many

The Mark is operated by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), the non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainability and third-party audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Six companies achieved the Mark for the first time with another six achieving recertification.   Wednesday, 9th December:  Over 200 business leaders attended Business in the Community

‘Climate change is our generations greatest challenge to life as we know it and, in a way, our very existence.’ We have all heard a version of this statement being said over and over again, from environmental scientists and activists, politicians, to the Pope himself. Scientifically though it is proven that we are in the

Intel Ireland has announced the latest instalment in the ‘Solar for Schools’ program – a unique and innovative solar technology project that enables schools and community organisations in North Kildare to generate their own energy supply directly from the Sun. The expansion of the Solar for Schools program this year has seen three schools in the

Aldi is the first retailer in Ireland to test blockchain technology successfully to validate its corporate buying policy for organic and sustainably produced Irish seafood. Aldi and Verifish are participating in a pilot project with Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s seafood development agency. This project is funded under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. Developed

  Data access, complex value chains, guidance and leadership buy-in cited as challenges Customer relationships, reputation and stakeholder engagement still seen as primary benefits   Tuesday 13th October: New research on the readiness of businesses in Ireland to fully reduce their carbon emissions shows that including Scope 3 emissions in a company’s footprint assessment is proving a

Our In Conversation Series is back this October with Riona Gilroy, Business Development Manager at College Proteins. College Group is Ireland’s largest rendering company, they lead the way in innovative rendering practices with a team of over a hundred dynamic and highly skilled professionals. Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have

We are excited to announce that we will soon be launching a new version of the Business Working Responsibly mark standard. This new version of the Mark will see significant process improvements for companies certifying and recertifying during the coming year. What is the Business Working Responsibly mark? The Business Working Responsibly mark is the top standard for CSR and

HEINEKEN Ireland has released its sustainability progress report. The report details significant reductions in the brewer’s carbon emissions, water usage and waste production in the decade since it began reporting under HEINEKEN’s Global Sustainability Strategy, Brewing a Better World. During that time, the Cork city-based brewer has cut its carbon emissions by more than half

Eir and Special Olympics Ireland (SOI) have worked together since 1985, making this the longest sustained corporate charity partnership in Ireland. Employee engagement is the major reason that the relationship is as strong now as it was 35 years ago. Seven years ago eir employees created a fundraising event for their charity partner, the purpose

New publication by the Leaders Group on Sustainability Worker of the Future sub-group As we emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown, business decisions are being made about new ways of working that could have lasting impact and, perhaps, unintended consequences. While many conversations are taking place, along with advice on the re-opening of the Irish economy,

Seven-time All-Ireland winner and social activist Philly McMahon joined Vhi recently for the launch of a new Fund established in partnership with the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) dedicated to supporting young people’s health and wellbeing. The Vhi Health and Wellbeing Fund is looking to fund projects that are seeking to strengthen resilience in young people

Minister for Climate Action, Communication Networks and Transport, Eamon Ryan TD has welcomed a new partnership between SSE Airtricity and An Post which will see 30,000 homes avail of energy efficient retrofits in the coming years. The Generation Green Home Energy Upgrade forms a key part of An Post’s Green Hub which provides a simple

Calor Ireland is proud to announce that Samaritans Ireland will be the company’s first charity partner.  The Samaritans was chosen by Calor staff, following an extensive process which considered a number of leading charities. Through the new partnership with Calor, Samaritans can answer over 4,000 additional calls for help. The support could save people’s lives

Four of Ireland’s leading retailers – Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and EUROSPAR – have come together to support a new food initiative by FoodCloud called ‘Food For Ireland’, to help meet the unprecedented demand on FoodCloud’s services from charities and communities across Ireland affected by Covid-19. FoodCloud has experienced a doubling in demand for its food

The journey to the ‘future of work’ has no end point as we are in a constant state of change.  However, there are points of inflection where the change either alters course or is greatly accelerated.  The BITCI Worker of the Future Sub-Group was established in response to the need to develop a view on the responsible business approach to

BITCI is delighted to support a  Race Equality Hub –  an initiative of DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion, in collaboration with the African Scholars Association of Ireland (AfSI). It provides employers in Ireland with a range of practical tools and best practice guidelines to tackle racism and foster more inclusive practices in the workplace. The Hub includes a Race Equality Whitepaper

The Covid-19 emergency and subsequent lockdown has meant that many Irish businesses have had to completely transform their CSR & Community plans for 2020. Despite this disruption, there is a compelling solution to this challenge that can ensure company volunteers can continue having a positive social impact while also helping struggling charities and vulnerable people:

What are the types of activities that a company might be able to support through Virtual Volunteering? The possibilities are almost endless. Here are just a few short case studies of how BITCI member companies have used Virtual Volunteering to maintain their previous CSR activities and Community commitments – and to develop new initiatives. Virtual

Last year Ireland declared climate and biodiversity emergencies in response to an urgent crisis. Before COVID-19 the way we worked and lived was unsustainable. The old normal was an economy where GDP went up but so did: carbon emissions; social inequality; the destruction of Nature; plastic pollution; food waste; time wasted in the daily commute;

As Ireland’s leading food retailer, wholesale and foodservice company, Musgrave is well placed to support positive change in businesses, local communities and the environment. Sustainability has long been front and centre of Musgrave’s operations, becoming one of the first companies globally to embed the UN Sustainable Development Goals back in 2015. It has become a

For the past decade, Arup has been actively engaged with the wider sustainability agenda. In 2013, it published its first annual sustainability report and began working with clients on the 100 Resilient Cities initiative, helping to build more sustainable cities and communities. In 2015, Arup enhanced its commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and

RTÉ is committed to the highest level of energy reduction and sustainability. As Ireland’s public service broadcaster, RTÉ is subject to the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2009 – 2020, which looks for the public sector to “lead by example through strong committed action”. RTÉ takes this leadership role by progressing the sustainability agenda on

SSE Ireland has a strong heritage of renewable electricity production and a vision to be a leading energy company in a net-zero carbon world. Being both a producer and distributor of electricity has resulted in SSE developing deep capability in a diverse range of low carbon solutions, ranging from onshore and offshore wind farms to smart

On May 14th  we held our webinar ‘Communications in a time of Crisis’. The first half of the webinar was hosted by our Head of Marketing Moira Horgan, while the second half was hosted by CSR Advisor Maureen O’ Donnell. We heard from the following speakers: Vivienne Flood, Head of Public Affairs, RTÉ Barry Kenny,