BITCI News

On October 18th, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform released a circular with guidelines intended to promote the use of environmental and social considerations in public procurement. It did so recognising “the public service must demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development and use its influence to persuade others of the changes required to reduce

  By reducing your organisation’s carbon emissions you are playing your part in delivering not only a positive impact on the environment, but taking the first step to creating a more resilient business that is prepared for the climate challenges & opportunities that lie ahead. Sign-up to the Low Carbon Pledge and join businesses all over Ireland in

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer recently revealed that 75% of Irish people expect CEOs to take the lead on social change issues. Business in the Community Ireland has developed the Business Working Responsibly mark, the leading independently audited standard for CSR and Sustainability in Ireland.

The Open Doors Initiative recently celebrated its first anniversary by recognising the substantial impact the initiative has made in addressing employment barriers for key marginalised groups since its founding in September 2018 . Business in the Community Ireland is delighted to have supported the establishment of this important initiative, working alongside BITCI member companies Diageo, Accenture, AIB and

Lisbon, 15 October 2019 – Today, during the annual Council Meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), 24 CEO-led business organizations, and Global Network partners of WBCSD, representing about 2,000 companies, have launched the Lisbon Declaration, a joint initiative to support business action and commitment at scale towards addressing the challenges biodiversity faces today. A strong business voice

Through our engagement with our member companies we found that many, no matter the sector they operate in, struggled to understand their role when it came to biodiversity and the impact they had. We saw this as an opportunity to shed a light on the role that business could play, by providing a framework to

We are delighted to announce that our Employment Team has been successful in securing funding from the Department of Justice and Equality and the European Social Fund (ESF) Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020 for a new innovative employment programme “Women@Work” to support women returning to the workforce. This programme is part of

3rd October 2019:  New Communities Partnership’s (NCP) Migrant Access Programme and Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) are hosting the Migrant Expo and Job Fair from the 3rd of October at the Technological University Dublin, Aungier St. Dublin 2. This fair aims to help migrants find good quality employment and help employers access talented people

Ian Anderson joined Momentum Support in 2010 when Ireland’s economic situation and the Sustainability agenda were in a very different space. Over his almost ten years of service with the company, Ian has seen Momentum Support grow from strength to strength. The company supports public and private sector businesses of all sizes throughout Ireland and

2015 is a year we will all remember as the year of sustainability. In December of that year, 195 countries committed to the bold ambition of the COP21 Paris Agreement on limiting climate change and earlier in September, over 150 world leaders adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There were times of optimism about

Our first article on the circular economy defined the term and discussed the context in Ireland. It’s a timely topic. A recently published Ibec study shows that while overall only 51% of their member businesses surveyed understand the term “Circular Economy”, a much higher percentage (71%) of companies employing more than 100 employees and 78% of companies

  ‘Caring In Business – Where Technology Meets Humanity’ is a niche platform highlighting the positive impact tech leadership can have on the world around us – in the workplace, in the community and on the environment. This one day conference on Thursday 26th September at Conrad Hotel, Dublin brings together leaders in the tech sector

Our Head of Advisory services Bernadette Phelan was recently featured in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Panorama, a platform providing insights and looking at sustainability from a different perspective.

This month we are thrilled to introduce you to Barbara-Anne Richardson, the Sustainability and Communications Manager at HEINEKEN Ireland. Read about Barbara-Anne’s career, how she stays inspired whilst also learning the fascinating sustainability journey of HEINEKEN Ireland.

You might have heard the term “Circular Economy” and wondered what it means. It’s a fairly recent term meant to encompass a number of initiatives, philosophies, and movements (Cradle to Cradle, biomimicry, blue economy, regenerative design and others) that have been ongoing from the 1970s [1] . It’s based on the idea that the Earth has

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