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In March 2021, Age Action launched a new CSR programme: the Age Action BIG Corporate Challenge, where BIG stands for “Be Intergenerational.” This programme for corporate teams promotes intergenerational connection whilst raising funds and awareness to support our Age Action’s work. By pledging to “Be Intergenerational,” participants increase understanding across generations, which is key to

BT Group has announced plans to curb its carbon emissions sooner than planned, by bringing forward its net zero targets from 2045 to 2030 for its own operational emissions and 2040 for its supply chain and customer emissions. The new target comes as a landmark UN climate report has warned that global heating is irreversible, with its starkest

  As part of their commitment to Inclusion and Diversity and Business in the Community Ireland’s Elevate Pledge, SSE Airtricity will hire five people from underrepresented groups (such as people with disabilities) to start work this winter in their business. This is a unique opportunity to join one of Ireland’s leading green energy providers on

Welcome to our third article in our series of insights and trends from our 40 Business Working Responsibly Mark certified organisations. While the insights are gleaned from all of our certified organisations, particular attention is focused on the most recent trends from our current cohort under the new certification process. The topic for this article

More than 95% of Aldi Ireland’s own-brand products now feature recyclable packaging. The news follows the Government’s announcement that PE and PP film can now be recycled in Ireland. Over the past two years, Aldi has worked with its Irish suppliers to introduce new, innovative, sustainable packaging solutions that has resulted in over 2,150 tonnes

  As developed nations race to vaccinate their populations and re-open their economies, there have been growing calls across the world for vaccine equity . BITCI member companies have been supporting UNICEF’s ‘Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine’ campaign  and are now joining UNICEF’s vaccine alliance to drive the biggest vaccination campaign the world has even seen and so put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the support of its partners – including the Irish Business world – UNICEF is

  Sky has published its Group-wide Impact Report looking at the bigger picture of the societal and environmental progress the organisation has made in the period January to December 2020. The report outlines how Sky supported its customers, people, and local communities as well as the industries it operates in, through the Covid-19 crisis. It

“Pharmaceuticals in the environment” is a joint project between Hovione Ltd and University College Cork. This project aims to develop a method that will detect active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater and ensure that the concentration of those APIs is below the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe limit. This research is just one project aimed at

In a European first, Gas Networks Ireland has marked the launch of its 2020 sustainability report by partnering with environmental group, Leave No Trace Ireland, to help restore Glengarra Wood in Co. Tipperary as part of the international “Hot Spot” programme. As part of its commitment to supporting environmental, social and economic sustainability, the national gas network operator is working

Welcome to our second article in our new series of insights and trends from our 40 Business Working Responsibly Mark certified companies. While the insights are gleaned from all of our certified companies, particular attention is focused on the most recent trends from our current cohort under the new certification process. The topic for this article is

Earlier in the summer, Dublin Bus announced the winners of the 2020 Community Spirit Awards. 65 voluntary and community groups operating around the Capital and Greater Dublin Area received the wonderful, uplifting news that they were awarded a grant of €1,000, €2,000 or €5,000. Since 2004, the Community Spirit Awards has provided much-need funds for

Making KPMG a better place to work and building a culture where where all people feel supported to balance their career ambitions with their personal lives is a big priority. Although we may not be celebrating Pride in the usual fashion in 2021, KPMG is proud to be a continued ally to all those in

Biodiversity has been central in conversations about climate change. Preserving natural habitats and saving different species from extinction has been presented as a key component of taking climate action and has a central role in major conversations about our environmental impact, such as the upcoming COP26 UN Climate Change conference. But why should businesses be

Biodiversity and nature preservation are central components in tackling the climate crisis and are taking centre stage in decisive conversations like COP26 where world leaders have committed to ending deforestation by 2030 and to making the protection of natural habitats a priority. From a business perspective, incorporating biodiversity into all aspects of a business is

The impact of plastic on the environment has been a central focus in discussions around climate action for the past few years. Most recently, the European Union banned single-use plastic in its member states, recognising the impact of plastic pollution and the importance of reducing and eliminating plastic on the journey towards a sustainable economy.

At the recent launch of Elevate, our new Inclusive Workplace Pledge we asked business some key questions: Are our workplaces reflective of wider society? What are the main challenges facing people in the workplace? How can we make our workplaces more inclusive, one that reflects our entire society? We heard from individuals whose vast amounts

PwC and Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) launched the 3rd Edition of the Low Carbon Pledge Annual Report; ‘Business Working Together for a Low Carbon Future’ on Thursday, 10th June. In March, BITCI changed the ambition of the Low Carbon Pledge, which now asks all its signatories to align their carbon reduction targets to

Despite recent predictions of a stronger than expected economic recovery, forecasters are still expecting unemployment levels to rise this year to 10% – that’s double the figure pre-pandemic. At BITCI, through our education and employment programmes, we see first-hand both the privileges and the challenges that are part of life depending on background or personal

  Recognising that certain groups within our society face significant barriers to employment, BITCI commissioned a series of focus groups to gain an understanding of these barriers and how they can be overcome. The barriers to inclusion were explored from both the employer and the jobseeker’s perspective. Not surprisingly similar themes came out from both

In 2011, Fujitsu Ireland and St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rush, came together as part of Business in the Community Ireland’s (BITCI) Schools’ Business Partnership Programme. Germaine Noonan, Head of Education in BITCI, recalls the foundations of the relationship; “I remember like it was yesterday meeting former CEO Regina Moran back in the summer of 2011

  Business in the Community Ireland are delighted to announce that Google’s annual volunteering programme GoogleServe is returning for July 2021 to support Irish charities through skills-based employee assistance. BITCI have partnered with Google over the last six years to support the GoogleServe programme. GoogleServe 2021 will build on the highly successful Covid-19 Digital Initiative

Kirby and PM Group are delighted to support the HSE’s recent donation of an oxygen generator from University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) to the Indian Health Service. After 14 long months, the fight against COVID-19 in Ireland is finally entering a more favourable stage with the successful rollout of a vaccination programme following on from

eir, the principal provider of fixed-line and mobile telecommunications services in Ireland, is making great strides to embed sustainable business practices in every part of the organisation. Through a range of transformation initiatives they are upgrading their legacy infrastructure to better serve communities across Ireland, buying green electricity, introducing electric company cars and providing more

Dublin Bus envisages a high quality, frequent and zero emission service which is fully integrated with a suite of flexible transport solutions that make door-to-door journeys for all customers easy and enjoyable. In advance of World Environment Day, (June 5th) Dublin Bus launched their environment report; Driving Change: Our Journey to Zero. This sets out

From a moral sense we know Diversity and Inclusion is the right thing to do. We also know there is a strong business case for inclusion. Businesses are committed and formal statements are issued to welcome one and all to be a part of their organization. However genuine these statements are, the reality is, certain

Family retailer will offer three days at full pay to all employees, regardless of gender, including those with a surrogate mother affected by an early pregnancy loss & miscarriage Lidl Ireland is set to become the first company across the island of Ireland to update its Compassionate Leave Policy to reflect the inclusion of three

Professor John Sweeney,  Emeritus Profesor at Maynooth University offered us his insights and perspective on the climate agenda and the role businesses can play in addressing climate change. Ireland’s commitment The fight against climate change has to be a joint endeavour between nations, civil society and business. Earlier this year, the Irish government approved a