14th March 2024 Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is celebrating another successful year of its Student Mentoring Programme which had its largest number of students participating ever. This academic year had 35 programmes involving 32 companies across Ireland mentoring in 32 schools which saw 254 senior cycle DEIS students and 240 mentors actively participating.
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is delighted the 15-year partnership between St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda and Irish Cement continues to flourish. Their collective participation in BITCI’s World of Work programme now includes participating in a sustainability project, part of a national competition supported by Gas Networks Ireland . This project encourages students to envision a greener future and empowering them to make a positive impact on their environment. The
7th March 2024, Marking International Women’s Day, Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is highlighting its successful Women@Work programme and urges more businesses to get involved. This online programme launched in 2020, offers support to women who have been out of the workplace for a long time. This can include women who have migrated from other countries,
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) welcomed the launch of Ireland’s 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan by Minister Malcolm Noonan on January 25th. The drafting of the plan was the responsibility of the NPWS, and this version is particularly notable because, for the first time, the plan will have statutory powers and a fund of €3 billion behind it. Within the plan there are 194
The annual UN Climate Conference is a major milestone to take stock of what has been achieved and to renew the global ambition towards decarbonisation. Dubai’s COP28 in December 2023 leaves a lasting legacy on key issues that will enable decarbonisation. For businesses in Ireland, the key takeaways are: Accelerating Fossil Fuel Phase Out: COP28
It is abundantly clear that humanity is experiencing twin crises, climate breakdown and nature loss. What is perhaps not as clear, is that they are in fact, much more intricately linked than would first appear. They are two sides of the same coin. Human induced climate disruption is causing global average temperatures to rise at
As Ireland’s leading sustainability advisors, we support some of Ireland’s largest businesses to embed sustainability into their business practices to create a low carbon and inclusive society where everyone thrives. Established in 2000, we’ve seen the prioritisation by businesses of the Economic, Environmental, Social and Governance (EESG) elements of Sustainability grow exponentially. Investors, consumers, employees, and communities are now evaluating businesses on
Materiality assessment is a crucial tool for organisations. It is a way of identifying and prioritising the sustainability topics that matter for a company, with the fundamental objectives of informing its sustainability strategy, informing decision-making, and driving the resilience and transformation of the business. The Business Working Responsibly Mark certification, the standard for sustainability in
Friday 15th December 2023, Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is delighted that Mary O’Connor a participant in our Next STEP programme has secured an exhibition of her artwork in the waiting room of Ceannt Station in Galway. Mary O’Connor is a 6th year student in Holy Rosary College in Mountbellew, Co.Galway. She is a
In September this year Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), in partnership with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Ireland, published the fifth Low Carbon Pledge (LCP) progress report . Encouragingly since 2021 we do see most signatory companies’ ambition translating into action through their commitment and setting of science-based targets, now publicly reported on the Science Based Target Initiative online dashboard (SBTi). Transparency and authenticity have always been at
Friday 1st December 2023, Business in the Community Ireland launched research findings into the experiences of and barriers faced by Ukrainians in obtaining work in Ireland. This research launch coincided with the graduation ceremony of its EPIC programme, which is a pre-employment support service targeting migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and recently arrived Ukrainians. As at
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
Business in the Community Ireland is a movement for sustainable change in business. One of our keys strategic focus areas is working with our member companies on their transition to a Low Carbon Future . In order to reduce their environmental impacts, organisations can undertake hard technical measures such as renewable energy investments, restoring wetlands or retrofitting older
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
Aviva Ireland today announced that it has provided €5 million in funding to the Nature Trust, a not-for-profit company backed by Coillte and Forestry Partners, to help accelerate its native afforestation project. The funding, the largest the Nature Trust has received to date, will result in the planting of approximately 1.2 million native tree saplings,