New Year resolution: Join Business in the Community Ireland’s network in 2024.
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 their EESG criteria. Our network has now over 115 of Ireland’s top businesses spanning multiple sectors.
But why join a non-profit business network dedicated to sustainability and EESG? Here’s what our members say:
- Our approach
Membership ensures companies adopt a more strategic approach to sustainability and EESG activities rather than a siloed piecemeal approach. Our Sustainability Advisors help businesses make meaningful progress on incorporating sustainability in their operations, from the supply chain to employee wellbeing through measurable, achievable targets. The services we provide are customised to each member company’s needs and a dedicated Sustainability Advisor will both challenge and support you as you develop and deliver an integrated EESG and Sustainability Strategy. Our areas of expertise range from employee engagement and community involvement to strategy development, disclosure, and communications, as well as environment, nature and biodiversity, procurement and human rights, education, and employment.
- Our tools and resources
Being a member gives you access to sustainability management tools, including frameworks and leading benchmarks as well as best practices and latest research to guide senior leadership and operational teams to achieve high sustainability impacts. Our Sustainability Handbook helps develop a common understanding of the role of business in bringing about a low carbon society where everyone can thrive. Our strategic approach and frameworks will help you plan and measure every step of the way, whether your targets are related to nature preservation and biodiversity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace or improving your sustainability governance.
- Our exclusive Knowledge-Sharing platforms
We believe collaboration is key to real progress on sustainability. We offer our network members access to a comprehensive calendar of webinars, events and networking opportunities, and peer-to-peer learning. Our events and workshops guarantee practitioners learn and upskill together. The knowledge sharing sessions and peer circles are vital to our members’ progress, giving them an opportunity to share their success and challenges and hold each other accountable. We provide these forums to share ideas, initiatives and feedback to overcome challenges and celebrate progress.
- Our Employment and Education programmes
Through our education programmes like Time to Read and Time to Count and employment programmes like EPIC, Women@Work and our Traveller Employment Programme, members can engage with local communities in a meaningful way and contribute to diversity and inclusion from the earlier stages of education. Our programmes have contributed to a positive development of our members’ work culture, made a real difference in tackling inequality in education and employment and have brought great satisfaction to participants and businesses alike.
- Our pledges and recognised standard for sustainability
The Business Working Responsibly Mark is Ireland’s leading standard for EESG and sustainability. The Mark provides a strategic framework of management and assessment for businesses who are integrating sustainability goals in their practices. The Mark is verified by NSAI and aligned with the Corporate Sustainability Responsibility Directive. Companies who achieve the Mark go through a rigorous audit. The Mark fosters excellence and drives continuous improvement in EESG. Like our pledges and frameworks, it demonstrates leadership and a keenness to go beyond minimum reporting requirements.
The Low Carbon Pledge and Elevate Pledge demonstrates our members’ leadership and commitment to collective action. These Pledges gather and publicise (annually) measurable data from our signatories on their efforts to decarbonise and create more inclusive workplaces. We provide our signatories with the advice and tools they need to measure, report and review their progress every year.
Explore our membership streams
Or contact our Membership Executive Trish McNamara today at pmcnamara@bitc.ie
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