5 reasons to become a BITCI member
As Ireland’s leading sustainability advisers, we support some of Ireland’s largest businesses on embedding sustainability in their business practices and creating a diverse and inclusive society where everyone thrives. We have been working with businesses for over 20 years to help them assess not only their environmental but also their social impacts. In that time, we have seen a significant change in the importance of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility to Irish businesses. Increasingly, investors, consumers, employees, and communities are now evaluating businesses on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The network is growing year on year, and we are now working with over 100 of Ireland’s top businesses on their sustainability strategies and initiatives helping them understand the challenges they face in this area, identifying where the greatest risks lie and what they can do to address them.
But why join a non-profit business network dedicated to responsible business? The following are some of the top reasons we hear from our members.
1. Our approach
Membership gives companies’ Sustainability initiatives a more strategic approach because we help review where you currently are on your sustainability journey, where you want to go (your ambition) and then advise and guide you on how to get you there.
Our Sustainability advisers have helped some of Ireland’s leading 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 and experienced Sustainability Adviser will both challenge and support you as you develop and deliver an integrated ESG 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.
2. 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 team of experts is also constantly up to date with the latest guidelines, frameworks and government advice and put together useful resources for members who want to target specific areas of sustainability, like our guidance tool on mitigating the risk of modern slavery or the Business and Biodiversity Framework.
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 reducing your carbon footprint.
3. Our exclusive Knowledge-Sharing platforms
One of our core beliefs is that collaboration is key to any real progress on sustainability. In addition to a dedicated adviser, benefits of the network include a calendar of webinars, events and networking opportunities, and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. Our events and workshops offer collaboration opportunities where practitioners learn and upskill together. Our members get exclusive access to knowledge sessions and peer circles as well as member-exclusive resources created by our sustainability advisers on the most recent developments.
The knowledge sharing sessions and peer circles are key to our members’ progress, giving them an opportunity to share their success and challenges and hold each other accountable. We believe that real change can’t happen in isolation and businesses need to share ideas, initiatives and feedback to overcome challenges and celebrate progress.
4. Our Employment and Education programmes
Through education programmes like Time to Read and Time to Count and employment programmes like EPIC, Women@Work and our newest Traveller Employment Programme, our members have the chance to 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.
5. Our pledges and recognised standard for sustainability
The Low Carbon Pledge and Elevate Pledge are also a valuable resource, providing yearly, measurable data gathered from our signatories on sustainability and diversity and inclusion. We believe that measurement, transparency and accountability are key to any real progress on sustainability and diversity and inclusion and, through the two pledges, we provide our signatories with the advice and tools they need to measure, report and review their progress every year.
The Business Working Responsibly Mark is Ireland’s leading standard for sustainability. The Mark provides a strategic framework of management and assessment for busineses who are integrating sustainability goals in their practices. The Mark is verified by NSAI and informed by our over 20 years of experience. Companies who achieve the mark go through a rigorous audit – the Mark fosters excellence and drives continuous improvement EESGs. Like our pledges and frameworks, it signifies a strong commitment to social and environmental improvement at a business level.
Explore our membership streams
Or contact our Membership Executive Trish McNamara today at pmcnamara@bitc.ie
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