Environment

Last week, Business in the Community Ireland was delighted to take part in two government-led forums that will drive Ireland’s ambition on sustainable development. We were delighted to take part in the inaugural meeting of the Business and Human Rights Implementation Group, an initiative championed by An Tánaiste, Simon Coveney TD and chaired by Breege

Vodafone Ireland launches its Sustainable Business Report with focus on Diversity & Equality, Energy & Environment and Youth Skills & Jobs transformational goals Report unveiled at a special event hosted at the ‘Cool Planet Experience’ to celebrate International Day of Climate Action 2018 Key note from Senior TED fellow and author Dr Rachel Armstrong on

Last month Business in the Community Ireland participated in Natural Capital Partners’ Talanoa Dialogue.The Talanoa Dialogue is a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) initiative to gather private sector and civil society views on how to accelerate progress towards net zero emissions. Natural Capital Partners hosted round-table discussions across Europe and the U.S.

Gas Networks Ireland, part of the Ervia Group, owns, builds and maintains the country’s natural gas network, connecting over 688,000 homes and businesses to safe, efficient and secure supply of natural gas.

October is national reuse month. Below are some activities your company may be interested in if you are engaging in circular economy business models or even just looking for ways to reduce/redirect waste streams. In addition to the speakers and topics, these events would be attended by organisations like ReCreate and ReDiscovery Centre and other

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth and without it, we couldn’t survive. It plays a fundamental role in the provision of food, fuel, fibre, medicines, clean air and water, and physical and mental wellbeing, among many other things. However, biodiversity loss is now one of the most significant environmental threats facing the planet

Global resource management company Veolia, working through its specialist energy performance team, has been awarded the first Carbon Energy Fund Ireland, CEFI, contract for a hospital in Ireland.

HEINEKEN Ireland is harnessing the expertise of its partners and stakeholders to become a truly green brewer. Thanks to a renewed emphasis on collaboration and cooperation, the company has had a landmark year in its sustainability journey.HEINEKEN has commissioned the young up-and-coming Cork director Lochlainn McKenna to deliver its sustainability message in a fresh and

Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD recently announced that College Group will invest €10m in building a new renewable energy facility producing biofuel from used cooking oil and animal fats in north Co. Meath. The investment is supported by the Irish government through Enterprise Ireland. The new 25 million litre purpose–built plant

Veolia Ireland, experts in water, waste and energy resource management, is challenging Irish manufacturing to assess and incorporate global trends in all future planning. It comes as the company, headquartered in Glasnevin, Dublin, published its study, Imagine 2050: the future of water, waste and energy, this week. The paper was developed with academics and futurists to

Sodexo in the UK and Ireland has banned the purchase of all plastic straws and stirrers, and committed to phase out single use plastic bags and polystyrene foam items such as cups, lids and food containers by 2020. As a company that promises to improve the quality of life of people, corporate responsibility lies at

Reducing Tesco Ireland’ s carbon emissions and minimising the footprint the company creates as a business is a core strategic objective for the wider Tesco Group. Equally, creating a sustainable, energy efficient business is a key ambition for Tesco Ireland. The company has a major focus on reducing energy demand, energy intensity and carbon emissions.

The ESB depot building in Inchicore is a typical example of some ESB older building stock, which was in need of modernisation and energy saving upgrades. Heat losses through the exterior façade were addressed with high performance triple glazed windows combined with 100mm external wall insulation and 150mm roof insulation as follows: Glazing Replaced existing

As part of Dawn Meats commitment to low carbon production, they set a target of achieving fossil fuel free status at the McDonalds Plant in Carroll’s Cross. A multi-pronged approach was developed:   Heat recovery from the refrigeration and cooling systems Solar and wind powered street lights A passive integrated constructed wetland to treat wastewater

Pollinating insects have declined in occurrence and diversity in the EU dramatically. A 2016 IPBES  report  highlighted that animal pollination plays a vital role as a regulating ecosystem service in nature. Globally, nearly 90 per cent of wild flowering plant species depend, at least in part, on the transfer of pollen by animals. For the corporate

Is consumer behaviour the key to a sustainable food future? Is Ireland taking its environmental responsibilities and commitments seriously? These, along with Brexit and CAP, were topics that were debated last week during the third Great Agri-Food Debate in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).The event, organised by Dawn Meats and McDonald’s Ireland, saw students from

HEINEKEN has recently announced its ‘Drop the C’ programme for renewable energy. With ‘Drop the C’ the company aims to grow its share of renewable thermal energy and electricity in production from the current level of 14% to 70% by 2030. HEINEKEN wants to drive a real change towards renewable energy and will therefore not

eir, Ireland’s principal provider of fixed-line and mobile telecommunications, was certified to the Business Working Responsibly Mark in 2016 . The company has a long commitment to responsible and sustainable business practices and environmental sustainability is a core focus of their CSR strategy. eir has been making significant advances in this area in recent years and through the energy and creativity

Living sustainably has become a lifestyle choice. The eco-movement has exploded within societies, and especially within popular culture; organizations, governments, and consumers are all taking steps to ‘‘green’’ their lives. The downturn in the global economy in 2008 signalled an end to the Gordon Gekko ‘‘greed is good’’ 1980s mentality, and a recognition by many

What is biodiversity? Biodiversity defines life as we know it. It is the nature around us, the food we eat and the raw materials that we use in business. Biodiversity also provides services on which we all rely on, from pollination to flood protection and climate regulation. Why does it matter to business?

We recently held our 4th and final Biodiversity Learning Network of 2017, hosted by RTE, which focused on building a Business case for Biodiversity. We heard from a number of BITCI member companies, went on a nature walk, announced the winners of the BITCI Biodiversity Photography Competition, and had a chance to meet some of the environmental NGOs at

At the Smarter Travel Awards 2017, Northern Trust won the overall Smarter Travel Workplaces award along with the Carsharing and Workplace Coordinator awards. What can we learn from Northern Trust’s experience of building a culture of Smarter Travel?

  On Tuesday 26th of April, BITC Ireland held the first Learning Network meeting for this year with the theme:Biodiversity, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement.