Leadership

Lidl Ireland is set to become one of the first major retailers across the island of Ireland to update its paid leave policy and fertility support programme to reflect the inclusion of two days at full pay, per cycle, for employees undergoing egg freezing and IVF. The new policy extends to all of the retailer’s 6,000 employees

During our latest events series #SustRev21, our Sustainability Adviser Johnny Meehan provided a series of key tips to our audience of sustainability practitioners on how to drive radical action and change. Context is important. We are at the crossroads in how we work given the urgent need to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies and

The climate crisis and nature emergency will now be front and centre of attention over the next fortnight, as the world gathers at COP26 in Glasgow for a decisive UN Climate Change Conference. If ever there was a concern about the scientific evidence, report after report, warning after warning unequivocally state that our planet is

BITCI recently featured in the Irish Times special report, Sustainable Ireland, which included valuable insights from our CEO Tomás Sercovich. Catch up on all the articles that appeared in the Sustainable Ireland magazine . Alternatively, the individual articles can be accessed via the Irish Times website here.

Thursday 25th March saw the most anticipated launch of the “Vision 2050: Time to Transform” at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Business in the Community Ireland is the national partner network for the WBCSD and as such we are engaged in bringing the message and deliverables of the newly launched Vision 2050 to our member companies and

The Mark is operated by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), the non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainability and third-party audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Six companies achieved the Mark for the first time with another six achieving recertification.   Wednesday, 9th December:  Over 200 business leaders attended Business in the Community

By 2030, Diageo’s ‘SOCIETY 2030: SPIRIT OF PROGRESS’ plan will enable the company to: Reach 1 billion people with messages of moderation through its brands Achieve Net Zero carbon emissions across direct operations Increase representation of leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to 45% Use 30% less water in every drink it makes Diageo, maker of

Arup has committed to achieving net zero emissions across its entire operations by 2030, covering everything from the energy used in offices to goods and services purchased. To achieve this, the firm has set a target to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 per cent within the next five years from a 2018 baseline. The target, validated

We are excited to announce that we will soon be launching a new version of the Business Working Responsibly mark standard. This new version of the Mark will see significant process improvements for companies certifying and recertifying during the coming year. What is the Business Working Responsibly mark? The Business Working Responsibly mark is the top standard for CSR and

On April 15th  BITCI CEO Tomás Sercovich introduced our new BITCI Webinar Series alongside our Senior CSR Adviser, Linda O’Sullivan. The ongoing webinar series explores, among other things, the links between sustainable business, CSR and the business response to Covid-19. As part of the first webinar, we discussed the global business response to the Covid-19

The COVID-19 outbreak brings unprecedented challenges. A recent global survey shows the importance that business will play in this crisis, from being a trusted source of information,  to supporting staff, contractors, consumers and local communities, to being perceived as a key partner of Governments to team up and “play its part” in the solutions that will be needed.

64% of Irish people more concerned about climate change now than 12 months ago Four in five believe climate change will impact on them in their lifetime Francesca McDonagh, Bank of Ireland Group Chief Executive, signed the United Nations Environment Programme – Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Responsible Banking at the UN Headquarters in

Ian Anderson joined Momentum Support in 2010 when Ireland’s economic situation and the Sustainability agenda were in a very different space. Over his almost ten years of service with the company, Ian has seen Momentum Support grow from strength to strength. The company supports public and private sector businesses of all sizes throughout Ireland and

2015 is a year we will all remember as the year of sustainability. In December of that year, 195 countries committed to the bold ambition of the COP21 Paris Agreement on limiting climate change and earlier in September, over 150 world leaders adopted the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There were times of optimism about

Our Head of Advisory services Bernadette Phelan was recently featured in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Panorama, a platform providing insights and looking at sustainability from a different perspective.

Every month we get to know more about the leaders driving the sustainability agenda in Ireland. This month we are delighted to introduce you to Paula Kirk Director, Energy Cities and Climate Change at ARUP. Read about her career journey into sustainability.

This month we are thrilled to introduce you to Barbara-Anne Richardson, the Sustainability and Communications Manager at HEINEKEN Ireland. Read about Barbara-Anne’s career, how she stays inspired whilst also learning the fascinating sustainability journey of HEINEKEN Ireland.

In our In Conversation Series we get to know the sustainability and corporate responsibility leaders from some of Ireland’s top businesses. This month please meet Penny Bryant, Director of Communications and CSR at Fidelity Investments. Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company I oversee Communications and

Business in the Community Ireland welcomes the adoption of the All of Government Action Plan on Climate Disruption as a decisive and coherent set of policies that will prepare Ireland to become a significant player at European and international level on adapting to climate change. In particular we welcome the approach to systemic change proposed by the Action Plan, placing a focus on

In our In Conversation Series we get to know the sustainability and corporate responsibility leaders from some of Ireland’s top businesses. This month meet Claire Bergin, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Deloitte Ireland. Claire has been with Deloitte for nearly 10 years, from a successful international sport career to Corporate Responsibility Claire’s journey is one to

We are delighted this month to introduce you to Sustainability leader Amanda Davis. Amanda is the Senior Manager Global Corporate Responsibility and The Environment at Symantec and has a very wide range of global sustainability and CR responsibilities. Read about Amanda’s achievements, challenges and how she stays inspired whilst also learning the fascinating sustainability journey

 Hear directly from Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland on why the Business Working Responsibly mark is a key accreditation to have and why it was instrumental in verifying the CSR areas at the heart of the business such as diversity and climate change. Find out about the Business Working Responsibly mark.

 Watch a short interview with Maarten Schuurman, CEO of HEINEKEN Ireland. Achieving the Mark has helped the company know they are on the right sustainability track and also encourage them to continuously improve. Meet all the top businesses in Ireland that have achieved the Business Working Responsibly mark.

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

Episode 2 of The BITCI Podcast CEO as Activist Series is out. This episode goes back to the thought-provoking panel on the low carbon economy. Leaders from the Environmental Protection Agency, EirGrid and IBM Ireland rallied business support for immediate action on climate. Chaired by our Head of Advisory Services Bernadette Phelan with Laura Burke,

 The BITCI Podcast has arrived! Our first series, CEO As Activist, follows on from the theme of our 11th Annual CEO Forum where we examined the emerging trend of the CEO As activist. In this first episode we’d like to bring you back to that straight-talking morning and hear how the CEOs from ESB,

 Watch the opening speech from our 11th Annual CEO Breakfast Forum delivered by our CEO Tomás Sercovich, unmissable key insights and sustainability trends.

The Leaders’ Group on Sustainability is a coalition of Ireland’s leading organisations that is striving to improve the sustainability of the Irish business sector through sharing best practice and creating new ways of doing business. Find out more about the Group.

Calor understands that it has an important role to play in powering rural Ireland and providing innovative alternatives to carbon-intensive fuels. It’s no surprise, therefore, that sustainability is at the heart of Calor’s business strategy in Ireland. Calor is fully committed to supporting environmental best practice and sustainable development and its employees are key enablers

For this month of our In Conversation Series with Sustainability professionals we hear from Priscilla O’Regan Head of Communications at BT Ireland. BT Ireland are leaders in sustainability having this year achieved the Business Working Responsibly mark. BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world.They’re making this happen through