Archives: 2017

sustainable procurement

ISO 20400 – the New Standard on Sustainable Procurement

ISO has published a voluntary standard on Sustainable Procurement – ISO 20400. This document provides good guidance for any organisation intent on integrating and embedding the principles of sustainability into their procurement processes and operations.

HEINEKEN Ireland announces urban greening community initiative

HEINEKEN Ireland has recently announced an initiative to bring communities together to create urban growing spaces that have a positive impact – socially, environmentally and economically.

M&S Sustainability Programme Plan A turns 10 and has saved £750 million in costs

Each year M&S holds an event solely for stakeholders, to discuss their sustainability challenges, successes and goals. Our Senior CSR Adviser Darina Eades attends this meeting and here she shares the insights from the day and the successful evolution of M&S’s sustainability strategy.

Virgin Media support Lessons for Life and the CoderDojo Coolest Project Awards

Lessons for Life Virgin Media staff have completed a gruelling two day bike ride in Cologne to raise funds for Lessons For Life, a charity that funds education projects in some of the toughest part of the world.

Gender Diversity in Practice

  In this report, Business in the Community members share their experiences of building a culture of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and focusing specifically on gender diversity

Launch of new National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2017 – 2020 “Towards Responsible Business”

BITCI (26 June 2017) participated in the launch of Ireland’s National Plan on Corporate Social Responsibility 2017 – 2020 “Towards Responsible Business” by Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald.

WBCSD launches CEO Guide to the Circular Economy & Factor10 initiative

At the World Circular Economy Forum which took place in Helsinki on June 5th, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released its CEO Guide to the Circular Economy .

Why your company’s volunteering programme is crucial for employee engagement and attracting new talent

In recent years Business in the Community members like Deloitte have been leading the way on developing meaningful employee volunteering opportunities as a way of motivating staff while generating positive social impact.

Biodiversity- Tips and Tricks for Creating a Wildflower Meadow

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

Millennial Employee Engagement Study

  Three-quarters (76%) of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and nearly two-thirds (64%) won’t take a job if a potential employer doesn’t have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, according to the 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement Study.

KPMG take action on literacy

World Book Day was on 2 March and KPMG used this opportunity to formally launch and celebrate the KPMG Families For Literacy (KFFL) initiative and all the work we do as a firm as part of our commitment to lifelong learning and more specifically literacy.

Shocking & Unsettling – Why taking time to understand human rights risks has to be prioritised

Parul Sharma engaged all seated at 10 am in A&L Goodbody on March 21, 2017 for the BITCI Workshop on Identifying & Addressing Human Rights Risks in Company Operations & the Supply Chain.

56 Companies in Ireland Contributed Over €32 million and 227,144 hours to Charities and Community Groups in 2016 

Wednesday March 29th: 56 socially-minded Irish companies have formed almost 7000 community partnerships and donated over €32 million in cash donations, in-kind donations and employee fundraising to local charities and community groups.

Employee Volunteering at Google – How the Local Leadership Programme builds reputation and employee engagement

Business in the Community Ireland are the experts on sustainability in Ireland. For the past 17 years, we have advised companies of all sizes on various sustainability issues. One of our key specialist areas is helping companies develop strategic employee volunteering programmes.

Business in the Community Ireland supported over 200 marginalised people to find employment in 2016

Business in the Community Ireland, the network for sustainability, announced today that with the support of businesses in Ireland, over 200 people from marginalised backgrounds secured employment in 2016.

Accenture: showing how volunteer leadership increases impact

Accenture started supporting our EPIC programme in 2014 and it is a great partnership with very positive impacts on both sides. In Accenture the work is led by the dynamic quartet of Patrizia Uccheddu, Laura Lopez, Ana Arnes and Francesca Laterza who do a fantastic job organising and encouraging volunteers. Their leadership has made this

Stimulating Businesses and the Economy: Business Case & How To Set Up Initiatives To Support SMEs

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), as the network for responsible business, identified a growing trend of large companies undertaking initiatives that support Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

We have published our 2015 Sustainability Report  

We are delighted to launch our 2015 Sustainability Report ‘in accordance’ with GRI’s G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Although we are a small organisation, we are committed to reporting our sustainability impacts and achievements to our stakeholders in a way that is relevant for us.

5 top tips for Sustainability reporting – Our experience

Our expert, Lorraine Fitzgerald, outlines the top tips when compiling a sustainability report in accordance with GRI Guidelines. We are the only NGO and small organisation to use this standard in Ireland.

Our Excellence Through People Results

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved a remarkable 94% in the Excellence Through People standard. This is the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) certification for HR Management and its focus is to get organisations to look at their people as a key source of competitive advantage. The certification looks at many

Improve the literacy of Ireland’s young children with our Time to Read programme

Would your company like to be involved in a fantastic programme designed to improve the literacy of Ireland’s young children? Time to Read is a reading programme for children in second class which increases their enjoyment and confidence in reading.

Announcing a new youth employability programme

We are delighted to announce a new youth employability initiative Career L.E.A.P. (Local Employment Action Partnership). Career L.E.A.P. is a new work readiness training programme for young people aged 18-24 from marginalised backgrounds. It has been uniquely developed through a collaborative partnership of BITCI, businesses, Community Groups and Trinity College Dublin. We have come together

18 companies in Ireland have now achieved the Business Working Responsibly Mark  

The Business Working Responsibly Mark is audited by the NSAI and based on ISO 26000.Bank of Ireland Group (Ireland) is being accredited with the Mark for the first time this year and Ulster Bank are being recertified to the Mark after first achieving it in 2014. 18 companies are currently certified to the Mark and

Improve employee engagement in your CSR initiatives: practical insights and advice

“Staff in my organisation gets involved in volunteering initiatives however I question whether they are truly engaged and motivated by the opportunities presented to them.” “I struggle to get staff to sign up to company volunteering initiatives.” “Company volunteering initiatives are always signed up to by the same staff.” If you have been responsible for

Materiality assessment in CSR & Sustainability: What is it and why is it important to your sustainability strategy?

Developing a materiality assessment was the topic of our recent Members Network Meeting where members of the network had the opportunity to experience, through a role play scenario, the process involved in developing a materiality assessment.

What was your favourite childhood book?

Black Beauty, Matilda, the Wizard of Oz… Can you remember your favourite book growing up? Thinking back to our favourite childhood book can bring back so many memories, growing up with these magical stories. Whilst they are now memories for adults, they are possible adventures and worlds to be discovered for so many young children

Top tips and ideas to improve biodiversity and engage your employees

Winter is over! We all love longer days, warmer weather, and the early signs of spring as the trees start to bud and the frothy white blackthorn blossom emerges in the hedgerows. There’s no better time of year to celebrate Ireland’s natural heritage whilst promoting the health and well-being aspects of being in nature to

Chambers Ireland CSR Awards 2016 Launch

In 2016 Chambers Ireland will host the 13th Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. We are proud of our involvement with Chambers Ireland on the CSR Awards.

In Conversation with Emily Maher Sustainability Advisor for KBC Bank Ireland

Welcome to our new In Conversation With CSR Professionals Series, this month we are delighted to feature Emily Maher, the Sustainability Advisor at KBC Bank Ireland.

Responsible Business and Modern Day Slavery – The impact on your business

Modern day slavery is the umbrella term used to describe any type of bonded, forced or compulsory labour, or human trafficking.It is believed to generate $150 billion [1] in illicit profits each year.