“It’s a real transformation that businesses are going to have to go on over the next 10 to 20 years,” says Karen Deignan. “All departments, all aspects of the business, need to be questioned and potentially reoriented toward a more sustainable way of doing things.”
s Deignan is a co-founder of Sustainability Works, a consultancy that helps businesses understand sustainability issues and develop strategies both for climate change and diversity and inclusion.
She has been working in this area for 20 years, the past five in Ireland. “When I first arrived, it did seem like sustainability was more in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) space; philanthropic programmes, where companies would have charity partnerships and things like that. But then in response to the climate crisis and people’s greater understanding of the urgency of that, businesses have started to think about this issue more strategically.”
This sea change has been driven by a number of factors, including regulatory changes, customers’ desires and the financial sector. “We have heard anecdotally from some of the large Irish businesses that we work with that employees in interviews are asking, as one of their key questions, what is your sustainability strategy, what is your commitment to climate change? Millennials and Generation Z tend to be hyper-conscious of these major issues.”
As such, the issue of sustainability has been taken out from under the umbrella of CSR and is now viewed as a systemic matter. This means a much wider scope must be taken by companies in looking at the environmental impact of every aspect of their business.
“There’s much more pressure on companies to reduce the carbon impact of what they do, not just within the four walls of their business, but also what’s happening down their supply chain.”
Paul Hughes, general manager, retail, of the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), says sustainability has been at the core of its activities for the past 30 years. The ICS sells in the region of one million garments every year through its 21 shops. “That equates to nearly 8,500 tonnes of carbon-saving offset, because people are buying clothes in our shops instead of buying new,” Mr Hughes says. “Woollens and cottons that are not in good condition are used for a material called flock, which is used for lining cars or speakers.”
Elsewhere, Life Style Sports is launching Ireland’s first carbon- neutral distribution centre next month in Rathcoole, Co Dublin. The Life Style Sports Fulfilment Campus will include energy-efficient rechargeable robots, packing waste-reduction practices, rooftop solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric car charging stations. Fifty per cent of the company’s current seasonal buy of products is made from sustainable or recycled materials.
The Doyle Collection hotel group recently received the Gold Award accreditation from Green Tourism for each of its properties throughout Ireland, the UK and the US. Declan Farrell, group head of procurement and sustainability, says they have focused on incorporating sustainability into day-to-day operations, including new energy management teams to support the Green Teams already in place. Single-use plastics are being removed where possible, energy-efficient systems are being installed throughout the buildings, and they partner with companies with a shared sustainable ethos.
“We are now auditing every department to see what next steps can be taken,” Mr Farrell says. “We work with brokers across the UK and Ireland to ensure all power procured by The Doyle Collection is renewable and improving internal awareness on sustainable initiatives and best practices.”
Pat Kane is a sustainability strategist who is currently working with clients in the areas of construction, financial services, and retail. Like Ms Deignan, she identifies a change in company approaches to CSR policies and sustainability specifically. “More and more companies are like, ‘We either do this right, or we’re behind’. With the businesses I’ve been working with, it genuinely feels like they care. They want to do better, to consider what kind of impact they are causing for communities surrounding them. Also, it’s always good if you’re trying to sell a business for investors to see that you have that important arm of your business working well.
“People want to know that the companies they are working for, that they are putting their CVs forward to, are doing good; that they are promoting something that is benefiting wider society.”
