BITCI awards pay tribute to companies' deep social ethos

Aldi Stores Ireland, Calor Ireland, Energia Group, Momentum Support, Permanent TSB and Siemens Healthineers join the list of Business Working Responsibly mark recipients.

Energia Group CEO Ian Thom, Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon, Wrightbus chairman Jo Bamford and Translink CEO Chris Conway, announcing a partnership with Translink to supply hydrogen to public buses in Belfast, pictured earlier this year prior to Covid-19 restrictions. Energia is among this year's new Business in the Community award recipients.

Social issues are still a priority for Irish-based businesses, who have continued to engage with environmental sustainability and community engagement throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 200 business leaders attended Business in the Community Ireland’s annual awards, this year a virtual event to celebrate the latest companies to be certified to the Business Working Responsibly mark.

Six companies are being accredited to the mark for the first time this year. They are Aldi Stores Ireland Limited, Calor Ireland, Energia Group, Momentum Support, Permanent TSB and Siemens Healthineers.

Six companies achieved re-certification to the mark. They are Arup, Fujitsu Ireland Limited, PM Group Ireland, PwC, RTÉ and SSE Ireland. 40 companies in Ireland have now achieved the standard.

Tomas Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland.

Tomas Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland, said: “As sustainability becomes mainstream, it is critical for business to have objective proof points that their management systems are robust and that sustainability is more than an aspiration.

“We are delighted to welcome the newly certified companies to the Mark, as we continue to see growing expectations from investors, regulators, employees and society at large for greater accountability of business in areas such as carbon emissions, employee diversity and inclusion or supplier engagement.

“The mark, as a third-party verification, is a clear differentiator and driver of competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.” The Business Working Responsibly mark is run by Business in the Community Ireland and based on ISO 26000 is valid for three years and is independently audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

The mark assesses best in class sustainability and looks at leadership, policies, practices, performance and impact in areas such as employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, environmental practices, supply chain management and engagement with the local community.

New recipients of the Business Working Responsibly mark at BITCI's 2020 virtual awards event: (clockwise from top left): Fred O’Brien, MD of Siemens Healthineers; Rachel Nugent, sustainability manager, Aldi; Duncan Osborne, CEO, Calor Ireland; Ian Thom, CEO, Energia; Eamonn Crowley, CEO, Permanent TSB; and Ian Anderson, COO of Momentum Support.

Aldi: As a food retailer there are many areas of sustainability they have an impact on from driving environmental and social responsibility in their supply chains, building environmentally sustainable new stores and their work in the community with their longstanding strategic charity partnerships. One example of sustainability is their approach to fish sourcing.

A spokesperson for Aldi said: “Fish stocks around the world are under increasing strain from overfishing and pollution. This is why Aldi is committed to the sustainability of the world’s oceans and environment by ensuring that all of the fish and seafood used in our own-label products are responsibly sourced.

“This will enable fish populations to remain healthy into the future and that the catch methods used have a minimal impact on the environment. By the end of 2020, Aldi aim to be 100% responsibly sourced in our primary fresh, frozen and canned fish product categories in Ireland.” 

Calor: The company has a proud history of sustainable innovation in Ireland. For over 80 years, Calor has been helping homes and businesses across the island of Ireland to transition to lower carbon energy.

In 2018, they became the first Irish energy supplier to make a renewable gas, Calor BioLPG, available to homes and businesses across the island. Calor BioLPG is certified at EU level as offering up to 90% lower emissions than existing LPG products.

In September, they also announced their first ever charity partner. The Samaritans was chosen by Calor staff, following an extensive process which considered a number of leading charities. Through the new partnership with Calor, Samaritans will be able to answer over 4,000 additional calls for help.

Energia: The key area of sustainability for Energia, which aligns with their mission, is to provide renewable energy to their customers and support Irelands transition to a green electricity system. Energia’s main source of energy comes from their windfarms around the country, where they also support those communities in the immediate vicinity through their Community Windfarm Funds. Energia are also looking at other means to generate renewable energy, one such project is their Bioenergy Facility, which converts waste to energy at their Huntstown facility.

Momentum Support: The company has been working to mature its overall CSR strategy. In a tight margin sector the company recognises the competitive advantage a robust CSR and sustainability approach can bring. They have invested in a dedicated CSR resource and integrated CSR into their business strategy. They are also working with their corporate customers to embed sustainability into the heart of their service offering.

Permanent TSB: In July, permanent tsb announced a three-year partnership with Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance to support the agency’s work developing fully integrated, co-operative and affordable housing schemes in communities across the country. The Bank will provide €350,000 to Ó Cualann, which will be used to fund the resources required to accelerate its development plans. The Bank also supports CyberSafeIreland (CSI) a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on works that empower children, parents and teachers to navigate the online world in a safe and responsible manner.

Siemens Healthineers: Based in Swords, they have recently embarked on numerous projects looking at biodiversity and ensuring these projects support employee wellbeing. They formed a Biodiversity Team and undertook a number of initiatives including: creation of a wildflower meadow, construction of two beehives and an orchard plantation. They also have a long standing link with Swords community School through BITCI’s Education programmes , where they provide students with an insight into the world of work.