Sustainability - Business - Irish Examiner

Sign in

SUSTAINABILITY & BUSINESS

A collection highlighting the issue of sustainability as it relates to business and commerce.

SUSTAINABILITY & BUSINESS

A collection highlighting the issue of sustainability as it relates to business and commerce.

<p>Electric car registrations accounted for 19% of the market in 2025. File photo</p>

economy

New electric car registrations show significant recovery in 2025

To reach the Government's climate goal of 845,000 private electric cars on the road by 2030, 650,000 electric cars will have to be registered in the next five years

<p>(Left to right) Adam Mulcahy, Joanna Przyborksa, Jagdeep Kumar Nayak, James Gaffey and co-director of CircBio Group, CABR, MTU, Paddy Fitzgerald at the new MTU biorefinery set up on the Kerry campus. Photo: Domnick Walsh / Eye Focus LTD</p>

farming

MTU launches Ireland’s first pilot biorefinery in Kerry

<p>Commuters say they’re stuck in tailbacks far longer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as more people travel to their workplaces midweek. Picture: iStock</p>

comment-analysis

Remote working: Employers should work with staff but they cannot solve traffic jams

Solar panels. Power station. Blue solar panels. Alternative source of electricity. Solar farm. The source of ecological renewabl

companies

Cost of energy efficiency upgrades a hurdle for many firms

Small farms to benefit most from derogation, says senator

farming

Small farms to benefit most from derogation, says senator

Dairygold announce Munster finalists for malting barley programme

farming

Dairygold announce Munster finalists for malting barley programme

Herd of Friesian cattle

Stephen Cadogan: Ireland's derogation has bucked the trend of EU dairy decline

Perhaps the Irish nitrates situation has allowed the EU to show it too is concerned for the future of EU dairying, writes Stephen Cadogan

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

Wind energy versus coal fired power plants

Data centres must get at least 80% of their energy from renewables, regulator says

The Commission for Regulation of Utilities said grid operators will have to consider where a data centre is being proposed for and if the energy demand in that area is already constrained

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

Government must step up to stop Mercosur, says ICSA president

Government must step up to stop Mercosur, says ICSA president

ICSA president Sean McNamara said if this deal goes ahead, it will destroy the Irish beef sector and devastate rural Ireland

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Commissioner: Farmers’ environmental work ‘not in vain’ as derogation talks intensify

Is this likely to be Ireland’s last derogation?

The draft proposals for the sixth Nitrates Action Programme include additional slurry storage and a mandatory nutrient balance number for every farm — a measure aimed at ensuring farmers track what nutrients are entering and leaving their holdings

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025

Willie Walsh speaks to journalists in Paris

John Whelan: EU's €2bn plan to fix shortage of sustainable aviation fuel

Aer Lingus and Ryanair get on board as European Commission proposes €2bn sustainable fuel investment up to 2027 to support shipping and aviation fuel demands

Sun, 09 Nov, 2025

Climate change putting Ireland's economic stability at risk, Central Bank warns

Climate change putting Ireland's economic stability at risk, Central Bank warns

The joint report from the Central Bank and the Climate Change Advisory Council singled out Storm Éowyn in January 2025 as 'the most expensive weather event in Irish insurance history'

Wed, 05 Nov, 2025

Skims’ Ultimate Bush Knickers: The fashion trend no one asked for

Skims’ Ultimate Bush Knickers: The fashion trend no one asked for

Let’s consider the obvious: women have been wearing underwear for centuries — briefs, boyshorts, high-cuts, thongs, you name it. The idea that we now need an undergarment featuring fake pubic hair feels like a satirical sketch from 'Saturday Night Live', not a serious offering from a billion-dollar brand, writes Pat Kane, founder of Reuzi

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

Wexford tillage farmer becomes overall winner at this year's Environmental Sustainability Award

Wexford tillage farmer becomes overall winner at this year's Environmental Sustainability Award

Wexford tillage farmer, Don Somers wins the Teagasc- FBD Environmental Sustainability Award 2025.

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Wexford woman reaches final of EU innovation award for female farmers

Wexford woman reaches final of EU innovation award for female farmers

This year’s theme highlights farmers leading the transition to more sustainable water use and management

Wed, 01 Oct, 2025

Tony O'Reilly jnr's dCarbonX gets green light to develop gas storage facility in Irish Sea

Tony O'Reilly jnr's dCarbonX gets green light to develop gas storage facility in Irish Sea

The energy storage company said the facility 'is also being engineered for future conversion to hydrogen storage in the future'

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Passenger airplane flying above clouds during sunset

Industry has executed a ‘corporate capture’ of UN aviation body set up to tackle climate crisis

Industry delegates outnumbered climate experts by 14 to one at recent ICAO meeting, thinktank says

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Port of Waterford applies to develop terminal as support for offshore wind projects

Port of Waterford applies to develop terminal as support for offshore wind projects

The investment will transform the port’s capacity to support large-scale offshore renewable energy projects, including the proposed Tonn Nua Offshore Wind Farm

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Cork Chamber wins global award for Local Green Deals programme

Cork Chamber wins global award for Local Green Deals programme

The Local Green Deal model has already received EU recognition for its approach to sustainable urban and economic development

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025

Circle K brings biofuel alternative to diesel into selected forecourts

Circle K brings biofuel alternative to diesel into selected forecourts

Circle K said the milesBIO HVO100 is a 'renewable biofuel made from waste materials and by-products from the food industry'

Tue, 02 Sep, 2025

Blindboy fans turn Limerick's ‘Birdshit District’ into unlikely tourist destination

Blindboy fans turn Limerick's ‘Birdshit District’ into unlikely tourist destination

Blindboy’s nickname for Bedford Row has turned a starling roost — and its messy pavements — into an offbeat Limerick tourist attraction

Thu, 28 Aug, 2025

US Climate

EU emissions rise overall, but agriculture bucks the trend

Emissions from agriculture, forestry and fishing in Ireland were estimated to have increased by 8.7%

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

Deep in the forest with wild garlic growing in Spring, Roscommon, Ireland.

Department launches report on research of timber construction in Ireland

The report published by the Department of Agriculture showcases research over the last number of years of how Irish timber can be utilised

Wed, 13 Aug, 2025

Twenty-one farms to open their gates for free one-day sustainable farming showcase

Twenty-one farms to open their gates for free one-day sustainable farming showcase

The free open farm day for the general public, organised by the non-profit Farming For Nature, will happen on August 31

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Lost in garbage

S Consumer: No greenwashing thanks

A new EU directive stating that companies are legally obliged to report on the impact (positive or negative) they have on biodiversity and ecosystems has been described as the biggest single transformation in corporate reporting in the last 25 years

Fri, 18 Jul, 2025

Beyond Methane: How a new feed additive is revolutionising Irish farming

Beyond Methane: How a new feed additive is revolutionising Irish farming

The ‘Agriculture and Climate Change: Science into Action’ conference heard about one study which showed that RumenGlas was linked to a 12% improvement in growth rate and feed efficiency, alongside a 10% reduction in methane emissions

Thu, 12 Jun, 2025

Four European Union flags waving in the wind

Draft EU proposal hints at major rollback of Green Deal farm rules

The Green Deal headline commitment is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050

Tue, 13 May, 2025

textile pollution, fast fashion industry waste, old clothing cloth fabric garment trash garbage pile stack heap background, con

Consumer watchdog joins growing chorus of regulators telling fashion industry to stop 'green' claims

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said that retailers should avoid vague and general terms without evidence

Fri, 02 May, 2025

Petrol pump filling nozzles

State increased fossil fuel subsidies to almost €5bn in 2023

New CSO data shows Ireland’s fossil fuel subsidies soared to €4.9bn in 2023, largely driven by energy credits

Wed, 30 Apr, 2025

Supersonic passenger aircraft may be returning — here’s what it would mean for the climate

Supersonic passenger aircraft may be returning — here’s what it would mean for the climate

There is every indication that supersonic planes are on their way back, more than two decades after Concorde last took to the skies. How will this affect the aviation industry’s ability to meet its ambitious net zero by 2050 target?

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025

Meta Data Centres

Proposal excuses new data centres from using renewable sources as back-up electricity

Concerns have been raised about their increasing demand on Ireland’s electricity network and contribution to carbon emissions

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025