By Business & Finance 
Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director at Accenture Ireland; Sinead Patton, Chief Finance and Commercial Officer, Veolia; Tomas Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland and Aidan Skelly, Interim CEO, EirGrid at the launch of The Leaders’ Group on Sustainability (Photo: Jason Clarke Photography)
Some of Ireland’s top CEOs have today launched The Leaders’ Group on Sustainability, a coalition to address pressing issues on sustainability and Ireland’s future.
Who set it up?
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), the national network for sustainability, has gathered 26 leading companies in Ireland, representing over 90,000 people, to work together in addressing social, environmental and economic priorities.
One of the first announcements was the Low Carbon Pledge. This is the first dedicated public commitment created by Irish business, leading on a transition to a low carbon economy and to reduce Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions intensity by 50% come 2030.
Some of those involved
CEOs from businesses such as Accenture, Veolia, EirGrid, Bank of Ireland, ESB, Fujitsu, Janssen, M&S, Musgrave, PwC, Vodafone, and many more, are calling on business leaders to make sustainability more of a priority and to promote a low carbon future. This is to help Ireland in its commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The nature of work is changing and there is a growing emphasis on more flexible and agile work practices, as well as collaboration between humans and machines.—Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director, Accenture Ireland
The companies involved with The Leader’s Group on Sustainability have all achieved BITCI’s Business Working Responsibility Mark, the NSAI-audited standard for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.
Other initiatives and support
The Leaders’ Group is also working to remove social barriers to social inclusion in Ireland by helping companies improve their culture and processes.
Tomas Sercovich, CEO of Business in the Community Ireland, said: “The global Business and Sustainable Development Commission has identified $12 trillion in economic opportunity for the low carbon and inclusive economy and this needs to be embraced by Irish businesses. We must adopt a long-term view of our business models to achieve this. We are delighted to convene this unique platform for change in corporate Ireland where we will seek to influence the business community and policy.”
Meeting regularly, The Leader’s Group on Sustainability discusses best practice and reviews Ireland’s progress for its commitments and aims. UCD is the knowledge partner for the group and will provide research and support in developing and refining sustainability goals.
