By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Fintan Slye, EirGrid, Tina Roche, BICTI, Brian Dalton, RTE and Niall Browne, Dawn Meats.
Business in the Community Ireland award organisations leading the way in sustainability and corporate responsibility.
Dawn Meats Carroll’s Cross and RTÈ have achieved Business in the Community Ireland‘s (BITCI) Business Working Responsibly Mark for the first time and EirGrid have achieved the Mark for the third time.
The Mark is operated by BITCI, the non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainability and it is third-party audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). A total of 25 organisations in Ireland have now achieved the Business Working Responsibly Mark. The Mark certifies excellence in responsible and sustainable business practices.
BITCI is the network for responsible business. With over 17 years of experience advising business on corporate responsibility, it developed the Business Working Responsibly Mark certification for responsible and sustainable business practices. Based on ISO 26000, the Mark is valid for three years and is independently audited by the NSAI.
Tina Roche, CEO of BITCI, congratulated the companies awarded the mark, saying “During our 17 years working in the area, we have seen a real sea change in the attitudes of Irish companies towards corporate responsibility. Today it is about long-term sustainability and responsible business practices. The organisations presented with their Mark certificates today are leading in the area of sustainability and having the Mark will help them benchmark their practices amongst their peers.”
Fintan Slye, Chief Executive of EirGrid commented, “BITCI assessed our performance with respect to how we interact with the marketplace, the workplace, the environment, the community and our Corporate Responsibility/Sustainability Governance. Achieving the Mark has many benefits for EirGrid including enhancing our brand and reputation, in addition to positioning us as an employer of choice in the marketplace”.
Sustainability, customer relations, supply chain management, workplace, community and environment are some of the areas assessed by the certification. To achieve the Mark the companies must initially complete a comprehensive online questionnaire with 280 questions analysing operations on 26 different indicators. This is reviewed by Business in the Community Ireland experts to ascertain if the company has reached a preliminary standard that merits third party verification. Successful verification of the inputs to the questionnaire by the NSAI is essential to achieving the Mark.
Dawn Meats CEO Niall Browne commented, “We have set ourselves the goal of becoming Europe’s most sustainable meat company and the endorsement by BITCI, with the achievement of the Business Working Responsibly Mark at Carroll’s Cross is further evidence of our progress. Over the last two years we have updated our sustainability strategy, published our first CSR report and broadened our engagement with stakeholders. As a business we are committed to continuous improvement and are excited by what is achievable over the coming years.”
Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ said, “We are delighted to have received the Business Working Responsibly Mark which represents an important milestone for RTÉ in recognising our ongoing efforts to achieve the highest standards in management, ethics and corporate citizenship. As Ireland’s public service media, continuing to achieve these standards, across a broad range of measures, from corporate governance and environmental performance to HR practices and community support, is central to RTÉ’s ambition to be a responsible, sustainable and trusted organisation which continues to reflect and enrich Irish life. The Mark will also allow us to shine a light on a variety of valuable RTÉ initiatives that support charity organisations and important causes, either through highly visible and impactful cross-platform campaigns, or through the commitment and dedication of RTÉ staff who give generously of their time to make a positive impact on cultural life in Ireland.”
Many other companies use the Mark as a measurement and gap analysis tool. The Mark is open to any organisation and is valid for three years. In total, 25 companies have now achieved the Mark and the other organisations that currently hold it are A&L Goodbody, Accenture in Ireland, Arup, Bank of Ireland Group Ireland, Boots Retail (Ireland) Ltd., CRH Ireland, Deloitte Ireland, eir, ESB, Fujitsu Ireland, Gas Networks Ireland, Intel Ireland, Janssen Supply Chain Ireland, KBC Bank Ireland Head Office, Marks & Spencer Ireland, Musgrave Group, Northern Trust (Ireland) Limited, Ricoh Ireland Limited, Transdev Dublin Light Rail Limited, Ulster Bank, Veolia Ireland Limited and Vodafone Ireland.
