Enactus Ireland helps companies to become more sustainable

Enactus Ireland hosted an in-person ESG innovation event at KPMG’s Innovation Hub, Platform X at the IFSC in Dublin, to help shed light on how companies can reduce their carbon emissions and develop more sustainable business practices from the ground up.

While progress is being made, many companies still grapple with the real-life challenge of incorporating ESG into the workplace.

The current global drive to make businesses more environmentally sustainable and socially aware has never been more evident. This can be observed through international agreements to set sustainability goals and industry-specific carbon emission reduction targets for businesses. Global companies have also shown their shared social values of late by their response to the war in Ukraine.

Enactus Ireland Event

At the event, Minister Robert Troy outlined the impending Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will revise the existing rules on non-financial reporting and spoke about what the Government is doing to drive better corporate responsibility.

Minister Troy said: “I was delighted to speak at the Enactus Ireland ESG business event today. It is refreshing to hear from such innovative young leaders and how Irish Enactus ESG ideas are driving change in everyday corporate operations. A number of these transformative projects and businesses were showcased at the event, including Ethicart, Access Earth, and Dídean.”

“The proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is one of the measures detailed in the EU’s Green Deal. It is a comprehensive proposal that seeks to place the performance of companies on environmental, social, and governance matters on an equal footing with their financial performance. The CSRD will significantly update the existing rules for non-financial reporting by companies operating in the EU.”

The businesses in attendance also heard from Rosemary Garth, Communications Director with Tesco Ireland about how it continues to partner with the former Enactus social enterprise project, Food Cloud, to help deliver its sustainability ambitions and from KPMGs Head of Sustainable Futures Shane O’Reilly about ESG practices across the industry.

This event was a part of an Enactus Ireland campaign, Enact Your Social Impact, which aims to increase the profile of Enactus Ireland and Social Enterprises in Ireland. The campaign is approved by Government with the support of the Dormant Accounts Fund.