Fifty Shades Greener saves Irish businesses over €2M as it announces new sustainability accreditation, LeafMark

Fifty Shades Greener, the leading sustainability training and certification, has revealed that it has saved Irish businesses just over €2M in energy costs in 2025 through workplace sustainability training. Building on this momentum, the company is now launching LeafMark, a new sustainability accreditation programme targeting carbon-intensive sectors to drive meaningful change across Irish business.

Organisations operating in carbon-intensive sectors, such as hospitality, IT and healthcare, can often struggle to reduce their carbon footprints. Fifty Shades Greener, established in 2017 by Raquel Noboa, works with businesses across Ireland to embed sustainability into their business operations by training and green-upskilling staff. In 2025 alone, the company partnered with over 30 businesses including the Fitzwilliams Hotel, Clayton Hotel Galway, Highfield Healthcare, and Climb Channel Solutions, saving each business on average €66,000 in energy costs – a reduction of 27% per business.

With businesses increasingly turning to sustainability to reduce costs and contribute to a lower carbon future, Fifty Shades Greener has seen a 25% growth in its customer base in the first quarter of 2026. Driven by these results, the company is now launching LeafMark – a three-tier, people-first sustainability certification programme. With consumers, investors, and regulators demanding greater transparency and genuine environmental commitment, LeafMark provides a clear, actionable pathway to more responsible and resilient industries.

Accessible to all organisations of any size and sector, LeafMark reflects how deeply sustainability learning has been embedded across an organisation’s workforce. One leaf recognises organisations that have laid the foundations for a sustainability-aware culture. Two signals that an organisation has moved beyond awareness into practical action, with a focus on applying sustainability skills directly within its operations. Three leaves, the highest LeafMark™ level, celebrates organisations that are leading the way in sustainability, equipping them with the advanced in-house expertise needed to drive and steer sustainability across the entire organisation.

Dublin’s Mespil Hotel, located alongside the Grand Canal, is the first organisation in Ireland to achieve three LeafMarks, followed by Highfield Healthcare. Both organisations were rewarded for integrating sustainability into its strategy, culture and everyday decisions.

Raquel Noboa, Founder, Fifty Shades Greener, said: “Without a doubt, sustainability has become a key driver of consumer purchasing decisions. The problem is that genuine choice remains scarce. Very few providers involve their teams in their sustainability journey, and many don’t realise what they stand to gain by empowering their employees with green skills.  

“Through accreditation and training, providers can achieve significant savings on energy costs, which is particularly compelling given today’s uncertain economy. But the benefits extend well beyond the bottom line; LeafMark enables businesses to build a culture where knowledge, awareness, and action sit at the heart of how an organisation operates.

“The fact of the matter is that sustainability is a win-win for everyone involved. It not only gives organisations a competitive advantage, but it also drives real cost savings. Eco-conscious consumers get exactly what they are looking for and perhaps, most importantly, the planet doesn’t pay the price.”

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