BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY · BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 58 BUSINESS PLUS AUGUST 2017 events and services in its Community Gain initiative. Activities

AUGUST 2017 SURVEY

CORPORATESOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY

THE BUSINESSES THATMAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY

ILLUSTRATION: GARY BLATCHFORD/ILLUSION ANIMATED PRODUCTIONS

BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIB IL ITY

56 BUSINESS PLUS AUGUST 2017

Ireland’s Second National Plan onCorporate Social Responsibility2017-2020 articulates a vision forIreland to be recognised as a Centre

of Excellence for responsible andsustainable business practices. The‘Towards Responsible Business’ policydocument, launched in June 2017,underpins the government’s objectiveof building a strong economy anddelivering a fair society, according toTánaiste Frances Fitzgerald.At the launch event, the enterprise

minister stated: “We need to deliver aclear message of encouragement andsupport to businesses andorganisations around Ireland toembed responsible business practicesat the core of their business strategies. “Businesses who communicate

openly and transparently about theirpractices, who tell their story andrecognise their impacts on society,foster a culture of trust with theirworkforce and their customers. CSR isno longer an optional ‘add-on’, but isbecoming a necessary part ofmainstream operations. I encourage allorganisations to embed responsiblebusiness practices at the heart of theirbusiness strategy. This is a whole ofgovernment issue, and it is a whole ofbusiness and whole of society issue too.”Fitzgerald’s views were echoed by

Tina Roche, CEO of Business in theCommunity Ireland, who added: “Theplan recognises that sustainability andCorporate Social Responsibility is aneconomic competitiveness issue and astrategic business agenda driving thecore principles and decision-makingwithin business. It is critical forIreland’s international reputation thatwe have a robust and crediblestatement that inspires action bybusiness and other key stakeholders.”The means by which companies

engage in CSR are varied, thoughemployee volunteering facilitated bythe employer is a mainstay for the

corporate approach. The spectrum ofsocial issues that corporate and SMEsare involved in include education,community projects and socialinclusion. Within these areas, there isplenty of scope for imaginativepartnership models to be formulated,as evidenced by the following projects.

Grant ThorntonGrant Thornton’s CSR activities focuson community, education, wellbeingand environment. Community-focused initiatives include organisingthe annual 5K Corporate TeamChallenge Run series in Dublin, Corkand Belfast, with the proceeds goingto charity. Partner Noel Delaney saysCSR has been part of the fabric of thefirm before the term was invented.

AramarkAramark’s charity partnerships,chosen by staff, are the Make A WishFoundation and the Irish Red Cross,and up to 15,000 employees will be

involved in organising a range offundraisers. Aramark’s charitable fundwas established in 2008 and hasraised €385,000 across Ireland.

Dublin AirportDublin Airport recently launched a€10m Community Fund, with thepromise of disbursing €400,000 peryear over the next 25 years in localprojects focused on environment andsustainability, sports and recreation,social inclusion and communitydevelopment, health and wellbeing,and culture and heritage. Daaemployees, supported by the companyand members of the public, haveraised €2m for 18 Irish charities in thepast 10 years. This year’s charitypartners are MS Ireland, My CanineCompanion and Merchants QuayIreland, and in 2016 staff raised€300,000 for Aoibheann’s Pink Tie,ARC Cancer Support andChildline/ISPCC.

Core MediaRadical, Core Media’s content anddigital agency, took an innovativeapproach to support Focus Ireland’sShine a Light campaign in autumn2016. Digital screens around GrandCanal Quay highlighted the plight ofhomeless families, while an interactivedigital screen in the window of thecompany’s HQ enabled people todonate with a tap of their debit card.

AmgenThe Amgen Foundation has investedover €600,000 in three scienceeducation programmes in Ireland:Amgen Biotech Experience, AmgenTeach and Amgen ScholarsProgramme. They provide teacherswith equipment and skills, andundergraduates with research stints inleading institutions. The programmeshave supported 59,000 secondaryschool students and 533 teachers.

CSR BEST PRACTICE

Nestlé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Dublin Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Gas Networks Ireland . . . . 62Tesco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63KBC Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64ESB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Croke Park Stadium . . . . . .68Kerry Group . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Bank of Ireland . . . . . . . . . . 70BT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Three Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . 74Amgen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Core Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Deloitte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Aramark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Dublin Airport . . . . . . . . . . 81Grant Thornton . . . . . . . . . 82

CSR is no longer an optional add-on but is becoming a necessary part of mainstream operations, writes Emily Styles

Responsible Business


BUSINESS PLUS AUGUST 2017 57

DeloitteDeloitte maintains several communitypartnerships, for which its staffvolunteer to become mentors andtraining facilitators. Beneficiariesinclude Junior Achievement Ireland,Suas and Age Action. Deloitte is also involved with long-standingfundraising efforts for St Vincent dePaul and the Irish Cancer Society,among others.

Three IrelandThe mobile phone andcommunications company leveragesits technology expertise to assist AnCosán Virtual Community College,which provides affordable onlineeducation for disadvantagedcommunities. Three’s employees alsoprovide support and consultancy forVCC, helping with everything fromwebsite creation to mentoring, as wellas raising €34,000 for the charity.

Bank of IrelandBank of Ireland announced its newflagship charity partnership initiativein April 2017, linking up with AgeAction, Irish Heart and The Jack andJill Children’s Foundation. Supportswill include funding nursing hours forthe children of Jack and Jill families,bringing CPR training to allsecondary schools in Ireland andsupporting older people in everycommunity where the bank is active.

Kerry GroupUnder its Marketplace CSR pillar,Kerry is a founder member of BordBia’s Origin Green programme and in2017 the company became the firstmajor milk processor to achieve 100%certification under the SustainableDairy Assurance Scheme. Furtherafield, Kerry is partnering with theUN’s World Food Programme on apioneering project in Honduras to

ensure nutritious dairy products aresustainably incorporated into theHome Grown School Mealsprogramme in the project area.

BT BT Ireland’s employees are offeredthree paid working days annually forvolunteering, and that resulted in over8,000 hours of volunteering incommunities across Ireland in 2016.In addition, BT Shop for Change, anemployee-led initiative, has raisedalmost €500,000 for cancer researchand support services in the past sixyears. BT’s other CSR commitmentsinclude its stewardship of the annualYoung Scientist & TechnologyExhibition.

Croke Park StadiumCroke Park gives back to its localcommunity through a varied range of

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ESB’s Energy for Generations Fund has awarded more than €11m and helped over 700 Irish charities since 2005. In June 2017, the fund donated €43,000 to Blossom Ireland, The Salvation Army and The Iveagh Trust. Pictured from left are Paul Harrison, The Iveagh Trust; ESB finance director Pat Fenlon; Auveen Bell of BlossomIreland; and Stephen Potter, The Salvation Army



events and services in its CommunityGain initiative. Activities includecomputer programming classes foryoung residents, while its subsidisedCroke Park Community Cúl Camp for local children is a communityhighlight during the summer months.Meanwhile, The Croke ParkCommunity Fund has allocated over€800,000 to local groups since 2009.

TescoThe Tesco Community Fund hasdonated over €2.4m to more than9,000 local projects and good causesaround the country since 2004. Localsports clubs, schools, animal shelters,elderly care services, communitycrèches and community care centres aresome of the projects that benefit. Theretailer’s charity partner is TempleStreet Children’s Hospital. SinceOctober 2014, over €2.5m has beenraised, and staff fundraising initiativeshave included the Great Irish Bake Off,which raised €130,000 in one day.

Gas Networks IrelandGas Networks Ireland has a numberof strategic partnerships withcommunity and voluntary groups.One involves delivering the ‘OurUniverse’ programme in partnershipwith Junior Achievement Ireland. It isa classroom-based ‘learning by doing’style science education programmethat was delivered to over 5,000primary school students last year.Other initiatives include partneringwith BITCI to deliver Time to Readprogrammes in primary schools.

Dublin BusSince 2003, Dublin Bus has beenputting unclaimed customer changeto good use through its CommunitySpirit Awards. The awards havehelped fund more than 1,800 groupsacross the company’s network, whichcovers Dublin and parts of countiesWicklow, Kildare and Meath. Eachyear grants of €5,000, €2,000 and€1,000 are awarded to grassrootsvoluntary and community groups todevelop new projects, grow servicesand help raise community spirit intheir local community.There were 85 recipients in 2016,

drawn from a wide variety of applicants.They included the Irish Guide Dogs forthe Blind and Esker Celtic FootballClub, who used the grant for a framefootball programme for children whouse frames as their means of mobility.Ballymun Men’s Shed was anotherrecipient; the organisation used itsDublin Bus grant to run carpentryworkshops for members. Otherbeneficiaries were ARTzheimer's,which brings Alzheimer’s diseaseeducation into a classroom settingthrough art, and Tree of Hope whichplants trees in communities as asymbol to all affected by a suicide orliving with mental health issues.

KPMGImproving literacy and education is abig CSR goal for KPMG, and on WorldBook Day in March 2017, 500 bookswere donated to four schools. KPMGFamilies for Literacy is a volunteerprogramme with several strands,including a paired reading programmewith students at CBS Westland Rowand support for Doodle Dens after-school programmes in the East Walland Sheriff Street.

Nesté Ireland staff Rachel Kumar (left), Christopher Dowdall and RachelGalligan taking part in a static cycle to raise funds for Down SyndromeIreland. Over 700 employees from Nesté Ireland, Citywest and Nestlé’s WyethNutrition infant formula plant in Askeaton have committed to raise €70,000for DSI over a two-year period

Law firm A&L Goodbody sponsorsCatherine Ann Cullen as Writer-in-Residence at St. Joseph’s NationalSchool in East Wall in Dublin. Hereshe’s pictured with 3rd class pupilKayleigh Kelly



VodafoneThe ISPCC will benefit greatly from afive-year partnership it secured withVodafone Ireland. The partnershipwill provide the charity with €2m indirect funding from the VodafoneFoundation, with the telco coveringthe Society’s call costs until 2026. Thecharity will also benefit from fundsraised by Vodafone employee efforts.

Bord Bia Launched in 2012, Origin Green is theonly sustainability programme in theworld operating on a national scale.Independently verified by SGS, thisvoluntary programme enablesIreland’s farmers, food and drinkproducers and retail and foodserviceoperators to achieve measurablesustainability targets. Health andnutrition became a mandatory targetarea within all Origin Green plans in2016. Musgrave, McDonald’s, Sodexo,Lidl, HMS Host and Compass Groupparticipate in Origin Green.

GoogleGoogle has been working with Businessin the Community Ireland’s LocalLeadership programme, which matchesthe skills of Google employees with theneeds of NGOs. Google staff in Dublinput their technological expertise togood use by helping organisations toimprove their websites.

MediolanumThe financial services firm focuses itsCSR efforts on children and partnerswith Coolmine because of the workthe charity does helping familiesaffected by drug addiction.Mediolanum staff volunteered 1,000

hours to help Coolmine withfundraising, mentoring and assistingin ground works.

Done DealIn Done Deal’s Charity Monthinitiative, three charities are selected byemployees every second month. For theduration of that month, 10% of the costof placing a classified ad with DoneDeal goes directly to the chosen charity.The CSR gesture has raised more than€1.2m for charities since 2010.

Carey Building ContractorsThe company was a 2016 winner inthe Chambers Ireland annual CSRAwards thanks to its commitment toefficient practices for constructionprojects. The award related to a new

Podiatry Unit in Merlin Park Hospital.Efficiency strategies deployed on thisproject resulted in a reduction inenergy use of over 6,000kWhrs, andthe prevention of over 160 tonnes ofmaterial waste.

LindtLindt Chocolate Ireland celebrated asuccessful Easter fundraisingcampaign with Temple Street atDundrum Town Centre this year.Shoppers were given the chance topersonalise their own Lindt chocolatebunny, with funds raised going toTemple Street Children’s Hospital. Thecampaign raised nearly €29,000.

DropboxThe US online files facilitator directsits Dublin CSR activities towards The Solas Project and CASA. Dropbox staff volunteer as mentors inthe Solas Business programme,teaching life skills to children andencouraging entrepreneurship andcreativity. CASA organises regularvisits to the Dropbox office, where thegroups meet with Dropbox employeesto gain an insight into the officeenvironment.

A 60-strong relay team of KBC Bank staff raised €40,000 for the AlzheimerSociety in a 600km relay race held in June 2017. The bank matched theamount raised, bringing it to over €80,000. Pictured are KBC’s Sarah Nolanand Ray Cregan, a member of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network

One of the key activities of law firmArthur Cox’s CSR programme is itstrainee-led Zambia Project, with itsfocus on education and communityself-empowerment

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE

Creating Shared Value is the way we do business.

Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beveragecompany. We have more than 2000 brands and arepresent in 1A1 countries around the world. In Ireland,

Nestlé employs over 950 people at our infant and maternalnutrition plant at %skeaton, Co. )imerick which has been inoperation since 1A9‘ and our commercial offices in Citywest,Dublin. Creating Shared Balue YCSB– is the way we dobusiness. It’s an approach based on respect for people,cultures and the natural environment. We want to help shapea better and healthier world. We also want to inspire people tolive healthier lives.

Nestlé in ireland

sustaiNa�ilityOur aim is to grow our business while reducing our impactson the environment. We have a sustainability strategy thatunderpins each of our brands, as well as for our company as a whole, to ensure that our impacts on the environmentare reduced.

Nestlé’s Wyeth Nutrition Infant jormula plant in %skeatonengages in a comprehensive range of environmentalsustainability activities and is a member of 4ord 4ia’s Origin Ereen. We were the first business in Ireland to createa butterfly meadow and insect lodge to enhance localbiodiversity.

Our Nescamé Plan is a global initiative with commitmentsin responsible farming, production - supply andconsumption. It aims to create value throughout the coffeesupply chain, from farmers to consumers. We havecommitted to invest approximately €25Am in coffee proTectsworldwide and distribute ��0 Fillion coffee trees by 2020.

Our Nestlé Cocoa Plan aims to improve the lives of cocoafarmers and the 3uality of their products and develop asustainable supply of highP 3uality cocoa for Nestlé. In 2015,we became the first confectionery company in Ireland to usey00W certimied sdstainaKle cocoa for our confectionery.

CHarity ob tHe yearOur staff at Citywest and at Wyeth Nutrition in %skeatonselected Down Syndrome Ireland as their 7Charity of the Gear’until end 201&. DSI supports �,500 members across Irelandthrough its services in healthcare, education, earlydevelopment, speech and language therapy and independence

2u�liN sPCaqurina provide all of the meals for the cats and dogs inDSqC%’s care and adoption guides for 2,000 new pet ownerseach year. Khis year qurina announced it will provide ‘0,000meals for the cats and dogs at its facility.

siMoN CoMMuNities We are proud to assist the staff at Cork Simon and DublinSimon in their tireless commitment to providing services to homeless people. Over the past seven years we have provided almost � million cups of Nescafé coffeeand 8it8ats to the Simon Communities.

NutritioN1 HealtH aN2 kellNessWe are stepping up tothe sugar challengeand aiming tocontribute to publichealth by stripping out 10� of sugar from our confectioneryportfolio by 201&. Khis will largely be achieved by replacingsugar with higher 3uantities of existing ingredients or other, nonPartificial ingredients and ensuring products are below a certain amount of calories.

uituat now contains extra milk, extra cocoa and reducedsugar F it can be identified by newly designed 76xtra (ilk -Cocoa’ packs on shelves.

MilwbKar has increased the amount of milk in its new corerecipe from 2V� to �9.5�, making it the No.1 ingredient.

rofntree,s has unveiled new �0� less sugar versions ofbrdit Pastilles and randoFs.

Brian Shiel, Wyeth’s Safety, Health & Environment Lead with Kate Blessing and Alison Finnucane from AskeatonNational School.

Andrew Shaw, Country Manager, Nestlé Ireland andMary Doherty, President, Down Syndrome Ireland, Alex Smith and Beula Lynch.

Holly Brady with DSPCA puppies Marlo and Lacey.


Dublin Bus is the largest public transport provider inIreland and the Community Spirit Initiative reflects ourcommitment to play an active role and give back to

the communities in which we operate. Our CSR vision is ‘todrive Dublin life forward by supporting, improving andenhancing the lives of the people and the communities thatwe proudly serve’.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARDSIn 2003, Dublin Bus took the initiative to put unclaimedcustomer change to good use by returning it to communitiesacross the Greater Dublin Area through the Community SpiritAwards. Each year, grants are awarded to grassroots voluntaryand community groups to develop new projects, grow servicesand help raise community spirit in their local community. Todate, over 1,800 groups have benefited from the programme.

The aim of the awards is to establish relationships within thecommunities in which we operate services and to activelysupport those communities. Some of the 85 recipientsawarded in 2016 include: � Family Carers Ireland, a national charity for family carers inIreland, who used their grant for their Young Carers Programme.This supports carers aged 18 and under by providing practicaland emotional support, allowing them to balance their caringresponsibilities with being a young person and growing up.� Southside Travellers Action Group, who work on issuesrelating to Traveller welfare and rights. The group used itsgrant for a programme to rebuild the cohesion of the Travellercommunity in South Dublin.� Inner City Enterprise (ICE), a not-for-profit charity established to advise and assist unemployed people in Dublin’sinner city to set up their own businesses or create their ownself-employment.

SCHOOLS EDUCATION PROGRAMMEA team of Schools and Community Co-ordinators carry outthe Schools Education Programme, which involves educatingyoung people about the importance of the bus in their lives,their families’ lives and in their local community.

The co-ordinators visit national schools across Dublin and usedifferent techniques to communicate how to use and respectpublic transport in their area, including safety talks, exhibitingan anti-vandalism DVD and on-bus CCTV demonstrations. Wealso have two dedicated buses fitted with seatbelts to supportschools in transporting children on trips and to summerprojects. As part of this programme, Dublin Bus holds anannual Children’s Art Competition and winning entries arepublished in an annual Dublin Bus calendar.

Since its inception, we have seen a significant reduction inincidents of anti-social behaviour in the areas where the co-ordinators carry out this annual programme.

CULTURAL SUPPORTThis year, Culture Night takes place on September 22. Dublincity’s museums, galleries, artists’ studios and cultural centreswill open their doors late into the night and offer a free night ofentertainment for all the family. We will provide a free shuttlebus service to the venues on the night, with traditional musicperformances taking place on board during the journey.

CELEBRATING DIVERSITYTo celebrate Dublin LGBTQ Pride 2017, Dublin Bus had abus specially wrapped in the Pride flag. The bus was part ofan overall campaign to ‘Get on board with Pride’ andcelebrate Pride week and employee diversity in Dublin Bus.The bus featured in the annual Dublin LGBTQ Pride parade,which took place on Saturday, June 24.


Pride in our employees - Dublin Bus unveiled a colourful newaddition to its fleet to celebrate Dublin LGBTQ Pride 2017

Past winners celebrate the importance of true community spiritto launch this year’s Community Spirit Awards

Dublin BusDublin Bus’ Community Spirit Awards foster strong community relationships and find a way to putunclaimed customer change to good use.

� WE’VE FUNDED OVER 1,800 VOLUNTARY ANDCOMMUNITY GROUPS.� OUR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY C0-ORDINATORSCARRIED OUT 300 SCHOOL VISITS LAST YEAR AS PART OF OUR SCHOOLS EDUCATION PROGRAMME.� OUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT INITIATIVE BUSES MADE OVER280 TRIPS IN 2016, BRINGING THOUSANDS OF CHILDRENON SCHOOL TRIPS AND TO SUMMER PROJECTS.


Gas Networks Ireland, part of the Ervia Group, owns,builds, and maintains the natural gas network inIreland connecting over 680,000 homes and

businesses to a safe, efficient and secure supply of naturalgas. With over 550 employees, Gas Networks Ireland iscommitted to growth, innovation and sustainability and is oneof only 25 companies in Ireland that holds the BusinessWorking Responsibly Mark.

The company has a dynamic Corporate Responsibilitystrategy for 2017-2019 in place and the programme ismanaged, delivered and measured across the pillars ofMarketplace, Environment, Community, Workplace and CR Governance and Communications. Some highlightsfrom the programme are outlined here.

COMMUNITY IMPACT KEY FACTSGas Networks Ireland delivers a number of nationwidecommunity programmes focusing on the areas of educationand employability. The programmes highlight the importance ofeducation and encourage students to stay in school to realisetheir potential. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathsare at the core of the business and the company supports anumber of STEM related educational programmes. � The company supported 83 community initiatives in 2016.� Over 5,000 students nationally participated in theireducational programmes in 2016. � In 2016, one in five employees volunteered on communityprogrammes with a total of 1,073 volunteer hours. � The company donated 4,500 carbon monoxide alarms toAge Action.

RENEWABLE GASReports published in 2017 by the European Commission andthe Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland highlight thepotential of renewable gas to supply 20% of Ireland’s gasneeds using the existing infrastructure by 2030.

Renewable gas can be produced from a wide range ofsustainable organic residues such as domestic organic wastes,

agricultural slurries, crop residues, and food/beverage industrywastes. The process of extracting gas (called AnaerobicDigestion) also eliminates environmental emissions includinggreenhouse gases and pollutants that affect air and waterquality. The output from the AD process also includes a veryeffective bio-fertiliser which is more readily absorbed byagricultural land than typical synthetic fertilisers, and is also far better than spreading raw slurry.

Industries in Ireland are looking for renewable heatingsolutions, and renewable gas represents the most cost-effectivesolution, and there is also a growing demand for renewable gasas a fuel for public and commercial transport. Gas NetworksIreland is promoting a solution based on renewable gasinjector points on the national gas network. Once the gas isinjected into the network, it is the same as conventional naturalgas and is available for use by all customers.

COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS VEHICLES Commercial vehicles using diesel account for 3% of thevehicles on Irish roads but 20% of total energy used and 30%of total transport emissions. If these vehicles were convertedto Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the benefits would includecheaper fuel for fleet operators, lower air pollution, andreduced noise pollution.

This year Gas Networks Ireland has started to develop thefirst of 14 stations of a planned network of 70 CNG fillingstations around the country. In addition, the renewable gasinjection points will provide support to commercial vehicleowners wishing to purchase dedicated CNG vehicles,ensuring that renewable gas will become part of Ireland’stransport fuel mix.

According to Denis O’Sullivan, Head of Commercial, GasNetworks Ireland: “CNG, and renewable gas, will play a majorrole in Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon economy. GasNetworks Ireland is determined to play our part in facilitatingthe development of a new, cleaner CNG transport network forcommercial vehicles and also in ensuring that renewable gas inour existing network becomes a reality.”


Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle outside Gas NetworksIreland’s office in Finglas, Dublin

Christina van der Kamp, CSR Manager, during an ‘Our Universe’workshop, which fosters interest in STEM subjects amongschoolchildren

Gas Networks Ireland is committed to responsible business practice, ensuring that environmental, ethical and social principles are at the core of business decisions.

Gas Networks Ireland



Donating surplus food to over 250 charities nationwide and supporting over 9,000 community projects throughthe Tesco Community Fund are key parts of Tesco’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.

At Tesco Ireland we are proud of the role we play insupporting our local communities. We are one ofIreland’s largest private employers, employing over

13,000 colleagues across our 149 stores, our GistributionCentre and Head Office. Ensuring that we make a positivecontribution to the communities in which we operate andbeing a good neighbour are important to us.

TACKLING FOOD WASTE As the first retailer to launch a surplus food donationsprogramme in 2014 with our partner FoodCloud, we areproud to be leading the way in tackling the issue of foodwaste in Ireland.

At the end of each day, unsold food in our stores that isnearing its ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date is donated to localgroups and charitable organisations. The system works byusing dedicated technology in stores – Tesco staff notifyregistered charities within the store catchment area whensurplus food is available to be collected.

Over 250 charities and community groups are nowregistered and actively benefiting from the nationwideprogramme. Every week, we redistribute up to 40,000 mealsto the registered local community groups. So far, we havedonated over four million meals, resulting in savings of over€5.6m for good causes nationwide. Beneficiaries includeyouth services, homeless organisations, colleges, schoolsand the elderly, all of whom can access good quality food.

Community groups or local charities that could benefitfrom receiving surplus food donations are encouraged toemail foodwastemovementJtesco.ie or visit their local Tescostore for more information.

TESCO COMMUNITY FUNDSince launching the Community Fund in 2014, we havedonated over €2.4m to more than 9,000 local projects andgood causes in the communities around each of our 149stores. Local sports clubs, schools, animal shelters, elderlycare services, community crèches and community care

centres are just some of the projects that can benefit.Every eight weeks, three local good causes per store are

nominated by customers by using blue tokens, regardless ofspend. At the end of the eight weeks, the tokens are countedand the fund (up to €1,000 per store) is divided between thethree good causes. We encourage anyone who knows orworks with a cause that could benefit from the TescoCommunity Fund to go to their local Tesco store to nominatethem and participate.

CHARITY PARTNERSHIPWe have been working with Temple Street Children’sHospital as our charity partner since October 2014. We haveraised over €2.5m for the hospital, which has been investedinto buying life-saving hospital equipment. To ma�imisefundraising, we implement key fundraising campaigns acrossour business every year.

Over the last year, Tesco employees have led the way infundraising activities, including the xreat Irish Bake Off, whichraised €130,000 in one day. Tesco staff and customers baked,bought, ate and sold an abundance of culinary creations tohelp raise funds for Temple Street Children’s hospital.

In �une 2016, Tesco Ireland launched the Temple StreetBouquet for €10, from which a donation of €1 per bouquetsold is donated to the hospital. To date, sales from thisbouquet have raised over €100,000 for Temple Street.

Kevin Smith of Tramore Cliff Rescue, one of the 9,000 localprojects to have benefited from the Tesco Community Fund

Anthony Lannucci from Sallynoggin showcases Tesco Ireland’sbouquet in aid of Temple Street Children’s Hospital

Philip Conlon, store manager of Tesco Extra in Drogheda, withMairead Davis and Clionadh Cunningham of The Connect FamilyResource Centre in Drogheda, which is supported by TescoIreland’s surplus food donations programme.

Tesco Supporting Local Communities


As the Bank of You, we want to support colleagues,customers, communities and society in a way thatmatters most and makes a positive, lasting impact.

To deliver this, our sustainability programmes focus on four main areas: entrepreneurship, financial literacy,environmental responsibility and health and wellbeing.

EntrEprEnEurshIpEntrepreneurship is part of what makes KBC tick. We like to develop innovative products for customers and weencourage our people to be creative thinkers and doers. We also recognise the bright sparks with standout ideas thatcan make a difference in communities.

KBC’s Bright Ideas is a funding initiative that hasrewarded over €250,000 so far to the most innovative andentrepreneurial ideas in communities around Ireland. Thisyear, we launched Bright Business Ideas to support socialentrepreneurs who are in the business of doing good. Alltold, our Bright Ideas initiative will provide €200,000 this yearalone for inspirational projects across Ireland.

FInAnCIAL LItErACYFinancial literacy can empower people to make informedchoices, especially when it comes to buying a home. Thisyear, we welcomed over 200 people to our MortgageLounge, a free education event designed to guide homebuyers through every step of the process.

EnVIrOnMEntThe results speak for themselves. This year alone, KBC’sEnvironmental Strategy received the IsO14001 accreditation,we reduced our carbon emissions, were shortlisted forSustainability Team of the Year and won the Excellence inSustainability and Client & Service Provider PartnershipAward 2017 for our sustainable green workplace initiatives.

WELLBEInGHealth and wellbeing took centre stage at KBC earlier thisyear when we became the primary sponsor of WellFest,Ireland’s only health, fitness and wellbeing festival. Incontinuing our journey to help others enjoy better health, laterthis year, KBC will officially join see Change, complete theGreen ribbon Workplace initiative and receive our SeeChange 6-Step Pledge. This promotes open conversationaround mental health and challenges stigma in the workplace.

COMMunItYWe’re passionate about the communities we work in, andwe’re committed to giving all 1,000 KBC employees in Dublin,Cork, Limerick, Galway, Kilkenny, Waterford, Kildare andWicklow the means and opportunities to fundraise, volunteerand fly the flag for great causes close to our hearts.

This year, over 70 employees ran 600km cross country in60 hours for the Alzheimer society of Ireland to raise over€50,000 for the charity, with KBC matching donations tobring the total to over €100,000. And that was just oneinitiative in a growing calendar of events that touch on allaspects of community life, and where KBC is working tomake a difference for the better.


Employees, friends, family and Alzheimer Society celebrateraising €100,000 for the charity at the KBC Hub2Hub finish line

Bernard Brogan Gaelic Footballer and the KBC Team enjoying allthe ‘Wellvibes’ at Wellfest, for which KBC was the headline sponsor

Pictured at the KBC Enactus Internship Pitch, part of the KBCentrepreneurship focus were (from left) Sanchit Jain, DonnachaMurphy, Kerri McCaughey KBC, Luke Byrne and Maebh Hanrahan.

A four-pronged Sustainability approach from KBCBank Ireland now includes a Bright Business Ideas fund to support social entrepreneurs.

KBC Bank Ireland



Last year ESB was awarded the overall award forOutstanding Achievement in CSR at the 2016Chambers Ireland CSR Awards. ESB was given the top

honour for having CSR practices embedded in the company’score, and for ongoing dedication to community engagementand responsible business practices.

CSR is not something new to ESB. The organisation hasbeen engaged in responsible business practices since itsfoundation in 1927, long before the term CSR was coined.With such a strong legacy, one of the crucial principles of theorganisation’s CSR policies is that ESB never works in avacuum. National policy and structured ways of adding valueto existing, high-quality services are always considered beforeembarking on any new CSR programme.

ROBUST SOLUTIONS“We look at national problems, and at how we can supportrobust solutions”, says Anne Cooney, Group CSR Coordinator.“One of the key areas of work in the past decade has beenaround suicide prevention and support, and ESB has givenover €5 million towards suicide prevention services over thepast ten years.”

Earlier this year, ESB pledged support to Aware’s Life Skillsfor Schools programme. Company staff decide on priorityareas for Corporate Responsibility activities, and how tosupport positive mental health in young people is particularlyclose to their hearts. More recently ESB has extended itsfocus to include education as a core area for funding support.

SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLEAnne Cooney explains: “It’s a very good fit for us. As a leadingIrish employer, it makes sense for us to support young peoplein developing the skills to succeed in tomorrow’s workplace.In common with many other Irish companies, ESB requiresaccess to people with strong science, technology, maths andliteracy skills. All of these are grounded in providing youngpeople with the best education possible.”

Anne adds that ESB is also conscious that the companyand staff have been the beneficiaries of historically highstandards of educational delivery. “We have a duty toacknowledge and repay that investment made in us and weare pleased to be the national partner with An Cosán VirtualCommunity College,” says Anne. “There are many barriersfor people across Ireland in accessing further and highereducation. This innovative programme has the power to breakdown these barriers and offers a great opportunity for anyonewishing to develop their skills and achieve their full potential.”

LOW CARBON FUTUREAs a utility company, ESB believes it has a responsibility as acorporate citizen to support Ireland in addressing thechallenges of climate change while ensuring an energy supplyfor Ireland that is clean, reliable and affordable. To this end,ESB aims to lead the charge in addressing the challenge of alow-carbon future, investing and innovating in newtechnologies and business models to increase efficiency anddrive forward the decarbonisation of the electricity system.

The company is developing wind farms and constructing abiomass plant in the UK. ESB has also invested heavily in theIrish electricity network to create a smart grid, capable ofsupporting increasing levels of intermittent renewablegeneration and enabling the connected customer to take morecontrol over their energy use.

“As ESB looks to the future, I am in no doubt CSR willcontinue to evolve and develop”, says Anne Cooney. “Theterm ‘CSR’ is really unimportant: what matters is the meaning,the movement and the action behind it.”

The ESB team collecting their award for OutstandingAchievement in CSR at the 2016 Chambers Ireland CSR Awards

CSR remains at the core of what ESB does, as the company seeks to build a brighter future for both itself andthe nation.

ESB Building a Brighter Future

Pat O’Doherty, ESB Chief Executive, and Dominic Layden, AwareChief Executive, with students from St Paul’s College Rahenyand St Mary’s Holy Faith Killester, announcing ESB’s support ofthe national rollout of Aware’s Life Skills for Schools programme

ESB Chief Executive Pat O’Doherty, Minister Denis Naughtenand An Cosán Virtual Community College’s Liz Waters at thelaunch of ESB’s three-year partnership

BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF)might sound vague in name butthere’s no mistaking its worth tothe organisations it supports. Its

brief is to provide funding and softsupports – including mentoring,planning and promotional aid – for‘creative solutions to critical socialissues’. For SIF, a social innovator is an

individual or group that tackles socialproblems in a more effective andsustainable way than existingapproaches. SIF’s funding model relieson corporate input: for every euro inbusiness support the organisationreceives matched funding from thegovernment’s Dormant Accounts Fund.The first initiative announced by SIF

was the Animate programme in 2015.This non-profit accelerator provides€10,000 cash and soft supports toprojects or organisations addressinghealth and social issues. Four winnerswere announced in 2016, among thema charity shop bookselling platformand ReCreate, a venture that takes

surplus stock from businesses andreuses them as art materials. TheMedtronic Foundation now partnersfor Animate and will provide fundingthis year to ten social innovationsdriving healthier communities.

Google DonationSIF also partnered with Google forThinkTech, which sought outtechnology solutions for social problems.Google contributed €500,000 in 2016and the government matched it. Thatprovided funding of around €250,000in cash and supports to The AlonePlatform, which provides wellbeingmonitoring for older people;Foodcloud, which alleviates retail foodwaste; and iScoil, which providesonline education for early schoolleavers. Other funding streams launched by

SIF include the Engage and EducateFund, a three-year, €450,000education-promotion initiative that’sbeing supported by law firm MasonHayes & Curran. This fund recently

distributed €150,000 to the fourwinning applicants. Among them werePieta House Resilience Academy andIntercultural Language Service.SIF also runs an Education Fund,

providing cash and support for tenprojects improving educationattainment for people experiencingeducational disadvantage. SIF providesmatched funding only if the project hassecured private or philanthropicbacking. According to SIF CEODeirdre Mortell, private project donorsfor this fund range from individuals toSMEs and multinationals. In 2016, SIF raised €1m in corporate

and individual donations, with Googleaccounting for half of that. Mortell saysthat individual and corporatedonations have increased significantlyin 2017, and the organisation has a full-year funding target of €1.5m. In 2016,the government signalled that it isprepared to go beyond its current €5mSIF funding commitment, but first theorganisation has to raise privatefunding to that level.

Social Growth Fund“We can work with a range ofcompanies and we want to benationwide with our privatesupporters,” says Mortell. “Companiesmight find that the social innovationprojects align with their brand orcorporate values. We do the hard workby seeking out suitable projects.”As well as renewing its existing

initiatives, SIF is planning to launch agrowth fund with big socially focusedventures in mind. The new growthfund will aim to provide growth capitalof up to €1m per investee over two tofour years, as well as non-financialsupports. “We’re seeking a partner forthis fund,” says Mortell. “We want toprovide large-scale grants toindividuals or organisations to scaleand grow, much like a VC firm can. We want to talk to corporates andfoundations that might want to getinvolved.”

Creative SolutionsThe government provides matched funding for donations to the Social Innovation Fund,

writes Emily Styles

SIF chief executive Deirdre Mortell with minister Eoghan Murphy (left), MasonHayes & Curran managing partner Declan Black and students MithranTharmendran and Isabella Keogh



Disposing of unwanted ITequipment in a safe andsustainable manner providesuseful opportunities for

companies to supplement their CSRefforts. Instead of e recycling PCs in atraditional manner, many businessesand organisations further the lifespanof their tech assets by donating them tocauses that will benefit others.Camara Education is a resource for

companies with sustainable IT disposalneeds. Founded in Dublin in 2005,Camara sends refurbished computersand provides digital literacy training toschools and other educationalinstitutions in several Africancountries, as well as Jamaica and Haiti.To date, the charity has securely erasedover 100,000 computer hard drives sothat the machines can be re-used.

Hard Drive ErasureAccording to Mark Fox, businessdevelopment manager, Camara’s USPis that it reuses rather than recycles.“Our core ethic is to reuse because weare primarily an educationalorganisation. Each hard drive is erasedusing a program that is compliant withUS Department of Defence standards,so any data on the PC or laptop isbeyond retrievable. At no stage is anyhard drive data accessed and after thewipe a new operating system is loaded,either Ubuntu or Windows 7.”Every computer that Camara reuses

gives 21 children digital literacy, so thecomputers discarded in Irelandannually could provide five millionchildren with PC access. Computerreuse is better for the environmentthan recycling because some computercomponents are made of hazardousand toxic materials.

Last year, Dublin City Councildonated 371 computers and 365 flat-screen monitors for reuse. Another 511computers were salvaged for parts torefurbish other computers. The PCsand monitors are now being used toimprove the education of childrenattending schools in Zambia, Kenya,Ethiopia and Tanzania.Camara Education deals with about

500 clients, among them AIB, PwC,Bord Gáis Energy and Salesforce. Dellsupported the opening of Camara’seducation hub in Tanzania in 2012 andalso supplies computers to be used insome of Camara’s e-learning centres.HP worked with Camara Education

to help establish the first OEM-approved e-waste recycling facility inEast Africa, while IBM employees haveassisted with the old computerrefurbishment process in Dublin beforethe machines are shipped to Africa.Other tech partners include Intel, Ciscoand EMC.Camara recently announced a new

venture supported by Google.org, thephilanthropic arm of Google. A€560,000 grant will be used by

Camara to provide technologyplanning, teacher professionaldevelopment and computers to 44schools in Ireland and 26 schools inKenya. In Ireland, Camara’s work willinvolve the development of a wholeschool technology plan, provision ofcomputers, and a suite of professionallearning experiences for teachers andprincipals. Camara Education doesn’t just work

with the big players, however. “Ourcustomer portfolio varies and ourbread and butter is SMEs,” says Fox.“Ideally, we are looking for 10 or morecomputers from a customer.” Camaracharges for collections – generally €50to €75 for the Dublin area – and alsocharges €5 per hard drive wiped. Another player in the computer reuse

space is Rehab Recycle. Its PromiseIT programme facilitates companies inthe secure donation of IT equipment toschools, charities and communitygroups in Ireland. Data on the oldmachines is certifiably erased and theventure provides employment forpeople with disabilities.

Reusing Computers

Camara’s Steven Daly and Google’s Claire Conneely with students in StPatrick's National School, Chapelizod


Redundant office ITequipment can helpimprove education in

disadvantaged communitiesaround the world, writes

Karina Corbett



Croke Park Stadium, home of Gaelic Games and meccato GAA fans across the world, is also an internationalleader in sustainability excellence. The stadium, one of

the largest in Europe, hosts numerous high-profile sporting andmusical events annually and welcomes over 1.5 million visitorseach year.

ISO VANGUARDCroke Park is proud of itslong-established sustainabilitycredentials, having alreadybecome the first stadium inIreland and the U� to secureboth ISO14001 and ISO20121 standards. Thestadium is an acknowledgedtrailblazer when it comes toaspiring to and achieving thehighest levels of internationalsustainability excellence. In2016, it became the firststadium in the world to becertificated to the updatedEnvironmental Standard ISO14001.

Since 2014, Croke Park has also maintained a ratio of zero percent of the stadium’s waste going to landfill. Over the pastthree years, Croke Park has diverted over 1,500 tonnes ofwaste and simultaneously increased its overall recycling rateyear on year to nearly 80%.

URBAN BIODIVERSITYIn 2014, Croke Park commissioned a report into urbanbiodiversity initiatives in the stadium. This assessmentreviewed the uniMue position that Croke Park has in a high-density urban area close to Dublin’s city centre. Wased onthe report’s findings, the stadium created a wildlife corridorwithin the stadium to help preserve urban habitats for localwildlife7 this development has seen both ravens and blue titssuccessfully nest in the stadium over the last two years.

Since 200F, Croke Park has also invested heavily in retrofittingthe stadium with custom-made management systems,including one specifically for the pitch. Not only does thiscutting-edge technology help Croke Park to have one of themost enviable playing surfaces in the world, but its custom-made management system has also reduced pitch energyconsumption by over 15%.

COMMUNITY FUNDThe stadium’s annual Community qund of €100,000 continuesto go from strength to strength and 59 local groups

successfully applied for support last year. Established in 2009,the community fund has now allocated over €800,000 insupport to local groups, voluntary projects and specialcommunity events in the stadium’s 1.5km community radius.

Every Kuly, 250 of the stadium’s youngest neighboursparticipate in Croke Park’s annual week-long communitysummer camp. Each December, Croke Park also organises aspecial Christmas lunch for 650 elderly neighbours. Now in its16th year, more than 100 stadium staff and contractors, aswell as local gardaí from �ountjoy Garda Station, volunteertheir time to make this festive occasion a very specialcommunity event.

As part of the stadium’s programme of continualimprovement, Croke Park performed a review in 2016 todevelop the stadium’s strategic sustainability mission for thenext three years. The stadium’s new targets and objectivesdraw on Croke Park’s achievements to date and are alignedwith international standards.

They represent an evolution of the stadium’s approach, from focusing on key aspects to reducingimpact and generating a sustainabilityawareness culture. Croke Park will be‘changing the game’ in the next fewyears when it comes to sustainability.Jatch this (green) space.


Each July, 250 local children enjoy a week-long community cúlcamp that is subsidised by Croke Park for its youngest neighbours.

Pupils from nearby St. Columba’s NS, Iona Road, were CrokePark’s Green Ambassadors this year, helping match goers ensure their rubbish went in the correct bin

Croke Park was the first stadium inthe world to be certificated to theupdated Environmental StandardISO 14001:2015 last year

Recognised internationally for sustainability excellence, Croke Park Stadium also has a bustlingportfolio of community focused events. Its Community Fund has disbursed €800,000 since 2009.

Croke Park Stadium



Kerry Group touches the lives of millions of people every day. It aims to make a positive impact on thosepeople and its sustainability programme is key in doing so.

Kerry Group

Over the last 40 years, Kerry has grown to become aworld leader in taste and nutrition and a leadingprovider of branded and private label food products.

Having begun life as a dairy co-operative, with the goal ofsupporting farmer members, we understand the importanceof a sustainable business model. While we continue to workwith many of those same farm families who helped toestablish Kerry, our reach and footprint now extend rightacross the globe.

To deliver on our mission of creating long-term value for allour stakeholders, we have a comprehensive, group-wideapproach to sustainability, built on four key pillars. Through thisprogramme, we aim to reduce our environmental impacts andmake a positive contribution to the communities around us.

We have made great progress, surpassing ourexpectations and giving us the platform to expand our goalsand strengthen our targets. In 2015, we launched the KerryGroup Towards 2020 sustainability programme, our currentfive-year plan for further embedding sustainability within thegroup ’s activities. With a focus on the key issues for ourbusiness and stakeholders, we continue to improve ourperformance across each of our four pillars.

ENVIRONMENTUnder this pillar, we are implementing recognisedenvironmental management systems across our sites andhave targeted further reductions in carbon, water and waste.We also have the goal of achieving zero waste to landfill andalready divert over 90% of our waste volumes towards otherproductive uses. In 2016, our efforts on carbon reductionwere recognised by the achievement of a leadership levelrating from CDP for action to help mitigate climate change.

MARKETPLACEWe understand that consumers are increasingly concernedabout how their food is produced and its impact on theirhealth. Under the Marketplace pillar, Kerry is working to

ensure the responsible sourcingof the raw materials we use andenabling the production of greattasting and healthier consumerproducts. We are proud to have been a founder member ofBord Bia’s Origin Green programme — in 2017, we becamethe first major milk processor to achieve 100% certificationunder the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme.

WORKPLACEWith over 23,000 employees, our people are central to oursuccess. At Kerry, we want to create a workplace whereeveryone can flourish. Under the Workplace pillar, we aim topromote greater health and wellbeing and ensure a diverseand inclusive environment, where all employees canparticipate. Across all sites we promote access to training,creating learning and development opportunities thatsupport people as their careers progress. Our GraduateDevelopment Programme has proved hugely successful overthe years — both our current and incoming CEOs begantheir careers with Kerry as graduates.

COMMUNITY We have a proud record of community support, whichcontinues to be an important value in all regions across theorganisation. In 2016, we became the first Irish foodcompany to partner with the World Food Programme (WFP),the food assistance branch of the United Nations and theworld’s leading humanitarian organisation fighting hunger. Aspart of a three-year pioneering project in Honduras, KerryGroup and WFP will ensure that nutritious dairy products aresafely and sustainably incorporated into the Home GrownSchool Meals programme in the project area. For more information on Kerry’s sustainabilityprogramme, visit kerrygroup.com/sustainability.

Kerry is the first major milk processor to achieve 100% certificationunder Bord Bia’s Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme

Kerry and WFP have launched a pioneering project in Hondurasthat aims to improve the nutritional value of school meals

Photo:WFP/Hetze Tosta


We believe that a responsible business follows astrategy that delivers sustainable profitability forus and our customers. We seek to do this by

supporting good causes and developing skills, by promotinginclusivity and diversity and by supporting entrepreneurship,innovation and community participation.

Our annual Responsible Business Report has become animportant part of communicating with all of our stakeholdersand it acts as a catalyst for us to continually improve ourapproach. The report can be accessed at:bankofireland.com/responsiblebusiness.

GIve ToGeTheR/ChaRITy PaRTneRsGive Together, our charity and community investmentinitiative, is celebrating 10 years with over €30 million raisedand over 7,400 staff days volunteered. This year we selectedthree new charity partners – age action, Irish heart andThe Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation. We are workingclosely with each organisation to deliver what will make themost difference to them, whether that is fundraising,volunteering, mentoring or providing facilities/training.

suPPoRTInG volunTeeRInG – aGe aCTIonBaCkyaRd BlITz One of the first big events with one of our charity partnerstook place in July with the Great Bank of Ireland BackyardBlitz. More than 300 Bank volunteers and expert gardenersgave clients of Age Action a ‘dig out’ to tidy up over 125gardens in Dublin, Galway and Cork. The wider Age Actionprogramme combines volunteering, fundraising and financialsupport, as well as providing teaching on the basics of theinternet and digital world through our Digital Arrows Tea &Teach sessions.

suPPoRTInG enTeRPRIse – WoRkBenChWorkbench is a unique concept that connects entrepreneurs,our staff and local organisations by offering a free dedicatedspace for co-working, product launches, and events thatsupport innovation, the community and new ideas. Over 200businesses have used the Workbenches in Galway, Limerick,Cork and Dublin. Our Innovation team works with areamanagers to understand start-up and enterprise needs andexplore how Workbench can address these issues.

suPPoRTInG CommunITy – enTeRPRIse ToWnBank of Ireland enterprise Town supports local communitiesand helps to drive business for SMEs in their locality byproviding a platform to showcase their products and services.The initiative has grown to a nationwide programme of 150towns, investing €1.2m in 2017. Two thousand colleaguessupport the initiative, with 10,000 businesses, over 3,000 sportsand community groups, and 400 schools participating in 2017.

suPPoRTInG youTh –BIzWoRld BizWorld Ireland promotesentrepreneurship skillsthrough workshops inprimary schools nationwide,with pupils learning aboutenterprise in fun and creativeways. The Bank of Irelandpartnership has provided thecharity with an enthusiasticarmy of volunteers enablingmore primary schools to getinvolved. 150 colleagueshave been trained as tutorsby BizWorld to run two-dayworkshops. The partnershipdelivered 300 workshops to9,000 primary schoolchildren in the 2016-2017school year.


Presentation Primary School inListowel was crowned overallwinner and winner in the 'MostOriginal Business Idea' categoryfor Kool Kiddie Packs, an activitypack to keep young childrenoccupied. School students arepictured with BizWorld JudgeRory Carty, Head of YouthBanking, Bank of Ireland

Special guest Mickey Harte presenting children from local clubswith certificates after the GAA blitz in Manorhamilton EnterpriseTown in June 2017

Bernie McHale and Miriam Byrne from Bank of Ireland, and expertgardener Tom Fitzgerald, help out during The Great Bank of IrelandBackyard Blitz.

For over 200 years, Bank of Ireland has been a part of communities across Ireland. Helping communitiesto thrive enables us to maintain a local presence and, in turn, finance local businesses and commerce.

Bank of Ireland



In pursuing its ambition to use the power of communications to create a better world, BT Ireland is making areal difference in education, digital inclusion and diversity.

BT

As one of Ireland’s leading communication providers,BT is dedicated to supporting the local communitiesin which it operates through its people, resources

and expertise in technology. Employee volunteering plays akey role which the company supports by offering three paidworking days per year to employees to participate involunteering. In 2016 alone, BT employees spent over 8,000hours volunteering in communities across Ireland.

YOUNG SCIENTISTSNow entering its 18th year as the trusted guardian ofEurope’s largest and longest running school scienceexhibition, BT has been instrumental in transforming theYoung Scientist & Technology Exhibition from a smallscience fair into one of the most important drivers of STEMengagement in schools across Ireland.

This fact was reaffirmed in a recent BT survey whichrevealed that almost 80% of students who participate in theBTYSTE go on to study a STEM subject at third level. Andthe exhibition’s influence is not only evident in Ireland.Internationally, the BTYSTE model has been adopted to hugesuccess in countries such as Tanzania and the UAE. In 2017,the exhibition broke all records for student entries and sawmore than 200 BT employees volunteer their time to makethe event the phenomenal success that it was.

BT SHOP FOR CHANGEBT Shop for Change is an employee-led volunteeringinitiative that has succeeded in raising almost €500,000 forcancer research and support services in the past six years.Following the untimely death of a colleague from cancer in2011, a BT employee created the idea of having teams ofpeople compete against each other to boost sales in a localIrish Cancer Society shop and a Marie Curie NI charity shop

over one day. Such was the engagement by employees thatBT adopted the initiative, and six years on it is thecompany’s biggest employee fundraising event.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIONShay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland, recentlyoutlined the reason why BT is so invested in fostering agreater culture of inclusion across its business. “Quitesimply, diverse and inclusive organisations get betterbusiness results,” he said. “Diversity of perspectives canmake companies more innovative and creative, and aninclusive culture can help organisations to be a great placeto work for everyone, regardless of their backgrounds.”

This year marked the second annual BT Ireland DiversityWeek, which saw the company organise a series of themedevents aimed at tackling a wide variety of topics, rangingfrom LGBT equality, greater employment for people withdisabilities, gender diversity, ethnic diversity, health andwellbeing, as well as how to better support employees whoare caring for family members.

TECH LITERACYBT’s Tech Literacy programme is designed to empowerpeople to navigate the new digital world in which we live. InIreland, BT is working to target disadvantage caused bysocial exclusion, lack of education, and unemployment.

One of the initiatives it supports in order to achieve this isEmployment for People from Immigrant Communities(EPIC), an employment programme run by Business in theCommunity Ireland, which helps immigrants and refugees tointegrate into Irish society. Since 2008, BT has provided ITskills training to over 1,100 people through the programme. For more information on purposeful business at BTIreland, visit www.btireland.com

Shane Curran, a 5th year student at Terenure College, winner ofthe 53rd BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, pictured withShay Walsh (left), Managing Director, BT Ireland, and RichardBruton TD, Minister for Education & Skills

BT Ireland MD Shay Walsh pictured at the BT Better Togetherlunch, part of BT Diversity Week, with guest speaker ClareBalding, and schoolchildren Lilyanne Bridegman, Jake Church,Janiele Cocamas, and Pharell Evenor


The government is encouraging Irishbusinesses to grow trade withAfrican agri-food companies withthe Africa Agri-Food Development

Programme. Launched in 2013, theAADP recently issued a new call forfunding applications. The programme will support agri-

food business partnerships in the tenAfrican countries where Ireland has anembassy. Available grants are up to€250,000 per company and all statefunding must be matched. Irishcompanies must partner with a localAfrican business, and the project mustbe commercial in focus. Funds are alsoavailable for feasibility studies.One of the issues facing companies

embarking on such a partnership is toensure that the supplier company orlocal partner in Africa is treatingworkers properly and is complaint withregulations and standards expected byIrish consumers.This is where Partner Africa, a

subsidiary of Gorta Self Help Africa,comes in. PA provides auditing servicesto European companies to ensure thatgoods they are sourcing in Africa meetthe necessary standards for health andsafety, employment regulations, child

labour etc, while providing consultancyand training to African firms to ensurethat they meet European standards.PA works in a variety of sectors such

as tea, coffee, textiles and flowerproduction, and supports Africanproducers and suppliers to accessinternational markets. Companies thatPartner Africa has worked with includeStarbucks, Marks and Spencer, Tesco,Unilever, Hallmark, SABMiller, Diageo,Coca-Cola, DHL and Cadbury.

Supplier AuditPartner Africa executive directorBenjamin Gatland, who is based inNairobi, describes the organisation asthe go-to agency that can provide Irishbusinesses with risk management, duediligence and assurance services. “Wehave extensive experience in the Africanagricultural sector and currently haveconsultants and auditors across theregion,” says Gatland. Explaining PA’s role, he cites the

example of the horticulture sector inZimbabwe. “The Zimbabwean bean andpea producers are known for theirexceptional quality and their ability tofill a two-month window for theEuropean market when certain

vegetables are in short supply.“However, there is inherent risk to

retailers in sourcing from a countrywith political and economic instability.Since 2015, Partner Africa has carriedout on-site evaluations andconsultations with 25 commercial farmsthat are supplying some of the UK’sleading food retailers. Theseconsultations include confidentialinterviews with workers. Where anyshortcomings are found, Partner Africawork with the farms to address theseand provide ongoing monitoringservices. “By eliminating the risk of doing

business in Zimbabwe, and many othercountries in Africa, economicopportunities have been created forbusinesses and workers, and westernconsumers have been able to enjoyproducts from across the continent,”Gatland adds.

Trade RelationshipsCEO Ray Jordan says that the servicesprovided by Partner Africa are a win-win. “When we assist Westerncompanies in their trade relationshipwith African partners and suppliers,while also helping African companies toaccess new markets, this creates goodquality jobs and ultimately economicgrowth that reduces poverty,” saysJordan.Traidlinks, an Irish NGO that has

been working in East Africa since 2004,recently joined the Gorta-Self HelpAfrica group. Traidlinks was involved inbuilding links between the Irishbusiness community and sub-SaharanAfrica and has supported the exportefforts of over 120 African ventures. According to Jordan: “Business is

making a real difference in buildingeconomies and reducing extremepoverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Ruralpoor communities need markets, theyneed jobs, and they need a fair price fortheir goods and services. We believethat by working together we can play avital role in facilitating that to happen.”

African PartnersThe government wants to see more African produce imported to Ireland and Partner

Africa is smoothing the way, writes Emily Styles

Partner Africa audits work practices at this Nairobi garments factory to providereassurance to international buyers



Junior Achievement Ireland’smission statement is to ‘inspire andmotivate young people to realisetheir potential by valuing education

and understanding how to succeed inthe world of work.’ It does this bylinking business professionals withprimary and secondary school studentsin the classroom, with the aim ofhelping them develop the skills theyneed to succeed in the commercialworld. JAI programmes promote work

readiness, financial literacy,entrepreneurship and the value ofstudying STEM subjects (science,technology, engineering andmathematics). Volunteers are trained,vetted, equipped and supported todeliver learning experiences that assiststudents to make connections betweenwhat they learn in school and how itcan be applied in the real world.JAI is part of a worldwide

organisation founded in the US in1919. The organisation was established

in Ireland in 1996 and 3,000 JAIvolunteers delivered courses to 59,000young people in 580 schools in2015/16.

Corporate PartnersIn its earliest days, JAI’s endeavourswere backed by corporates such asA&L Goodbody, Dell, Johnson &Johnson, PwC and Symantec. Otherbig companies that like what JAI doesinclude Aer Lingus, Diageo, Bank ofIreland and LinkedIn. “We are supported by over 150

companies in Ireland and in order toreach more students we are alwaysseeking more business partners,” saysCEO Helen Raftery. “Our membersalign their organisations with ourmission and the motivation forsupporting JAI usually related to thatorganisation’s commitment to CSRgoals.”Raftery adds that getting involved in

JAI’s programmes can be an importanttraining and development tool. “The

majority of our volunteers tell us thatparticipating in the programmeenhances their confidence in theirpresentation and communication skills.The involvement of business volunteersin delivering our programmes is themain reason we are invited intoclassrooms by school leaders.”When a company gets involved with

JAI, staff volunteers are trained todeliver a 40-minute session in aclassroom close to where they live orwork. “We have partner schools all overthe country and the aim is that asstudents move from senior infantsthrough to senior cycle they meet adifferent business volunteer each year,”Raftery explains. “The volunteers act asrole models, encouraging andmotivating students, and sharing withthem what their business role involves.”The range of programmes includes

Our World, designed for 10-to 11 year-olds, which explores how schoolcurriculum areas apply to the businessworld. Programmes aimed at teenagestudents cover topics such as personalbudgeting, basic market behaviour andworkplace problem-solving.

STEM InitiativeJAI’s latest initiative is Futurewize,which aims to encourage Junior Cyclestudents to explore career possibilitiesin STEM areas. Launched in 2016, akey focus is to bridge the gender gap incareers such as engineering byencouraging girls to study STEM-related subjects. Funded by ScienceFoundation Ireland and industrypartner Fidelity Investments,Futurewize complements the newJunior Science curriculum.“In its first year, 1,900 students

participated and two-thirds were girls,”says Raftery. “We had students from 46second-level schools in 12 counties, and91 volunteers working in Fidelity andSTEM-related companies shared theirworkplace experience as they discussedthe Futurewize modules. Theprogramme will be available to first-year students in our partner schoolsagain in September.”

Business Role Models

Futurewize ‘brand ambassador’ Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin with schoolchildren in Cabinteely Community School


Junior Achievement Ireland brings executives into theclassroom to share their experience, writes Karina Corbett



A t Three Ireland, corporate responsibility is aboutshowing a strong and visible commitment to thecommunities in which it operates across the country.

For the past three years, Three has partnered with An CosánVirtual Community Collece (VCC). VCC’s vision is to endpoverty and social inequality in disadvantaged communitiesby providing opportunity through education delivered byonline, virtual and mobile technology.

VIRTUAL LEARNINGBased in Jobstown, Tallaght, An Cosán has operated asuccessful model of community education for the past 30years. In recent years, the organisation wanted to scale itsoperation and provide access to its model of educationnationwide. They recognised that the use of technology and virtual learning was the best way to break down accessbarriers and to make education more accessible.

This is where the VCC idea was born. Through a network ofcommunity education partners across the country and theuse of technology, they could make learning accessible toall, no matter what part of the country the student is in. Aseducators who were intent on harnessing the potential oftechnology, they needed a partner with the specialist skill set to bring VCC to life. That is where Three came in.

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERINGThree employees provided their specialist skills andconsultancy in educational IT platforms through Three’s skillsvolunteering programme called Three GivesBakd. With thissupport, VCC was able to implement a bespoke communityeducation platform which uses blended learning combining avirtual classroom and online live lectures with independentactivities assignments and face-to-face sessions incommunity urban and rural partner hubs.

In addition to the platform itself, Three also providedenhanced connectivity to VCC’s community partners throughthe provision of mobile broadband routers and gave laptopsto students to help with their studies.

T�REE GIVEsBACFThree provided a range of services to enable theorganisation to get off the ground. For instance, Threeemployees volunteered their skills to create VCC’s newwebsite, and employees also mentor VCC students throughthe company’s e-mentoring programme.

EMPLOYEE �UNdRAIsINGAs well as making a significant corporate donation to VCC,Three also supports the charity through dedicated employeefundraising events. All Three employee fundraising goes intoa specialist Student Education Fund to provide support forVCC� students returning to education.

According to Liz haters, Director VCC: �Being a smallstart-up charity working to tackle the issue of poverty at agrassroots level through education is never an easy thing.The partnership with Three has given us so much inspirationto keep on pushing forward and reaching for what hassometimes felt like the unreachable. With Three’s holisticpartnership approach to VCC from startup to fullyoperational stage, VCC is now on track to deliver educationto over 1,000 students by the end of 2018. We couldn’t have


Lord David Puttnam (right) launched the Virtual CommunityCollege with Mark Redmond, People & Property Director atThree, and Liz Waters, Director VCC.

Three employees take part in a 5K Fundraiser Challenge in aidof VCC.

Three IrelanW Making education accessible to all

Through its charity partnership with An Cosán Virtual Community College, Three is focused on using technology to provide access to education in marginalised communities.


Amgen and the Amgen Foundation inspire the nextgeneration of innovators by funding evidence-basedscience education programmes at every level, from the

local secondary school to the world’s premier educationalinstitutions. It’s all part of Amgen’s commitment to fuel scienceinnovation and create a brighter, healthier future for all.

As one of the world�s leading independent biotechnologycompanies, Amgen unlocks the power of biology to helpimprove the lives of patients. We know that innovation doesnot happen in a vacuum. It requires creativity, contentexpertise and a willingness to take risks and think outsidethe box. We must deepen scientific understanding among allcitizens and support those who will drive future innovation.

Amgen attracts the best scientific staff, who bring passionfor science and discovery. We are therefore uniquelypositioned to use our skills to encourage young students’interest in science.

AMGEN FOUNDATIONThrough its main philanthropic channel - the AmgenFoundation - Amgen supports staff efforts to give back tocommunities. The Amgen Foundation has investment of over€600,000 in three science education programmes in Ireland:Amgen 'iotech Experience, Amgen Teach and AmgenScholars Programme.

Since 2014, Amgen Biotech Experience has providedteachers with professional development in biotechnology,teaching materials and loaner research-grade lab equipment,so that they can conduct biotechnology experiments withtheir students.

Since 2012, Amgen Teach has provided trainingworkshops to build secondary school teachers’ skills and

confidence in enquiry-based learning. Since 2008, theAmgen Scholars Programme has provided undergraduatestudents with the opportunity to complete 8-10 weeks ofresearch in the world’s leading educational institutions.

Designed to inspire the next generation of innovators, theAmgen Foundation is committed to supporting the professionaldevelopment of secondary school science teachers andincreasing students’ scientific literacy and interest inscientific careers.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCEThese three Amgen Foundation programmes in Ireland haveimpacted 59,000 secondary school students, directlybenefited 533 life science teachers and provided 5,939secondary school students with hands-on biotechnologyexperience. Some 34 undergraduates have also participatedin the Amgen Scholars Programme, conducting research insome of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions.

The social impact of these programmes has been furtherenhanced by the involvement of Amgen staff. In 2016, over23� of the staff from Amgen’s Dún Laoghaire and Santryfacilities volunteered their skills, time, talent and expertise tosupport these programmes and their other CSR activities.

The Amgen Foundation is committed to investing inmeaningful, evidence-based initiatives that make a differenceat local, national and international level. Scientific discoveryand innovation are critical to the success of Amgen and thebiotechnology industry and depend upon a highly-skilledscientific workforce. We believe we have a responsibility toinspire and prepare the next generation of scientists. TheAmgen Foundation’s science education programmes is oneway we are fulfilling this charge.


A teacher undertakes training ahead of bringing the AmgenBiotech Experience to her pupils

The Amgen Foundation provides training and research grade labequipment on loan to schools, enabling students to conductbiotechnology experiments

AmgenThe Amgen Foundation’s science education programmes in Ireland have directlybenefited 533 life science teachers and brought science to life for more than 59,000secondary school students.


As a group, we took the decision to concentrate onthree charitable organisations to allow us to developmore rounded, personal relationships with each of

them. This enabled us to understand fully their needs andhow we can best help. Our chosen charities are FocusIreland, Junior Achievement Ireland and H.U.G.S.

Besides fundraising, we believe it is important to take aphysical part in helping our chosen charities. Each year, wesend volunteers to help teach Junior Achievement Irelandprogrammes in primary and secondary schools acrossDublin. We also have a group of volunteers who fly to Kenyaas part of H.U.G.S., to the Child Support and Youth ResourceCentre in Machakos, Kenya. Finally, we also take a veryactive part in Focus Ireland’s ‘Shine A Light’, where CoreMedia volunteers sleep rough for one night to help promotesocial awareness.

H.U.G.S H.U.G.S works in conjunction with Terry Child SupportCentre in Kenya. It serves to give orphans and other lessfortunate children access to a better quality of life througheducation, resources and amenities. So far, over 30employees from across the Core group have taken theannual trip to Kenya for the life-changing opportunity to workwith the children and share their knowledge with them.

For the second year running, Core Media organised‘Dancing with the Media Stars’ to benefit two of our partnercharities: H.U.G.S. and Focus Ireland. An audience of over900 people packed Hall 2 in the RDS to watch the dancingtalents of 15 employees across Core Media and 11 of ourmedia owner partners. With support from RTE Media Salesas the headline sponsor, and backing from media owners,clients, friends and family, €25,000 was raised on the night.

SHINE A LIGHT CAMPAIGNAs part of this year’s Focus Ireland’s Shine a Light campaign,we combined technology and innovation to raise awareness

of the homelessness crisis in Dublin by putting technicalknow-how to work to create Ireland’s first interactivecontactless donation station.

On 21 October 2016, Core Media placed an interactive digitalscreen in the window of Core Media’s HQ in Sir JohnRogerson’s Quay. We chose to create a scene of a family whohave become newly homeless. Featuring a mother and son, theduo appealed to people for help as they pass by the screen.And helping the duo – and homeless families around Dublin –could not be easier. The interactive screen allowed people todonate with one tap of their debit card on the contactless pointin real-time. Straight afterwards, the screen’s interactivetechnology informed people where their contribution will bemade – and just how much they’ve helped.

In addition, our CEO, Alan Cox, and CDO, Justin Cullen, bothjoined the Business Leaders’ Sleep Out initiative in Christ Churchon October 21. A team of 30 people within Core also raisedfunds through a sponsored sleep-in in the Core Media offices onthe night, using personalised funding pages on social media.

Over Christmas 2016, the contactless station wasupgraded to a new prime location outside the Stephen’sGreen Shopping Centre as a standalone unit, right in front ofthe Christmas Tree.

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENTThe main focus of Junior Achievement is to encourage schoolkids to remain in education. Every year, 15 employees fromacross Core Media volunteer to go to inner city schools tomeet and teach a Junior Achievement programme. Our mainprogramme is called ‘Our City’ and is aimed at third-classstudents. The programme teaches students about local busin-esses and the different types of careers that make up a city.


Core Media’s contactless donation station, used as part of FocusIreland’s ‘Shine a light’ campaign

Eddie O’Mahony (left), Arthur Byrne (centre) and Darren Wade(Core Media employees) with children from the Terry ChildSupport and Youth Resource Centre in Kenya

Core Mediaassociate DanielKelly and schoolstudents, broughttogether throughthe JuniorAchievementprogramme

The media agency’s charity work included using a novel contactless donation station to help homelessfamilies in Dublin.

Core MediaOur Vision: ‘We want to help transform lives in a positive way and help shape a brighter future in the community’


For any enlightened business, having a clearly definedapproach to the impact of climate change, involvementwith local communities, responsible business practices

and the creation of a quality workplace environment must bea core part of business strategy. At Deloitte, we all share adesire to give something back to society. In Ireland, Deloittehas over 2,700 people providing audit, tax, consulting, andcorporate finance services to public and private clientsspanning multiple industries.

We are active members of Business in the CommunityIreland, which harnesses the power of Irish business tomaximise its positive impact on all its stakeholders andsociety. Deloitte also partners with a number of communityorganisations, as well as supporting staff in their annualvolunteering and fundraising efforts.

WORKING RESPONSIBLYDeloitte was presented with the Business WorkingResponsibly Mark by Minister Richard Bruton in October2013 and reaccredited in 2015. It endorses the best practiceswe have in place in the areas of HR, the environment,customer relationship management, marketing, corporatesocial responsibility, and how we do business overall.

Furthermore, the award recognises our clear focus on talent,quality and our responsibility to all of our stakeholders. For thisreason, in Deloitte we refer to CSR as Corporate Responsibility,or CR, as we believe that we have an equal responsibility tocare for our clients, our people, our environment as we do tosupport our local community and beyond. We have a dedicatedCR team who manage a wide range of programmes acrossvolunteering, fundraising and a number of employee drivencommittees support these initiatives.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS We partner with a number oforganisations through which ourpeople can give their time andskills back to the local communitythrough mentoring and in-classprogrammes with JuniorAchievement, Suas and ELI. Wealso partner with Age Action oncomputer literacy classes for the elderly.

Deloitte has partnered withNurture Africa, an Irish founded

NGO that works in Uganda. During a two-week volunteeringprogramme in October each year, Deloitte staff can put theirskills to good use. IMPACT Day is our flagship volunteeringday that allows our people to give back to the community byproviding their time, energy and expertise to selectedorganisations. It is also one of the most popular days of theyear for our people. We also run a volunteer day separatelyeach summer as part of the intern and co-op programme.

Deloitte also has a partnership with Ashoka Ireland, offeringadvice in audit, tax and consulting to high-potential socialentrepreneurs.

FUNDRAISING FOCUSWe also have a strong tradition of fundraising and corporatedonations in Deloitte, with long-standing fundraising effortswith certain organisations, including St Vincent de Paul andthe Irish Cancer Society. In recent years we have highlightedthe importance of mental health, and in collaboration with HRwe have started to support mental health charities each year.We also support HR on the diversity agenda, with the TheDeloitte LGBTA Network. In times of natural disasters orhumanitarian appeals, the Deloitte people have beenextremely generous.

On our Green Agenda, we are proud to have retained ourISO 14001 certification in 2016 and we are currently managingthe transition to the revised ISO 14001:2015 standard. We havebegun to partner with GIY – a global community of people whogrow their own food – and run workshops at lunchtimes,raising awareness around biodiversity and other topical issues.With continued business growth, we understand theimportance of our carbon footprint, and are working to reducethis with improved technologies, raising awareness andworking with experts in implementing best practice forbusiness travel.

At Deloitte, our sharedpurpose is to make animpact that matters for ourclients, our people, ourprofession and in the widersociety – our CorporateResponsibility initiatives arecentral to this purpose andactively supported byDeloitte people to deliverbetter results.


Deloitte has a strong tradition of fundraising and corporate donations

IMpACt Day is Deloitte’sflagship volunteering day

Deloitte’s holistic CSR approach extends to all aspects of its business, as well as local communities.

Deloitte

Ashling McDonnell, accountantin Deloitte’s tax practice,volunteered for the firm’s NurtureAfrica programme in Uganda


Sustainability and waste reductionare big social themes these days,and they can provide businesseswith rewarding avenues for

judicious CSR partnerships. A varietyof organisations specialise in puttingsurplus or unwanted businessmaterials to good use, including theaward-winning social enterpriseReCreate.ReCreate emerged from Early

Childhood Ireland and TallaghtCommunity Arts, and KevinMcLoughlin and Dara Connolly werehired to set up the project in 2013. The venture collects surplus

materials from businesses for use asart, craft, play and educationalmaterials by thousands of groupsworking with children, young peopleand the active retired. ReCreatecollects for free and aims toredistribute around 250 tonnes a yearfor creative reuse.

Quality MaterialThe ReCreate model works well for allinvolved. Schools and communityprojects get quality materials for anominal fee, while businesses can saveon disposal costs. Most of ReCreate’s1,950 members are creches, schoolsand community groups, while artistsjoin for seasonal projects, festivals andsummer camps. For people availing of the materials,

membership for 18 months rangesfrom €90 for individuals to €320 forgroups. Members have access tomaterials such as paper, fabrics, tilesand even bottle tops from ReCreate’sWarehouse of Wonders, located inBallymount Industrial Estate. In 2016, ReCreate was recognised

for its social and environmentalcontribution when it won SocialEnterprise Ireland’s Impact award andwas voted best Community RecyclingProject at the Repak Awards.Funding from Pobal has enabled

ReCreate to grow its team from twofull-time and 18 part-time staff,

according to acting manager KevinMcLoughlin. He adds that theresponse from businesses hassurpassed expectations. “Space is amajor problem at the moment. I don’tthink when we started the projectanyone envisaged us having thisproblem within three years. As peoplegrow up, the creativity gets left behind,and what we try to do here is bring thatcreative spark back,” he says.Neighbouring packaging business

Smurfit Kappa donates sheets of card,offcuts of paper rolls and boxes.Artificial grass from SanctuarySynthetics in Naas is popular, as areegg cartons, newspapers and CDs.Avoca Woollen Mills supplies fabricsoffcuts and newspapers come from TheTallaght Echo.McLoughlin underlines the CSR

potential for a business that wants toassist ReCreate. “We need a wide rangeof clean, safe, versatile business wastematerials – production offcuts and by-products, rejected QC batches,redundant retail stock, unused rawmaterials and packaging materials,” hesays. “Many of our members are from

disadvantaged areas and wouldn’t bedoing arts programmes if it wasn’t forReCreate.”

Team-BuildingReCreate plans to expand itsworkshops in schools using thedonated materials for subject areasother than art, such as science,technology and construction. Donorscan also benefit by participating inReCreate’s team-building workshops. Arecent project involved a group of stafffrom Irish Distillers who createdmosaics and art installations fordisability charity Walkinstown HousingAssociation.Businesses can also sponsor

membership for schools in their localarea through ReCreate. Many of thesuppliers will have children in theschools that benefit from the materials,McLoughlin observes. “It really does gofull circle, and it shows the companiesthat the materials can and are beingreused creatively.”

Art From WasteBusinesses can divert materials from landfill and assist artistic endeavour by

hooking up with ReCreate, writes Ruth Doris

The art of recyling: Kevin McLoughlin,of ReCreate



T he stereotype of millennialemployees as disengaged andnarcissistic persists, but research issuggesting that they are more

socially minded than might first appear.Millennials, who are set to make up50% of the global workforce by 2020,consider corporate social responsibilityto be an important consideration whendeciding what company to work for.

Moira Horgan, head of marketing forBusiness in the Community Ireland,says that members are reporting thatmillennials want businesses to have astrong CSR strategy in place. “They areasking in interviews, what are youdoing on climate change, and what areyour volunteering opportunities?”

Horgan believes that CSR mattersmore with the millennial demographicbecause they’ve grown up in alandscape of corporate transparency,and so they expect companies to behavebetter. “I think people, not justmillennials, are searching for meaning.They see the job as an extension ofthemselves, so they want to work for acompany with values they regard as

extensions of their own value sets,”Horgan suggests.

Deloitte’s recent Millennial GlobalSurvey found that many millennialsfeel unable to exert any meaningfulinfluence on society’s biggest challenges.However, in the workforce they can feela greater sense of control by being anactive participant rather than abystander.

Meaningful InfluenceWhere workplace opportunities areoffered, millennials are significantlymore likely to say they can influencesocial equality and the environment.Regardless of whether millennials asindividuals can make a tangibledifference on large issues, employerscan provide a sense of empowermentand thereby create a far more positivemindset.

The survey indicates that millennialsfeel accountable to some degree formany issues in both the workplace and

the wider world. However, it isprimarily in the workplace that they feelmost impactful. The Deloitte reportstates: “They feel they have moreinfluence on their peers, customers andsuppliers than on leaders or ‘big issues’,and their influence can, therefore, beregarded as being exerted throughsmaller-scale, immediate and localactions, more so when employersprovide the requisite tools.

“While six in ten millennials globallybelieve they have at least a fair amountof accountability for protecting theenvironment, only 38% believe they canexert a significant level of influence. Asimilar gap is observed with respect tosocial inequality. Being involved withgood causes and not-for-profitorganisations, whether directly orthrough opportunities provided byemployers, helps millennials feelempowered and able to influence theworld around them.”

CSR CommunicationClaire Bergin, CSR manager forDeloitte, advises that communicatingCSR strategy is important for employerswishing to attract talented millennials.“It’s about getting the message out thereand telling the story of what you do,”she says. “Where CSR might have beendone on an ad hoc basis in the past,companies are now taking it a bit moreseriously and there are full-time roles tomanage this area.”

Where companies provideopportunities for employees to engagewith good causes, millennials in theDeloitte study reported a greater levelof loyalty, a more positive view ofbusiness behaviour and greateroptimism in general. “Deloitte holds anannual Impact Day and last year about700 employees in Ireland got involved,”says Bergin. “The staff benefits includebetter morale and the opportunity forteam building and getting to know eachother in a more relaxed environment.”

Millennial Influence

Millennials like it when employersfacilitate do-good activities


Millennials are enthusiastic about corporate responsibility and they prefer employerswho are too, writes Ruth Doris




A wide-ranging CSR programme for Aramark includes supporting Fairtrade coffee farmers and raising funds for local charities through staff-led activities.

Aramark

Aramark is a food, facilities andproperty services group, employingmore than 270,000 people. Aramark

Northern Europe’s CSR efforts areencompassing waste management, employeeengagement programmes, its Healthy for Lifeprogramme, its free range, Fairtrade and RedTractor agreements, and its charitable fund.

In April 2017, Aramark Northern Europewelcomed two coffee farmers from theFairtrade coffee co-operative Soppexcca,Nicaragua, to its offices in Dublin. The visit,arranged by Bewley’s, was in recognition ofAramark’s support of Fairtrade. Bewley’sannounced that all of its branded fresh coffeewill be moving to 100% Fairtrade in 2017,and as one of Bewley’s biggest customers,Aramark has been a vital part of that journey.

FAIRTRADE FOCUSTo celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight, Bewley’sbrought coffee farmers from Soppexcca tomeet Aramark and explain first-hand theimpact of buying Fairtrade. Bewley’s and theenhanced premium that Fairtrade delivers has helpedsupport improved education, welfare, health initiatives and gender equality for the people of the Soppexcca co-operative. The guaranteed orders and pricing alsoenables communities likeSoppexcca to invest moreinto producing the finestcoffees.

Speaking at the meetingwith the coffee farmers,Aramark Northern Europeexpressed its delight atwelcoming them toAramark. “It is fantastic forus to meet them and hearfirst-hand their experiencesof growing up on a coffeefarm and the impact thesupport has made on theirlives. Aramark is delightedto now be able to offer 100% Fairtrade Bewley’s coffee toour customers in 2017,” the company added.

CHARITABLE FUNDAnother major part of Aramark Northern Europe’s CSR is TheAramark Charitable Fund, which has raised over €385,000since 2008. For 2017, Aramark selected the Make a WishFoundation and the Red Cross as its two charity partners.Throughout the year, Aramark’s 16,000 employees run a

series of fundraising events, with proceeds raised goingdirectly towards the two charities.

The Make a Wish Foundation grants the wishes of childrenaged between three and 17 years living with life-threateningmedical conditions. A wish granted is true magic for thechild, providing respite from their normal routines ofhospitals, doctors and treatment. Since inception in 1992they have granted over 1,900 wishes in Ireland. A wish canhave a lasting impact on a child’s life and can createmoments of joy – and memories that last a lifetime. In doingso, they provide long-lasting and happy memories forchildren and their relatives, whatever the future may hold.

The Red Cross provides humanitarian support andcommunity services to the most vulnerable at home andabroad. It is part of the International Red Cross RedCrescent Movement, the largest humanitarian aidorganisation in the world.

In Ireland, its activities include mountain rescue, first aideducation, as well as other community services, amongthem therapeutic hand care and healthy living. OutsideIreland, the Red Cross provides emergency relief andhumanitarian services in response to natural disasters and in regions of conflict. It also organises long-termdevelopment programmes aimed at improving food securityin countries like Niger.

Aramark’s Health and Wellness Ambassador, Irish OlympianNatalya Coyle, photographed with Freya, a Make A WishFoundation beneficiary, at Aramark’s charity partnership launch

Aramark isdelighted tooffer 100%FairtradeBewley’s

coffee to ourcustomers


Dublin Airport is an essential piece of infrastructureand the main international gateway for the island ofIreland, with connections to 185 destinations in 41

countries, operated by 47 airlines. The airport is also a majoreconomic contributor, supporting 19,200 jobs located at theairport or at airport-related businesses. We depend on ourneighbours to operate the airport not just for daa, but alsofor all of the other businesses that are based here.

We have supported projects in local communities fordecades, and as the airport grows, with additional facilitiessuch as the new North Runway, we are delighted to expandour support for our neighbouring communities.

COMMUNITY FUNDWith this in mind, we recently launched a €10m CommunityFund, which will enable us to support a wider range of localcommunity initiatives. We are investing €400,000 per yearover the next 25 years in local projects focused on areassuch as environment and sustainability; sports andrecreation; social inclusion and community development;health and wellbeing; and culture and heritage.

Our new Community Fund represents a very significantexpansion of our existing local activities, as we are morethan doubling our annual community spend. For many years,we have supported community initiatives in areas such assports, education, literacy and the arts. Organisations andactivities currently supported include St Margaret’s GAAClub; Naomh Mearnóg GAA Club; Swords and MalahideYoung Musician of the Year competitions and FingalLibraries’ Battle of the Book reading programme.

Our new fund will support local projects in the neighbouringcommunities around Dublin Airport, from Santry south of theairport to Rolestown in the north, and from Tyrrelstown on thewest to Portmarnock on the east. In addition, our CommunityFund will support up to 10 students annually fromeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds to enable them toattend Dublin City �niversity via its Access Programme.

APPLICATION PROCESSOrganisations can apply for grants under three differentheadings: minor grants of €5,000 or less to suit smallerinitiatives; major grants of €5,000 or over for projects thathave medium or long-term benefits, and capital grants forthe purchase of equipment or the improvement orconstruction of buildings.

Dublin Airport’s Community Fund will open for applicationsfor the first time on September 1 for a period of six weeks,with the first allocation of funds being distributed inNovember this year. Thereafter, we will put out two calls forfunding applications in February and September – andpayments will be awarded in April and November.

INDEPENDENT PANELAwards from the Community Fund will be made by anindependent grant-making panel with representatives fromlocal businesses and Dublin Airport. The fund has atransparent application process for grants, the full details ofwhich are now available on our website, dublinairport.com/community-fund. Applications will be accepted fromorganisations such as voluntary community groups or clubs,residents’ associations from local communities,schools/colleges and companies limited by guarantee.

The fund will support community-led projects in theimmediate vicinity of Dublin Airport and communities that arelocated under a flight path. The parameters of the fund –both geographically and in terms of the type of activity thatshould be supported – were designed following detailedpublic feedback that was undertaken as part of theconsultation process for the new North Runway.

It is our intention that our Community Fund’s annual spendof €400,000 will reach the neighbouring communities that aremost impactedby airportoperations.


Angela Flynn and Niall Leyden, Dublin Airport, launching theairport’s Community Trust Fund

Children from St. Margaret’s National School at the launch ofDublin Airport’s Community Trust Fund

Dublin Airport is investing €400,000 per year over the next 25 years in local projects.

Dublin Airport Launches €10 Million Community Fund



We are individually responsible for corporate social responsibility, so nurture the socially responsibleindividuals within your business, writes Noel Delaney, Partner, Grant Thornton

It is said that positive corporate atmosphere is generatedby a collective of positive individuals no matter what thesize of that organisation is. Having a positive work culture

allows for a more productive and motivated workforce. Thereare numerous studies carried out that back this theory up.My theory is based on my own experiences in GrantThornton, which has grown from a firm of under 60 people in1996, to more than 1,000 individuals in 2017.

As a young trainee accountant in 1996, CSR was notspoken as part of the day-to-day vernacular. The term was anew phenomenon. However, it was something that wasalready part of the fabric of the firm that I joined. We had aculture of giving back. At the time, there were no metrics onhow it was measured, so activities like community work,involvement in local youth clubs and sporting organisations,and charitable work were not necessarily encouraged,frowned upon or mentioned. It just happened.

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITYThe CSR of the firm was a result of the individual socialresponsibility of the people who I worked with every day. Grant Thornton attracted, employed and retained peoplewho encouraged and embraced this element. The peoplewho possess that X-factor (whatever that was) continue tobe attracted, employed and retained.

Obviously, as the firm grew and the number of officesexpanded, coordinating andmaintaining the culture ofgiving back required a seniorsponsor. When I was asked anumber of years ago to takeon the role, I didn’t hesitate.That is because socialresponsibility is somethingthat’s very important to me,as it is for my colleagues.

With that, it was a very easytask getting people involved inour CSR drive. It’s amazinghow creative a room full of 40 accountants, tax advisors andconsultants can be. As a result of our ‘creativity’ we distilledour CSR policy into four key pillars.

EDUCATIONAs a training firm, education is a core value for us and aneasy fit. We continue to focus on helping our community tooptimise their education opportunities by providing themwith support to achieve their potential.

COMMUNITYWith a large regional presence we are aware that we canmake a significant difference in the local communities whereour offices and staff are located. It is imperative that we

support local causes for all our offices, to further cement ourplace in the local community and allow our people tosupport causes close to their hearts.

EMPLOYEE WELLBEINGAs a service provider firm, our people and their wellbeing arehugely important to us. I have always been an advocate offocusing on the whole person rather than just on a person’swork performance. That is how it was when I joined and stillis very much so today.

ENVIRONMENTALWe as a firm are committed to protecting the naturalresources of our planet and reducing our environmentalfootprint.

Finally, I believe that where we perform all of theseactivities we need to be vocal and visual in everything wedo. We aim to promote our giving back, which will furthermotivate all our employees to be more individually sociallyresponsible. No matter the size and nature of your companyor organisation, remember it too is its own community and itis only as strong as its individuals collectively.

Nurture and embrace the individuality of your organisationand the socially responsible individuals within it.

Grant Thornton had a culture of giving back when Noel Delaney joined as a trainee in 1996

Grant Thornton

‘It’s amazinghow creative a room full ofaccountants

can be’


Fostering social entrepreneurship isthe chief concern of Enactus, whichis part of a global organisation thatoriginated in Texas and has now

spread to 36 countries, includingIreland in 2011, when it was introducedby KPMG.The idea behind Enactus is to support

third-level students undertakingentrepreneurial action to help others inlocal and global communities. Hencethe name Enactus, an acronym of sortscomprising entrepreneurialism (‘En’)geared towards socially-minded action(‘act’), which unifies (‘us’) students,academia and the business world. Participating students join their

respective college Enactus teams,receiving counselling by educators andbusiness leaders to help develop theirideas. Enactus also holds an annualnational competition to showcase theseideas, adding a competitive element tothe programme. A national champion isthen selected to represent Ireland at theEnactus World Cup.One of the more well-known Irish

social enterprises to receive Enactussupports is FoodCloud. The venture wasfounded by Trinity College students andheaded up by Iseult Ward. The highlysuccessful company helps supermarketsdistribute surplus food to good causes.TCD Enactus was an early supporter ofFoodCloud when it was founded in2013.

Business SponsorsOther projects that Enactus issupporting include mental health appdevelopment in UCD and special boxesto prevent infant deaths in Angola, anidea developed by UCC students.Partner third-level colleges have accessto staff assistance, training resourcesand events, which in turn assist theirstudents. Corporate supporters get auseful CSR boost, as well asopportunities for employee engagementand brand exposure. Enactus Ireland also applies a

sponsorship model. Sponsor companieswho come on board at chairman level(€25,000) or director level (€15,000)

are invited to join the Board of EnactusIreland. In 2015, Enactus generatedmore than €370,000, most of whichwas then spent supporting its Irishmembers. Executives from Enactus’s partner

companies help the venture bybecoming involved in mentoring teams,providing training and in judgingEnactus Ireland competitions. EnactusIreland is sponsored by KPMG, Bank ofIreland, Abbott, AIG, CarTrawler,Enterprise Rent-a-Car, KBC Bank,Merc Partners, Musgrave, New IrelandAssurance, The Ireland Funds, Unilever,Willis Towers Watson, Havas Dublin,HSBC and Microsoft. Academicpartners include UCD, DIT, TCD, NUIGalway and UCC. The 2017 Enactus National

Champion is a team from Dublin CityUniversity, who won the competition forthe second year in a row. Second Scoopinvolves a partnership between Ben &Jerry’s and ex-prisoners from Care AfterPrison, providing ice-cream forcorporate events, festivals and fairs.

Well On The Way is a socialenterprise that provides businessapprenticeships to asylum seekers to

help them integrate into society. It doesthis by selling bottled water, with profitdirected to build wells in theDemocratic Republic of Congo. Anotherproject by the DCU students,Headstarts, provides weekly classes indance, drama, music and art for peoplewith intellectual disabilities.

Enactus AcademyDCU business student Jack Kane, wholed the college’s Enactus team, saysthat the 2016/17 Enactus DCUcommittee had 22 people, and theyalso established ‘Enactus Academy’, asocial enterprise incubator solely forDCU students. “Leadership mustalways remember that the people we’reworking with are not subordinates oremployees,” Kane adds. “They arevolunteers giving up precious time outof their hectic schedules and they areclose friends.”Enactus chairman Terence O’Rourke

commented: “All the student teamsinvolved in the competition have showntremendous understanding of how theirentrepreneurial skills and talents can beused to bring about real change in theircommunities.”

Motivating Students

DCU won the annual Enactus Competition in 2017 for the second year in a row


Enactus Ireland is part of a global initiative to inspire socialentrepreneurship among students, writes Emily Styles

BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY · BP SURVEY CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 58 BUSINESS PLUS AUGUST 2017 events and services in its Community Gain initiative. Activities

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