Sustainable Business

Catalysing societal change through reimagining the cultural sector and creative industries

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 08:40:27 +0000

Catalysing societal change through reimagining the cultural sector and creative industries

Tags

Sustainability Strategy

Sustainable Business

Circular Business

Topic

Business Sustainability

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Envisioning a future where Ireland’s cultural sector and creative industries operate in a restorative and regenerative way, Michael Soro and Megan Best brought Native Events to life in 2017 to provide sustainable solutions.

They embarked on a journey to change the festival industry as a starter and worked on projects to get more events to adopt sustainability practices by using their services, such as integrating solar generators and sound systems or introducing deposit schemes to avoid single-use plastic and selective waste management, among other things.

Even though they made steady progress and gathered a skilled team, the pandemic forced them to pause. Instead of looking at this as a setback, they used the break from busyness to reflect on what they had learned, where the market was going, and how they could scale their impact.

They bounced back with new ideas and expanded their offerings, which allowed them to work on various projects, such as creating the Guide for Plastic-Free Festivals and Events or designing the Sustainability Toolkit for the Arts.

Megan says that for her "The circular economy is all about sharing - materials and assets, yes, but also ideas and connections.”

Megan Best, CEO of Native Events

Redirecting the sustainability focus

Transitioning from working in the cross-section of art and sustainability, Kate O'Neill joined Native Events as a Communication Specialist to expand their reach and work with partners.

“We have the ethos that cultural events and activities can be a catalyst for societal change. We see a festival as a microcosmos for change since you have a group of people together doing things they would also do on an everyday basis – this is where you can intervene,” Kate explains their approach.

Kate O'Neill, Communication Specialist at Native Events

She adds that with planning, you can pinpoint actions that would make a difference, but you also need smart communication to get people to make different decisions, such as using public transport.

Moving into education and training

Besides events, Native Events now also works with organisations and institutions where education and training are crucial in embedding sustainability projects.

Programme Manager Brecken Byron leverages her technology and education development background to design engaging, hands-on learning experiences that could drive transformative change.

"Our goal is to achieve that shift in thinking. To really integrate sustainability, you need education. Either people are open to this new thinking or are resistant; no one wants to fundamentally change their lives as it is very uncomfortable. So, we aim to manage the journey of change and get them to buy in,” Brecken explains.

As part of its expansion, Native Events is now piloting an action-oriented online course that focuses on adopting practical steps towards sustainability in the arts and other industries.

The fear associated with change

Kate adds that sustainability and change can be scary to look at, and they need to be mindful of that in all their work.

Keeping it real and losing the jargon can also help. It is a great practice for her to use their garden at home as a “nature classroom” with her son, which gives her that everyday aspect besides enjoying spending time together outdoors.

“The perception is that embedding sustainability is expensive and requires huge changes. Instead, we show that this is doable and can be broken down into practical steps considering the timeline and budget,”

says Kate, highlighting that building trust is crucial in their work.

She explains that, especially with events, you can never be 100% accurate since many things can modify any predicted scenario.

“For instance, one of our flagship collaborations is the carbon management of the St Patrick’s Festival, which includes a lot of logistics and multistakeholder involvement. We use a framework that allows us to manage all available data besides setting up a baseline to get a sense of ‘normal’ and lay out a roadmap for changes.”

Walking the walk and talking the talk

Besides providing educational opportunities to others, the team is keen to constantly upskill and sharpen their knowledge.

As CEO of Native Events, Megan Best joined the very first MODOS course, which was more of a pilot, as she recalls.

“I thought I had a good sense of the circular economy. It was brilliant to find out how much I didn't know,” pointing out that it was an eye-opener for her to learn about new areas such as modular design or industrial symbiosis.

It further propelled them to build new connections and even enrol in another climate-focused accelerator programme for entrepreneurs, which they probably wouldn't have done without MODOS.

The power of collaboration

Besides being strategic about sustainability and aiming to integrate projects across organisations, Native Events runs public involvement initiatives as well.

“We collaborated with Nature Trust to help rebuild Irish native woodlands by organising the Acorn Gathering event in 2023 where people could come along to Wicklow to collect acorns while learning insights from an ecologist on why this is so important,” Kate shares.

“Collectively, we gathered around 150 kg of acorn, which means that about 15,000 oak seedlings can be planted.

Another project that Brecken found fascinating is the Arts Council Climate Action Training Program, where they support about 150-200 organisations in crafting their own sustainability policies.

Brecken Byron, Programme Manager at Native Events

She adds: “All projects funded by the Arts Council need to implement sustainability initiatives as part of a new framework. We provide guidelines, organise seminars, peer-to-peer sessions, and offer tailored support to practically hold their hands to get them over the finish line.”

Brecken shares that it is exciting and motivating for her to work on diverse projects at Native Events so she can play her part in positively influencing people and sectors.

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Being practical about sustainability opens new frontiers for innovative craft distillery

Szilvia Szabó — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:07:48 +0000

Being practical about sustainability opens new frontiers for innovative craft distillery

Tags

Sustainable Business

Circular Business

Topic

Business Sustainability

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

Producing award-winning gins, vodka, and traditional pot still Irish whisky could have been ambitious enough for the Blackwater Distillery in West Waterford, but they did not stop there.

Since its opening in 2014, the micro-distillery has accomplished a lot, and the new frontier in development is making its operation more sustainable.

Silvia Torresi joined the company in 2021 to make that happen, in addition to contributing to other areas of production at the company. After working several years in EU development projects from Brussels, Silvia felt she wanted to move to an area closer to her heart.

She decided to take a leap of faith and study at a postgraduate sustainability and food course at UCLA in the US to make that shift. She was eager to put her knowledge into practice after finishing her studies.

“You can study as much as you can, but unless you are doing it, you don`t have a clue how to adopt things.”

Searching for opportunities took her to the Blackwater Distillery in Ireland. “Besides working as a gin distiller, I'm responsible for all things related to sustainability, from reporting to resource consumption monitoring to adopting circularity where we can while constantly exploring new opportunities to improve our operations.”

Silvia Torresi, Distiller and Sustainability Manager at Blackwater Distillery. Image: Joleen Cronin

“Running a small business means sustainability must be part of your operation. Circular might be the official word, but I think of it as being resourceful.”

Silvia highlights that investing in this area is a barrier for many smaller enterprises. She adds that reporting can actually help set targets and develop a long-term plan, which is something to aspire to.

Waste management as a focus area

“We are a very down-to-earth company, trying to be as practical as possible about sustainability as well. Waste management is one of the key areas we focus on, which means we are not just selecting waste and training employees to sort waste properly but actively looking for ways to reduce or avoid it. For example, when we receive our bottles packed in cardboard and plastic, we aim to reuse these materials.”

In addition to waste management, they only use paper labels on their bottles instead of plastic ones, give spent grain and other side products to local farmers, and are involved with initiatives like Origin Green.

“Reduction is the main path for us in general – regarding energy, waste, etc.

Reducing our impact means not losing money on resources we use or wasting what we produce. Circular might be the official word for it, but I would rather call it being resourceful.”

On the sustainability journey

Communication is one of the areas where Silvia was looking for further developments when she joined the MODOS sustainability training, searching for opportunities to expand her knowledge.

“One of the sessions I found interesting was on communicating the sustainability journey to better connect with our audience. The additional mentoring really helped me understand how to translate what we are doing and even negotiate better deals for the company.”

Silvia shares that engaging partners, customers and employees in their sustainability efforts is an important element of her job.

She note that additional mentoring really helped her understand how to translate what they are doing and even negotiate better deals for the company.

“For me, the social part is the most exciting. Involving employees or partners and getting them to understand why what we are doing is important and how it makes a difference.”

Blackwater Distillery makes award-winning gin and small-batch Irish whiskey, adopting sustainability practices as a way to develop its operation further while creating value for local communities.

Being an active community member

Since they are a small team, it can be as simple as having team building programmes with a purpose, like going out for a beach cleanup, just chatting, and sharing a meal without the pressure of everyday tasks.

Being part of the local community through sponsoring events and working with local suppliers is also part of their approach.

However, Silvia notes that you need to consider where to start with changes and pick your battles.

She says: “In our case, whiskey is a more traditional product with certain expectations attached to it in terms of look or packaging. You can be more creative and adventurous with other products like gins, which attract a different audience that is probably more open to new ideas.”

Using paper labels on Blackwater Distillery bottles instead of plastic helps reduce unnecessary waste.

Talking about developments, she says exploring all available options regarding sustainability is part of the journey, checking what is possible within their capacity to change and optimise operations.

“When I think of further developing Blackwater Distillery, I dream of creating a net zero emissions product and moving into a larger premise where we could have all our operations in one place.”

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Embracing efficiency for better business operations and minimising environmental impact

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 15:12:30 +0000

Embracing efficiency for better business operations and minimising environmental impact

Tags

Sustainable Business

Resource Efficiency

Topic

Sustainable business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

A DIY and building supplies store that offers everything from paint, cleaning solutions, homewares, gardening, and building supplies to workwear might not be the most obvious place to look for a leader in climate action.

But looking behind the scenes at Burke’s Homevalue Rathnew in Wicklow, you will find an array of sustainable practices designed to run an environmentally conscious and energy-efficient business that offers customers the best products with friendly service.

Starting with the easy wins of sustainability

John Burke, Managing Director, says that the company's approach to sustainability is business-driven and must contribute to improving the bottom line.

“I believe environmentalists are mostly blinded to the reality of running a business since they are caught up in their passion.

For us, the priority is to develop the company and adopting sustainability is a good way of doing that.”

In the past 18 years, they have experimented with many areas to improve efficiency, which has decreased their environmental impact as well as enhanced operations.

John Burke, Managing Director at Burke’s Homevalue Rathnew

“Lights and energy are massive monsters, but upgrading our systems resulted in significant savings.”

One of their greatest achievements is reducing their electricity bill from €20,000 in 2008 to €8,000 in 2020 before even installing solar panels.

“Starting with the easy wins and scaling solutions that work is how we approach adopting changes. All the little things where you improve efficiency will add up in the end. It makes complete business sense, and it`s also a great warm feeling to see that we are not leaking money in different places,” John shares.

“All the little things where you improve efficiency will add up in the end, and it makes complete business sense not to leak money in different places.”

Although technical improvements are essential, having over 300 trees sequestering nearly 9 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually while making the site look friendlier.

The importance of trial and error

He believes in a “trial and error” mentality in figuring out solutions, which also led him to review an area often overlooked in optimising business operations: using IT infrastructure.

“Our servers now consume 4.5 times less energy than our previous system, and the energy consumption of five new PCs is equivalent to that of a single old PC. We also have a dedicated, insulated server room designed to minimise cooling and energy consumption.”

Besides reducing energy consumption, they also wanted to move away from non-renewable options. Installing solar panels on the building's roof allowed the company to primarily operate on solar energy for nine months of the year.

In 2019, they also transitioned from diesel to electric forklifts, resulting in significant fuel savings, reduced carbon emissions, and improved air quality within the store.

Although they are constantly on the hunt to adopt practices that will help them avoid unnecessary waste, whether from packaging or energy use, John feels that many technologies are beyond the reach of a smaller company.

Installing solar panels on the building's roof allowed the company to primarily operate on solar energy for nine months of the year.

He adds that if more companies adopt sustainability, it would generate a larger market share and help lower the prices of innovative solutions.

Adopting circular economy principles for efficiency

Using a cost-benefit analysis, in addition to constantly examining the data, helps him identify places where he can achieve the best outcome by implementing changes.

John’s commitment to adopting circular economy principles ensures that materials are reused and repurposed wherever possible, especially when it comes to managing waste.

Installing new equipment helped them turn waste management “from a cost centre into a revenue generator” and significantly improve their plastic and cardboard recycling processes.

“I enjoy tracking how our data improves thanks to enhanced efficiency. I've done a lot of heavy lifting already, but you can`t stay put, and I’m always keen to see new things.”

With this mentality, he decided to participate in the MODOS business sustainability training, which exposed him to what other businesses are doing.

“I was blown away to learn how others are approaching different things.This knowledge exchange was probably the most valuable part for me besides realising that carbon management and packaging was an issue for most of us.”

Planning ahead

He has ambitious plans to improve their operations further, including increasing their electric vehicle fleet and a big dream of having a windmill at some point.

Bringing their customers on the sustainability journey is more challenging as John doesn`t experience a rush in actively seeking out greener products.

Although they are dedicated to prioritising sourcing sustainably produced products, including water-based eco-friendly paints and paint accessories.

“We encourage our customers to start with cost-effective measures to improve energy efficiency and environmental awareness. By showing the tangible benefits, such as reduced bills and expenses, we believe in a "sold, not told" approach to going green.”

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Leading a cosmetic revolution to leave the world “lusher than we found it”

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 14:15:21 +0000

Leading a cosmetic revolution to leave the world “lusher than we found it”

Tags

Sustainable Business

Circular Design

Topic

Sustainable business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

From skincare to haircare, beauty products are part of our everyday lives, and the industry has significant environmental and social implications ranging from ethical production to animal rights or the use of natural resources and chemicals, besides adding to the global waste crisis through packaging.

With a radical approach to going against mainstream wasteful and harmful beauty industry practices, Lush has become a trailblazer in sustainable and fair beauty since its launch in the UK in 1995.

Their mission is driven by innovation and ethics to create beauty products for every need and lead a cosmetic revolution to save the planet with the ultimate goal of leaving the world ‘Lusher than we found it’.

The ‘Naked’ approach

Niamh Doyle, Lush Store Manager at Henry Street in Dublin, says that one of the most revolutionary things customers appreciate is the company's ‘naked approach’, which transcends every aspect of the business, from product development to communication and packaging.

Considering that 95% of cosmetic packaging is thrown away, the ‘naked’ approach makes a real difference in avoiding unnecessary waste, but it goes beyond that.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do, and by becoming a manager, it is my role to consistently understand and nurture our community, including our team, partners and customers.”

The "naked" bathbomb is one of the signature products Lush introduced without using extra packaging.

Making sustainability fun and exciting for people to get involved

When she started working here, Niamh was impressed by the brand’s values and communication.

She says, “Although the Lush is very serious about its impact and the challenges we face, it makes it more fun and less scary for people to get involved and make better choices.”

She emphasises the importance of having conversations with customers besides putting out communication materials and running campaigns.

Niamh thinks that plays a vital role in helping them better understand the impact they can have by choosing Lush and having their staff listen to them and understand what matters to them.

“The support we get from the company in communication is great, but we need to find ways to find what matters locally. For instance, we are just about to launch a new climate change campaign where we will invite Irish organisations to host community events at our store and talk about climate action in a local context.”

The Bring It Back recycling scheme

One of the most popular action-oriented initiatives Niamh highlights is their Bring It Back recycling scheme, where customers can return clean plastic bottles and pots for a discount or free product in exchange for their efforts.

“Although we try to avoid packaging as much as possible, with this initiative, we aim to recycle what we use at the Lush Green Hub in the UK.”

In addition to products, Niamh adds that running the store with sustainability in mind is also part of their goals, which inspired her to join the MODOS sustainability course and learn more about circular and sustainable practices.

Addressing sustainability challenges locally

“We have sustainability challenges like managing water consumption, cardboard, or waste. As a shop located in the city centre, there are waste management issues we can't overcome at the moment, such as not being able to have a compost bin, which we would normally have at other stores.”

Although Niamh knew about the circular economy, she realised that she could always learn something new, and joining MODOS helped her explore areas that challenged her thinking.

“The course was designed in a way that made you think. Nothing was good or bad, which allowed you to rethink and question practices or assumptions.

I particularly liked the concept of how businesses could learn from nature in terms of strategy or having a regenerative approach to how they operate.”

On a practical level, the MODOS training was a real booster for looking at the store’s carbon footprint and integrating this thinking into managing her team by taking an everyday approach.

Creating a blueprint for a more holistic, nature-focused business approach

Lush has created a blueprint for implementing a more holistic, nature-focused approach as a company, and Niamh feels that other businesses can capitalise on that.

“We think about the entire journey with a customer in mind and how they will use and discard products. For instance, we don`t use anything that would release microplastics in addition to other sustainability considerations.”

Today, Lush has over 850 shops and operates in 50 countries, working to create a company culture that inspires them.

Lush`s Cork Pot is a carbon-positive piece of packaging that is 100% natural, reusable, and biodegradable.

Nurturing a motivational environment

“I really appreciate the motivational atmosphere and positive attitude here, which helps make challenging situations more manageable without too much anxiety.

The mindset of ‘What can I do today to make it better?’ keeps you more grounded.”

She shares that one of her favourite innovations at Lush is the Cork Pot, a product container made out of cork.

This carbon-positive piece of packaging can help customers enjoy their products longer while being 100% natural, reusable, and biodegradable.

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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Resetting the economic game in nature’s favour

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 10:35:04 +0000

Resetting the economic game in nature’s favour

Tags

Nature-positive Economy

Nature Conversation

Sustainable Business

Topic

Sustainable business

Although companies are generally more aware of the climate crisis and are starting to set strategies to manage their carbon footprint, considering nature in goal setting and solutions should be equally essential to their plans.

The UN Environment Program estimates that declines in nature and biodiversity at current trajectories will threaten to reach at least 35 out of 44 of the targets of SDGs.

Eva Zabey, CEO of Business for Nature, a global coalition of more than 90+ partner organisations driving credible business action and policy ambition to achieve a nature-positive economy for all by 2030, says:

“Nature and climate action go hand in hand, and this is why we see nature becoming increasingly central to climate discussions.”

With more than twenty years of working at the nexus of business and nature, her expertise furthers Business for Nature's mission to encourage corporate leaders to accelerate their commitments to biodiversity and support governments in setting ambitious national and global policies in favour of nature.

They collaboratively work on advocacy projects while empowering business action with the support of their partners and leading companies.

Eva Zabey, CEO of Business for Nature

Their campaigns are making a tangible difference, such as the `Make it Mandatory` initiative, which rallied over 400 businesses with over $2tn in revenues to join forces prior to COP15, the UN`s Biodiversity Conference in 2022.

Supported by its partners, the organisation collectively called on governments to pursue a more ambitious `deal for nature` in designing the Global Biodiversity Framework, also known as the Biodiversity Plan, by making nature-related assessments and disclosure mandatory.

Their success and the result send a clear message to large businesses and financial institutions to start assessing and disclosing their risks, impacts, and dependencies on biodiversity, as governments will require them to do so by 2030 at the latest.

The upcoming COP16 will be held in Colombia in October 2024, and Eva explains why it will need to delve deeper into how nations will meet the targets adopted at COP15.

“It will be a key milestone in taking stock of progress and setting the standard for all countries to deliver the Biodiversity Plan. It will be an implementation COP, with countries publishing and showcasing updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).”

She adds that once published, NBSAPs will be implemented through national legislation and regulation that will have direct impacts, opportunities and obligations for businesses.

Business for Nature will collectively urge the adoption of a whole-of-society approach to delivering the mission of the Biodiversity Plan, which aims to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

On a practical level, the organisation has developed tools, guidance and campaigns to encourage more companies to transform their business models and value chains.

Developed in collaboration with leading organisations, including the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures framework (TNFD), the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), they published the `high-level business actions`, also known as the ACT-D Framework, which stands for the Assess, Commit, Transform and Disclose method.

It provides a structured approach for companies seeking to embed nature in their decision-making, minimise their impacts, and contribute to transforming our economic and financial systems.

Building on the ACT-D framework, they also collaboratively developed tailored guidance for 12 distinct sectors, highlighting each sector’s impacts and dependencies on nature, including hands-on examples and recommendations

A joint global campaign, `It`s Now for Nature`, was launched to amplify their message and get more companies involved in developing and sharing credible strategies using a Nature Strategy Handbook that spotlights best practices and provides practical step-by-step guidance.

Eva explains the importance of this campaigns:

“Rewriting our global economy’s ‘rulebook’ is essential to create a level playing field and enable business and finance to take action at the pace science demands.”

Nature Strategy Handbook highlights best practices and practical guidelines. Image: Business for Nature

Eva strongly believes that companies should act immediately, highlighting that developing nature strategies takes time but that companies that start now will stand to benefit vs those that wait.

“There is a huge amount of help and support out there, and delaying action will lead to more acute risks, and making changes will become even harder to implement. The Biodiversity Plan sets the goal and roadmap, and with new tools and leadership from pioneering companies, every business can now join the collective shift to a nature-positive, net-zero and equitable future."

"Becoming nature-positive is a global goal aiming to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline and achieve full recovery by 2050, which is practically the nature equivalent to climate’s net zero goals."

She further explains that nature-based solutions can provide a third of the climate mitigation needed, and the world’s oceans, plants, animals, and soils are estimated to absorb half of the human-related carbon emissions over the past decade.

Therefore, valuing and embedding nature in their decision-making will help businesses and economies reach their net-zero goals.

A strong movement gaining momentum is the Nature Positive Initiative, which aims to preserve the integrity of ‘Nature Positive’ as a measurable 2030 global goal for nature for business, government, and other stakeholders. They provide tools and guidance besides advocating for the full implementation of the Biodiversity Plan, otherwise known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, by governments and other stakeholders.

Illustration of becoming nature positive by the Nature Positive Initiative. Image: Nature Positive Initiative

According to Eva, there is a growing community of companies that recognise they need to scale and speed up their action on nature and want to be open and transparent about their efforts.

She believes their 'It's Now for Nature' campaign offers a public platform to get more engaged.

“Indeed, voluntary business action is and will remain insufficient.

The transformation needed in our economy and within the private sector will only happen if governments urgently adopt, implement and enforce the policies, legislation, regulations and incentives needed for businesses to effectively support the implementation of the Biodiversity Plan by 2030.”

She says that aligning financial flows to nature-positive outcomes is crucial.

This should include a rapid increase in the volume of investment and realising new avenues for revenue creation, such as tax shifts and green finance.

Regarding their plans, Eva shares what she and her team at Business for Nature are working towards: “I would like us to play a key role in raising the urgency and driving action on nature to the same level as climate. This means an ever-greater recognition of the critical relationship between biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development. These are interconnected issues that must be addressed together by business and government.”

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Building success on strong relationship with the land

Bronagh Loughlin — Thu, 16 May 2024 17:19:07 +0000

Building success on strong relationship with the land

Tags

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Business

Sustainable Food

Topic

Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture is intertwined with nature, and to ensure long-term production, it is vital to adopt practices that keep the soil and surrounding ecosystems healthy.

As a family business located in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford in Ireland, Slaney Farms has built a reputation for producing high-quality potatoes and leading the way in sustainability under the management of John Stafford and colleagues, led by Farm Manager Ed Tobin since it was established in 1996.

They run their operation on 1,000 acres of land with a fully integrated potato processing system, from planting, growing, and harvesting through to marketing and distribution.

Kylie Doran, Senior Sales Administrator at Slaney Farms, proudly shares: “Our farm operates under the Sustainable Horticulture Scheme. Since 2016, 100% sustainably sourced and recycled paper has been used, and we have reduced the plastic microns in packaging by 20% and the plastic microns in pallet wrap by 52%.

We have measures in our manufacturing process to reduce energy, improve overall vehicle efficiency, reduce general waste, and increase recycling. We also have a rainwater harvesting, recycling, and conservation system in place.”

John Stafford, Managing Director, Slaney Farms

She assures that sustainability is deeply important to Slaney Farms and that the business is committed to opening its eyes to new things and measuring what practices it already has in place to best navigate a path for its farmers and producers to maintain productivity and profitability while embracing practices to protect soils and habitats that enable them to provide fantastic Irish produce.

Kylie says: “For the past 15 years, we have practised minimum tillage in conjunction with cover cropping. We are dedicated cereal and potato growers and we have seen the benefits of incorporating organically produced Irish seaweed in the nutritional growing plan for both its potato and cereal crops.”

Slaney Farms became an Origin Green member in 2017, an initiative run by Bord Bia to empower sustainable farming practices.

Since then, they have set targets in several different business areas, including supplier certification, packaging, energy, fuel, waste, and community engagement.

Managing Director John Stafford says: “We are immensely proud of the targets and goals that have been achieved through the scheme, and we feel the Origin Green journey has helped build on the sustainability measures Slaney Farms has aimed to achieve in the past, the present, and into the future.”

Slaney Farms has achieved gold status for their Origin Green for the last number of years. Image: Slaney Farms

In recognition of their work, they also won first place in the ‘Excellence in Sustainability’ category of the Wexford Chamber Business Awards 2023.

Slaney Farms has recently begun utilising the farm building roof space with solar power.

Kylie explains: “The efficiency of how we use energy is very important, and we have just completed a “Green energy audit” through the Local Enterprise Office Wexford. This has allowed us to highlight some changes that we can make, such as converting some of our lighting over to LED, assessing our insulation and carrying out leak tests on our fridge units.”

Plans for their field practices are changing slightly as well. They recently switched their cover cropping mix to produce higher levels of biomass and also retain N levels in the soil through the use of legumes. They expect to see gains in soil structure and nutrient retention with this change.

Kylie says: “The continued use of crop rotation with root crops, cereals, and cover crop mix has allowed us to reduce our chemical fertiliser, weed control, and disease control applications and rates. Building on this has been vital to our business and sustainability goals.

We expect to see a reduction of approximately 25% for fertiliser this season through this and a significant reduction in our chemical applications to crops.”

Aerial view of Slaney Farms based in Co. Wexford, Ireland. Image: Slaney Farms

Speaking on one measure food producers could implement to enact meaningful change and drive the green transition, Kylie cannot understate the value of embracing the changes in cropping and cropping practices to align with the ever-changing climate.

She emphasises the importance of addressing social and environmental sustainability.

Kylie explains: “Social sustainability and the role we play in our wider community is central to our plans. Since 1996, we have sponsored the local Davidstown/ Courtnacuddy GAA club. We also donate regularly to staff-related charities and events and also local community events.”

She adds: “Through an annual donation to VITA in Ethiopia (an Irish development partner that supports farmers and communities in Africa to facilitate thriving rural climate-smart economies), we help support communities further afield.”

Recognising the importance of a healthy local economy to the community and its people, Slaney Farms strives to support local suppliers, building relationships with them and sourcing more local fruit and vegetables from them each year.

Annually, they support local Wexford strawberry growers by sourcing over half a million euros worth of strawberries for their Slaney brand to supply large retail multiples across the country.

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Why should businesses aim for a nature positive and net-zero economy?

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 16 May 2024 14:37:42 +0000

Why should businesses aim for a nature positive and net-zero economy?

Tags

Net-zero Economy

Sustainable Business

Nature Positive Economy

Topic

Nature Positive Economy

Companies' net zero targets surged more than 40% between 2022 and 2023, which means that, based on Net Zero Tracker's latest analysis, 66% of the annual revenue of the world’s largest 2000 companies are now committed to net zero goals.

Since it has become inevitable for businesses to set climate agendas, most sustainability strategies and finance are driven by a climate-first approach, sidelining other important areas, such as biodiversity.

“There is a need to emphasise that climate change and loss of nature are inextricably linked since both drive each other, and neither can be solved in isolation,”

says Thomas Ball, Director of Nature and Land Use at KPMG’s Sustainable Futures.

The concept of creating a nature positive economy is gaining momentum in the business, policy, and finance sectors and becoming more recognised as a way to address global ecological and societal challenges.

Based on the definition promoted by the global Nature Positive Initiative, it practically means that we ‘halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline and achieve full recovery by 2050’, also known as the Global Goal for Nature.

As Thomas explains, nature positive is " a world where nature - species and ecosystems - is being restored and is regenerating rather than declining.”

This initiative is directly linked to the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), signed by 190 countries at the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022.

The Nature Positive Initiative advocates for the full implementation of the Biodiversity Plan to reverse nature loss by 2030. Image: Nature Positive Initiative

“Target 15 under the GBF is particularly important for businesses: `Businesses Assess, Disclose and Reduce Biodiversity-Related Risks and Negative Impacts`.

However, it is still challenging to translate these global goals and definitions into tangible actions,” adds Thomas, noting that this will happen sooner rather than later.

Although it is tempting to say that my business is unrelated to nature, very few companies can function in complete isolation from ecosystems, and it is becoming more expensive to keep problems away and pay off rather than address root issues.

He highlights that forward-thinking businesses are already integrating nature and climate strategies and that ready-to-use resources are available to help companies design meaningful plans and outline required steps.

A practical tool he recommends is the LEAP framework, a four-step practical process set out by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, which stands for Locate, Evaluate, Assess and Prepare.

It starts by locating the company`s direct and indirect interface with nature and biodiversity, then evaluates nature-related impacts and dependencies from the business model and activities, assesses related risks and opportunities, and concludes by disclosing the findings in a report.

The next phase is to develop an integrated climate and nature transition plan with clear, actionable steps to achieve science-based targets in order to build resilience and contribute to a more sustainable economy.

Although it might all seem very logical, it is far from being the business-as-usual practice.

“Nature, in some quarters, continues to play second-order priority to climate change and other ESG topics, but in the main, it is rapidly rising on the agenda,”

shares Thomas.

He adds that "in general, leaders are familiar with nature-related issues but it is a challenge for them to prioritise, make it tangible and divert funding towards this area as it doesn`t seem to have the same urgency as addressing the climate crisis.”

Thomas Ball, Director Sustainable Futures KPMG in Ireland and Lead of the Nature, Biodiversity and Land Use service

“If you don`t consider nature in your decarbonisation process and take the services it provides for granted, you are missing something vital.”

He explains that driving finance into nature protection and restoration is critical.

"Investors should look for co-benefits for nature, climate and people. For example, it's important to plant the right trees in the right place to restore biodiversity, sequester carbon and provide amenity value to communities. This requires a landscape-scale approach and engaging local stakeholders in decision making is critical to that process."

It is also a question of positioning nature-related investments and business strategies to identify new potential growth areas.

Changing the optics on how acceptable it is to exploit or sideline nature could also spark change.

“You would not hear a company disclosing that modern slavery is just an inevitable consequence of running their business - they would know this is unacceptable and needed to be tackled immediately.

We need the same to happen for nature so a company knows that it is unacceptable for their business to be associated with deforestation in the Amazon or in biodiversity rich regions such as Borneo."

However, he notes that “The list of requirements and challenges for businesses is immense, and so many don’t have the capacity or personnel to take on what is regarded as a separate or less important issue.”

Education and collaboration are the key components Thomas thinks will be critical to making the necessary changes, especially in the field of connecting the finance sector with environmental conservationists, as they are generally very different communities.

Despite the challenges, some encouraging progress has been made in Ireland, such as the recent Citizen’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss or the publication of the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan in Ireland.

“The tone and scope of the conversation have changed, and there is more openness and willingness to learn and consider the importance of the topic. This has yet to translate into any radical shifts in how we do business in Ireland or globally, but we are starting to see some positive signs.”

We need to build up the skillset that allows people in various roles to understand business and nature alike so they can connect the dots and drive projects that integrate both.

A great example is building the Peatland Finance Ireland initiative that offers an innovative model for funding and rewarding peatland restoration while engaging multiple stakeholders in aligning the carbon, water and biodiversity agendas with opportunities for communities and regional development.

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Creating scents with a difference

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 14 May 2024 14:24:00 +0000

Creating scents with a difference

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Driving positive change can happen in every industry, and no drop is too small when it comes to sustainability.

When Benoit Nicole started his business, The Nature of Things, he was looking for key elements such as creating a line of essential oils that embody top-quality ingredients and care for the natural environment and local communities.

Building on over 20 years of experience in the perfume industry allowed him to learn from the best, know the pitfalls, and polish his senses to identify high-end raw materials and products.

Originally from the west of France, he spent decades in New York working for leading brands in the field, gathering insights on how essential oils are made, distributed or marketed for various user needs from the food industry to vitamin supplements and perfumes.

Benoit Nicole, Founder and CEO of The Nature of Things

“The best ‘noses’ in the business taught me how to smell, how oils can live together and how they can make you feel, while scientists and aromatherapists taught me the positive effects the oils can have on your health and well-being.”

He also witnessed how different strategies were built to ensure that brands were not only ahead of change but also driving change.

“In the mid-80s, sustainability was an emerging word that was not really considered in most business plans,” says Benoit.

He was inspired by other industry business leaders, like Aveeda, one of the pioneers in using organic materials.

“They pushed for organic certification before people even talked about sustainability and invested in suppliers to produce sustainably.”

He recalls that Aveeda`s founder once said, "The more we grow, the more impact we will have on the world, so it is my responsibility to ensure that we do this in a way that has a positive impact.”

After falling in love with an Irish girl and moving to Ireland in 2019, he decided it was time to put all his passion and learnings into creating his own line of essential oils that reflect his values and offer customers an extraordinary experience.

Right from the start, he understood sustainability is far too complex to be handled rigidly when it comes to managing suppliers.

“My approach is to have the best in class in my supply chain and work with distillers who care for the environment and the local community besides delivering quality materials.”

However, given that he sources ingredients from all corners of the world, such as Atlas Cedar from Morocco, Eucalyptus from Spain, Ylang Ylang from Madagascar, and Lavender from France, it is clear that a one-size-fits-all mindset won`t work.

Wherever applicable, he looks for organic and Fair Trade certificates. Still, suppliers need not be certified if their circumstances don`t allow them to.

"My extensive experience helps me decide which distillers are genuinely producing sustainable products.Visiting the sites and having conversations with owners and managers provides an opportunity to learn their true nature of business and their unique way of managing land, processes, and people.”

Instead of forcing certifications, Benoit takes the time to truly engage with suppliers, whether in person or remotely, and dig deep enough to get an overall picture of their business using different sources of information.

"For instance, if they don`t have Fair Trade, how can they offer similar assurances, like fair wages? How do they manage people who work in the fields?

All these aspects help me understand the complex system they have in place for farming the whole year round.”

He adds that these suppliers typically run smaller operations, so no big corporate policies would apply, making adapting other evaluations more sense.

Benoit explains that in these cases, looking at the environmental impact in terms of energy, water, farming practices, alternatives for pesticides like organic fertiliser, or basic solutions like plants that repel bugs can be more meaningful than being certified.

Besides managing the supply chain, he also pays attention to running a conscious company, using paper or glass packaging or higher-quality plastic that can be better recycled while minimising its impact through logistics and other operational areas.

“Although about 90 per cent of our sales are to retail, we receive enquiries from our customers asking for more information on our ingredients and sourcing regarding sustainability, which clearly shows an interest in these areas. They even send back bottles to be reused.”

He adds that The Nature of Things is a small company, so they aim to focus on the most relevant areas to minimise their environmental impact.

“I like to think that we are successful and will be successful in the future because we are going for top quality and sustainability."

To him, sustainability also means profitability, so they can be fair with suppliers and partners. Their branding and visuals reflect Benoit's love for art and his desire to present their products in a way that amplifies their natural approach and inspires customers.

To lead by example, The Nature of Things is a certified member of the Irish Organic Association and also a member of 1% For the Planet, which means that 1% of their total revenues every year is donated to support environmental causes.

“This is close to my heart, and customers and retailers know that they are contributing a little bit to a good cause.”

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Harmonising nature, science, and consciousness

Bronagh Loughlin — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:28:54 +0000

Harmonising nature, science, and consciousness

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The beauty industry impacts the planet in a multitude of ways.

Plastic Soup researchers analysed the ingredients in more than 7,000 beauty products and discovered that just 13 per cent were free from microplastics. Additionally, experts have discovered around 70 per cent of beauty products contain some element of palm oil, contributing to staggering deforestation around our planet.

With all this in mind, it is no surprise there have been calls for the beauty industry to go green, and the number of responsible beauty brands is growing.

Niamh Hogan, Creator and CEO of Holos Skincare, explains what inspired her to set up this innovative business:

“After years working as a Holistic Therapist and using plant oils and essential oils on clients and seeing the subtle benefits of these ingredients on their well-being, I wondered how I could encourage people to use these ingredients in everyday life."

Holos Skincare is a European brand produced in the South East of Ireland.

It is made with plant ingredients containing vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and antioxidants, alongside scientifically proven plant actives, chosen carefully with the environment and sustainability at the fore of all they do.

Niamh Hogan, Creator and CEO of Holos Skincare

Niamh says that while they have sustainability at the heart of what they do, their main focus is always about improving the life of the consumer.

"When customers buy Holos Skincare, they get results due to the innovative ingredients we use, and they are secure in the knowledge they are making a more eco-conscious choice when it comes to skincare.”

Speaking on why it was so important for her to embed sustainability into her brand, Niamh says: “From the beginning, it was a top priority to create a brand that could provide value but not at the sacrifice of the environment.

Each decision we make has sustainability at its core, from the ingredients we use, the suppliers we work with, the materials we use for packaging and how we conduct our everyday business.

We use glass and aluminium in most of our packaging and paper-only components for shipping."

She adds that they hand-produce products, so there is minimal energy use, and they are also vegan and cruelty-free.

"However, it doesn’t end there because we are always looking for solutions to become an even more sustainable choice for our customers.”

Sustainability is at the heart of Holos Skincare besides creating high-quality product. Image: Holos Skincare

As the green beauty and clean beauty movements continue to grow and gain momentum, it is no surprise we are seeing more brands adopting these practices to try and secure a greener future for the beauty sector.

Niamh reflects on this:

“To be successful as a beauty brand, you will not survive on sustainability alone. At the end of the day, whether you have sustainability at your core or not, if the product does not live up to the needs of the customer, it won’t be successful.”

Niamh assures that when customers shop for skincare products, they will still choose brands without an eco-focus if the products are effective.

She says: “While we have sustainability at the heart of what we do, our main focus is always about improving the life of the consumer. When customers buy Holos Skincare, they get results due to the innovative ingredients we use, and they are secure in the knowledge they are making a more eco-conscious choice when it comes to skincare.”

Niamh shares that there is a huge divide in the skincare space between what is considered ‘natural’, ‘green and ‘eco’ skincare and skincare, which is known as cosmeceutical, which is scientifically proven to benefit the skin.

She says: “Consumers usually choose one over the other based on their own needs.

Some value making an ethical choice, but when it comes to skincare, more value results. It is seldom that the two sides of skincare meet.

At Holos, we bridge the gap between ‘natural, green’ skincare and ‘cosmeceutical’ skincare. With this in mind, the consumer is no longer forced to make a choice because they get both - results and ethics.”

Whilst Holos Skincare advocates sustainability and has embedded numerous purpose-driven initiatives, they are always learning and looking for ways to improve.

Just as the phrase ‘green beauty’ is on the rise, ‘clean beauty’ has also become a trend over the past few years.

Niamh says: “Clean beauty is not a term I like. I view it as another marketing buzzword rather than focusing on what amazing ingredients a product contains. Instead, it focuses on what it doesn’t contain and using the word ‘clean’ implies other brands are somehow dirty.”

Speaking on the latest sustainability trends within the beauty industry and what she hopes will stick, Niamh shares: “Packaging is something brands are starting to look at, and the industry is obsessed with packaging.

There is huge competition to look better than the next brand, but if you go all out on packaging and your product is only mediocre, the customer won’t repurchase your products.”

She adds: “Refill isn’t a safe option for skincare, but it is a good move away from plastic for other wash and hygiene products.

Ultimately, there is a lot of greenwashing within the industry, with big brands trying to hop on the trend of being more natural, green, or eco-friendly.”

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Healthcare innovation for safety and sustainability

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 14:05:07 +0000

Healthcare innovation for safety and sustainability

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Responsible Innovation

When you enter a hospital, you expect immaculate cleanness and high levels of hygiene.

In spite of the best efforts of medical facilities to meet this expectation, one of the most often overlooked elements is the mattresses on which patients are lying.

While you are waiting to be treated or, in the best-case scenario, on the way to recovery, you wouldn`t think of getting infected by spending most of your time in bed.

Michael Sullivan, Founder and CEO of NUA Medical, shines a light on the fact that one in five people contract healthcare-related infections during their stay in hospitals or other care facilities.

He explains that due to extra pressure, limited blood flow and specific microclimate around the skin, patients are more likely to face some unwanted consequences of lying on foam mattresses used by health institutions.

Michael adds:

“The cleaning process of foam mattresses is not adequate for the 21st century, and foam and bacteria go well together. Typically, they are inspected visually and wiped out to clear them, which leads to low infection control.”

Michael Sullivan, Founder and CEO of NUA Medical

He notes that besides the medical aspects, foam mattresses are adding to the growing waste problem since they cannot be recycled, and 60% of them are thrown out after the first use.

About 120 foam mattresses are dumped into landfills weekly in Ireland, which is equivalent to approximately 6000 items annually - equal to the height of Carrantuohill, the highest mountain in Ireland at 1,038.6 metres - causing 230 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

As an engineer with over 25 years of experience working in the healthcare industry researching, designing, manufacturing and distributing cutting-edge pressure relief products, he decided to challenge the status quo.

“We are born on foam and die on foam. But it is a dirty product. Would you lie down and sleep on a mattress that has been used by sick people before you? Normally, you wouldn`t.”

He searched for a better alternative and came up with the NEST® innovative product line designed to prevent and treat pressure ulcers and injuries. It can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and made of 100% recyclable material.

"A very important aspect of our success has been the strategy of listening to medical professionals in Ireland, the EU and the US who provided us with insight and advice that we took back to the laboratory test centres and beta customers that allowed us to fast track the end product.”

The NEST® innovative product line was designed to prevent and treat pressure ulcers and injuries. It can be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and made of 100% recyclable material. Image: NUA Medical

The first prototype of the mattress came out in 2018, and their current medical pressure relieving mattress and cushion solutions were launched early in 2022. Their products combine three key factors: pressure relief, infection control and minimal environmental impact.

Considering its features, it seems like the ideal solution to reduce the risk of healthcare associated infections and be kinder to the environment, but getting institutions to switch from the traditional approach has been an uphill battle.

“We needed hard evidence to change the system and have a strong business case to convince decision-makers,” Michael shares, emphasising that a mindset shift is essential.

Putting sustainability on the procurement criteria list is one of the essential steps that can level the playing field for businesses like NUA Medical to thrive and bring forward innovative and sustainable solutions.

“A big win for us was when HSE understood the benefits of making changes in their system. However, we had to convince them that by choosing an alternative, they could save money and save the planet.

Environmental factors might not be the top priority for these organisations, but with recent EU and national regulations, carbon management has become an issue.”

Since the NEST® mattress production means 70% less carbon emissions compared to traditional mattresses and is fully recyclable, it makes it a more conscious choice for achieving carbon reduction targets.

After HSE adopted changes in its procurement guidelines, Michael and his team won a game-changing contract to become a supplier to the Children`s Hospital in Dublin.

It was a special moment for him as he also has kids and can easily relate to the challenges families must face at the hospital.

“Knowing that we are here helping prevent infections on top of their hassle is an extraordinary added value to what we are doing.”

But to move towards their mission, their solution needed to be backed with a robust business case.

“Once decision-makers replace short-term goals with long-term benefits, that`s when sustainable products stand a better chance on the market. Of course, you need to have an ironclad business model that proves its worth.”

Michael adds that it is not an easy road, so you must have passion besides professional skills.

He is committed to banishing foam mattresses for good from healthcare facilities, saying that besides their efforts to prove their points, authorities need to go beyond guidelines and change legislation.

Now, they are looking at opportunities to expand their business in Ireland and internationally, raising awareness and making a positive impact on patients' lives and the environment.

Headline image: Canva

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