AIB Win Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Business Impact Awards

AIB was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Business Impact Award at Chambers Ireland’s Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2020, held this afternoon as a Virtual Ceremony that participants were able to watch online.

By demonstrating CSR practices of the highest standard, while at the same time committing to implementing more sustainable business practices, AIB received the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland said,

“Congratulations to AIB and the winners of the fourteen Sustainable Business Impact award categories, whom we recognise for their achievements. Against the incredibly challenging circumstances we are all collectively adapting to, businesses continue to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in sustainable practices.

Thanks also to everyone tuning in online to view this year’s Virtual Ceremony for the Awards, which we held as a precaution to ensure everyone’s health and safety at this time.

We hope that this year’s first iteration of the Sustainable Business Impact Awards will mark a launchpad for encouraging much wider recognition and active engagement with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the SDGs, among all businesses nationally in achieving true social and business impact.

The Awards coincide with the fifth anniversary of the launch of the SDGs. The Goals themselves, which aim for deep, wide-ranging change to address inequality and build more sustainable communities worldwide are naturally ambitious, however it is through collective action and widespread cooperation across different sectors of business and society that we can strive to meet these targets over time.”

This first Awards ceremony of the Sustainable Business Impact Awards, formerly the CSR Awards, was run in association with the Department of Rural and Community Development, partnered with Business in the Community Ireland and kindly sponsored by BAM Ireland.

One4all sponsored the Excellence in Workplace Awards. Each winner was presented with a specially commissioned trophy designed by Waterford Crystal.

 

Joe O’Brien T.D., Minister of State for Community Development and Charities, said,

“I’m very pleased to support Chambers Ireland’s Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2020. These awards highlight and celebrate best practice Corporate Social Responsibility in businesses. I am delighted to see so many businesses continuing to integrate Corporate Social Responsibility into their operations.

We are fortunate in having a strong history of community involvement in Ireland and these projects demonstrate the commitment of our businesses to our communities. The principles of Corporate Social Responsibility reinforce those of my Department and improve the power of collaboration between business and community.”

 

Commenting on the Awards, Theo Cullinane, BAM Ireland Chief Executive said,

“Congratulations to AIB and everyone involved in the 2020 Sustainable Business Impact Awards. It is inspiring that the awards are championing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These enhanced awards recognise and celebrate the innovative initiatives undertaken by Irish businesses, large and small for a sustainable future and BAM are delighted to be involved once again.”

 

Tomás Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland said,

“The global pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of our society and environment and is challenging the resilience of business. As we look to build new systems, it is critical that sustainability, inclusion and transparency remain as key elements of the business models of businesses. Sustainability in 2020 has moved to the mainstream and we must all work together to ensure an inclusive and low carbon Ireland.”

 

-ENDS- 

For further information contact Gabriel Doran, Communications and Media Executive on gabriel.doran@chambers.ie
or phone 01 400 4331, 086 608 1605

 

Further Notes

The full list of winners for the Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2020 is below.

 

LIC – Large Indigenous Company

 

MNC– Multinational Company

 

Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Business Impact

AIB

 

Excellence in CSR Communication

Lidl Ireland for their project ‘Lidl More for Youth – Jigsaw/Lidl Listen Campaign’

Since 2018, through their ‘A Better Tomorrow’ initiative, Lidl have partnered with Jigsaw – the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, pledging to fundraise €1million and build awareness for youth mental health.

 

Excellence in Community – Partnership with Charity – LIC

A&L Goodbody for their project ‘Supporting life after torture with Spirasi’

A&L Goodbody (ALG) partners with Spirasi, the centre of care for survivors of torture to undertake legal reviews of medical legal reports.

 

Excellence in Community – Partnership with Charity – MNC

KBC Bank for their project ‘Skills – Sharing for Impact’

In early 2019, KBC and Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) formed a partnership, identifying areas where they could learn from one and another while helping to grow and expand their operations. For KBC, this was a focus on service delivery and supporting vulnerable customers. For ASI, this was about growing awareness on social media and to reach a wider audience.

 

Excellence in Community – Volunteering – LIC

A&L Goodbody for their project ‘Supporting housing rights and homelessness through free legal assistance’

Partnered with Mercy Law Resource Centre and Focus Ireland, A&L Goodbody lawyers attend an out-reach clinic every Wednesday afternoon to support individuals and families experiencing homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

 

Excellence in Community – Volunteering – MNC

IBM Ireland and Cisco Ireland for their project ‘ICU FamilyLink’

Patients in University Hospital Galway’s ICU are using specially adapted video conferencing technology, known as ICU FamilyLink, to communicate with family and clinical teams due to visiting restrictions brought about by Covid-19. The technology and equipment was donated by Cisco in Oranmore and a team of IBM volunteers are on call to provide technical support to families using the service.

 

Excellence in Community – Community Programme – LIC

An Post for their project ‘Address Point’

An Post, Ireland’s national postal service, created ‘Address Point’, a free, anonymous nationwide service that provides a fixed address to those without a fixed home. It enables the growing homeless community of Ireland to receive regular post, be identifiable via an address and access essential services by creating a fixed proxy address at local post offices.

 

Excellence in Community – Community Programme – MNC

Microsoft Ireland for their project ‘DreamSpace’

Microsoft developed its innovative digital skills experience, DreamSpace, through which the company aims to provide 100,000 primary and secondary schools students and teachers with the opportunity to interact with technology.

 

Excellence in Environment – LIC – sponsored by EPA

AIB for their project ‘AIB’s Energy and Environmental Plan to enable Sustainable Communities’

AIB is addressing the issues of access to finance (establishing a €5bn Climate Fund for climate related and green products over the next five years) and stimulating demand to meet Ireland’s climate action goals.

 

Excellence in Environment – MNC – sponsored by EPA

Tesco Ireland for their project ‘Reducing our carbon footprint at Tesco’

In 2017, Tesco announced science-based climate change targets covering its operations and supply chain. It became the first business globally to set climate change ambitions for its operations, in line with the 1.5-degree trajectory recommended in the Paris Climate Accord.

 

Excellence in Workplace – LIC – sponsored by One4all

SOLAS for their project ‘SOLAS Workplace Choir’

SOLAS Workplace Choir was established in 2018 with the aim of improving employee wellbeing and to offer staff members an alternative form of mindfulness.

Since then, it has formed a partnership with Mountjoy Prison’s ‘Inhouse Voices’ choir. The two choirs came together to perform at #TEDxMountjoyPrison. This performance started a relationship which resulted in the release of a Christmas album, raising over €15,000 for Dublin Simon Community.

 

Excellence in Workplace – MNC – sponsored by One4all

Diageo Ireland for their project ‘Six months paid parental leave for all Irish employees’

In 2019, Diageo introduced 26-weeks paid parental leave for new parents, becoming the first employer in Ireland to do so. The policy applies regardless of gender, sexual orientation or whether employees become parents biologically, via adoption or surrogacy.

 

Excellence in Marketplace

Tesco Ireland for their project ‘Project Unwrapped: Working with our suppliers to reduce plastic packaging’

Tesco has been working hard to reduce the use of plastics through working with suppliers to minimise packaging on its own label products and has made key commitments, including making all their packaging fully recyclable by 2025, ensuring all paper and cardboard used will be 100% sustainable by 2025 and halving their packaging weight by 2025.

 

Excellence in CSR by an SME

Tico Mail Works for their project ‘Tico Mail Works Sustainable CSR Program’

Tico Mail Works Renewable Electricty Electic Car to Work scheme provides a mechanism for all Tico Mail Works staff to own an electric vehicle and drive it using renewable energy. The scheme is cost free to the company. The scheme benefits the company as it reduces its carbon footprint, helps to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, supports employee retention and improves the company’s image.

 

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion

VMware Ireland for their project ‘VMinclusion Ireland – Resilience and Disability Program’

VMware Ireland’s Resilience and Disability program seeks to build resilience among their workforce and to create an accessible, supportive and open environment where VMware Ireland employees can bring their authentic selves to work and have that diversity celebrated and supported.

Judging Panels

The independent judging panel is made up of respected individuals working in various fields. The panel act independently at all times.

 

For further information on the Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2020, click here.