Excellence in CSR Practices Can Help Attract Foreign Direct Investment

CSR Awards 2016 Shortlist Announced Today

Chambers Ireland today (13^th July 2016) announced the shortlist for the 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. The Awards, now in their thirteenth year, celebrate the positive work done by the business community for the benefit of their employees, the local community and the environment. The Awards are partnered with Business in the Community Ireland, sponsored by BAM Ireland and run in association with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Announcing the shortlist, Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland Chief Executive said: “The exceptionally strong and diverse applications for this year’s CSR Awards is a reflection of just how important a contribution the business community makes to wider Irish society. This year the Awards focus on how the business community can play their part in meeting some of major challenges facing Irish society today, such as youth unemployment. Ireland has the opportunity to become an international Centre of CSR Excellence and attract inward investment from multinational companies that recognise the importance of being a socially responsible business. We are immensely proud that the CSR Awards showcases the excellent work that is taking place in the Irish business community and I would like to wish all on the shortlist the best of luck.”

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Simon Coveney, T.D., continued by acknowledging the important role that Corporate Social Responsibility has to play in the development of innovative and effective ways to address social needs, and in supporting dynamic individuals and groups working to develop our communities: “The Corporate Social Responsibility Awards programme run by Chambers Ireland is an important acknowledgement of the pivotal work being carried out by indigenous and multinational companies to improve the lives of their employees and to enhance the civic environment in which they operate” Minister Coveney said. “My Department is very pleased to support these awards, this demonstrates in a very practical way how Government continues to assist with the development of CSR.”

Tina Roche, CEO of Business in the Community Ireland added, “Business in the Community Ireland, as the network for Corporate Responsibility, congratulates all the shortlisted companies. With the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and the renewed focus of business on the importance of sustainability, these awards act as a showcase of best practice and should inspire other companies to follow suit. Employees, especially millennials, want to work for purpose driven companies and expect their employers to act in a sustainable and responsible manner. From our experience, companies know that CSR is no longer a nice to have but instead is crucial to the long term survival of business. Best of luck to all the shortlisted companies.”

Theo Cullinane, Chief Executive BAM Ireland, said: “BAM has sponsored the CSR Awards over the past five years now, and it has been very encouraging to see how the number and quality of submissions has grown in that period. This is reflected in the increase in the number of Irish companies placing CSR at the heart of their business, which has been a core tenet for BAM for many years. As a construction business operating right across Ireland, we believe that it is our responsibility to minimise our impact on the environment, develop sustainable solutions, and invest in communities. I want to congratulate the organisations that have made the shortlist, which is a major achievement in itself, and wish them the best of luck with their entries in the competition.”

Awards will be presented for Excellence in Community (sub-divided into Partnership with Charity, Community Programme and Volunteering), Supporting Youth Employment, Environment, Marketplace, Workplace, Communication, and CSR by an SME. One company will also be presented with the Outstanding Achievement in CSR Award at the ceremony in the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4 on Thursday 1st September.

-Ends-

For further information contact Susan McDermott, Chambers Ireland on 01 400 4319, 086 6081605 or email susan.mcdermott@www.chambers.ie

Notes to Editor

Complete 2016 Shortlist

Excellence in CSR Communication

Boots Ireland – Driving employee engagement and awareness of CSR through greater internal communication
ESB – Communicating the impact of ESB’s Energy for Generations Fund
KPMG – KPMG’s “Our CSR Story”
Three Ireland – “Together We Can Tackle Homelessness” Leveraging Three’s sponsorship of the Irish Rugby Team to support Focus Ireland

Excellence in Community – Partnership with Charity – LIC

Bank of Ireland – Be Our Inspiration – Bank of Ireland & Barnardos
Bon Secours Hospital Cork – Social Skills App for Children with Autism
Datapac – Transforming technology services for Barretstown

Excellence in Community – Partnership with Charity – MNC

Boots Ireland – Boots Ireland in partnership with the Irish Cancer Society
Boston Scientific – Charity Partnership across three Boston Scientific sites in Ireland
Heineken Ireland – Heineken Ireland and Cork Simon Aftercare Programme
Lidl Ireland – Lidl’s CSR Programme
Tesco Ireland – Tesco Ireland raising funds for Temple Street
Three Ireland – Three’s Strategic Corporate Charity Partnership with An Cosán Virtual Community College

Excellence in Community – Community Programme – LIC

Bank of Ireland – Enterprise Town “Working together to support local communities”
DPS – DPS CSR Student Support Programme
Laya Healthcare – Super Troopers with Laya Healthcare

Excellence in Community – Community Programme – MNC

KBC Bank Ireland – Bright ideas
Microsoft – Tech4Good
Oracle Ireland – Mission Employment

Excellence in Community – Volunteering – LIC

Arthur Cox – Raising Standards of Living in Zambian Communities – The Arthur Cox Zambia Project (“ACZP”)
PM Group – PM Group’s “Building” Partnerships Initiative
Trinity College Dublin – Trinity Access 21

Excellence in Community – Volunteering – MNC

Abbott Ireland – Abbott Ireland: sharing our talent, experiences and resources in our local communities
Eli Lilly – Eli Lilly Day of Service
Oracle – Sales Skills for Community and Voluntary (C&V) sector: A master class in sales and professional mentoring
SSE Airtricity – SSE Airtricity Be the Difference volunteering programme
Three Ireland – Employee Skills Volunteering for Virtual Community College

Excellence in Environment – LIC – Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency

daa – daa travelling towards Sustainability
Dawn Meats – Carroll’s Cross – Resource Management Excellence
ESB – ESB Tree Week
Roadbridge – Roadbridge Energy Management Programme

Excellence in Environment – MNC– Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency

Abbott Ireland – Abbott’s journey to achieving 2020 environmental goals
IBM Ireland – IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Dublin
Tesco Ireland – Reducing carbon emissions and helping those in need through food waste donations at Tesco Ireland

Excellence in Marketplace

A& L Goodbody – A& L Goodbody collaborative project with the Irish Refugee Council’s Independent Law Centre
Arthur Cox – Helping to Change Irish Legisation on Human Rights Around Immigration – Arthur Cox and the Immigrant Council of Ireland
KPMG – KPMG supports Going for Growth

Excellence in Workplace – LIC

Arthur Cox – Festering a culture of shared parenting for employees – Arthur Cox introduces Ireland’s first Shared Parenting Leave Policy
Bank of Ireland – Be at your Best – Bank of Ireland’s Workplace Wellbeing Programme
ESB – Maternity Positive Programme
Eversheds – Workplace Wellbeing Initiative
KPMG – Ignite – Empowering Young Women

Excellence in Workplace – MNC

AbbVie – The Abbvie Ballytivnan Culture Teams
Lidl Ireland/Lidl Northern Ireland – We are Lidl
PayPal – Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
Zurich Insurance plc – Zurich Wellbeing Matters

Excellence in Supporting Youth Employment

Diageo Ireland – Diageo Learning for Life
ESB – ESB Apprenticeship Programme
Mergon International – Building for the Future at Mergon International
Microsoft – Youth2Work
Zurich Insurance plc – Zurich Youth Activation

Excellence in CSR by an SME

Carey Building Contractors – Implementation of resource efficiency strategies
Collins McNicholas – 750km completed over 3 years in aid of Pieta House
Earth’s Edge – Kilimanjaro Equipment Lending Programme
John Cradock Ltd – Homeless Care – supporting young adults exiting the state care system in Kildare
Three Q PERMS & TEMPS – The Business of CSR in our Business

*LIC – Large Indigenous Company

*MNC – Multinational Company

Judging Panels

The independent judging panel is made up of respected individuals working in various fields. The panel act independently at all times. This year’s judging panel is as follows:

John Cunningham, is Chair of the judging process

Round 1 Judging Panel

Pauline McKiernan, Sustainability and Community Affairs at Ulster Bank
Sheila Killian, Director, Principles for Responsible Management Education, University of Limerick
Niall Hayden, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
Nancy Brown, Lecturer in Management Development, University of Ulster
Catherine Heaney, Founder and Managing Director, DHR Communications

Round Two Judging Panel

Tomás Sercovich, External Relations Director, Forética
Martin Tobin, Chief Executive Officer, European Recycling Platform (ERP) Ireland
Éilis Murray, Executive Director, Philanthropy Ireland
Deirdre Mortell, CEO Social Innovation Fund
Deirdre Kearney, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Nina Arwitz, CEO Volunteer Ireland
Maura Quinn, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors
Prof. Rosa Chun, Chair in Global Leadership, Reputation and Responsibility, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.