Business in the Community NI’s annual NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey results have been released at an event at Titanic Belfast attended by over 200 sustainability professionals.
Over 130 Northern Ireland organisations from a range of sectors declared the measures they take to improve the environment and their emissions. The findings are used to benchmark, measure progress, and drive improvements year-on-year.
Danske Bank achieved Platinum in the 2024 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey
Over 130 of Northern Ireland’s most sustainable organisations were revealed at an event to announce the results of the 2024 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey, organised by responsible business network Business in the Community (BITC). Danske Bank achieved Platinum Level for the seventh consecutive year.
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Kieran Harding, Managing Director, BITC said: “The Survey is a self-disclosure exercise that offers organisations a way to be externally assessed and scored on their environmental efforts and performance. Participating organisations have access to a Gap Analysis Report to help them to identify areas that need action and highlights where they are performing well, so it’s a comparison tool and real driver for improvement.”
Chris Martin, Head of Sustainability at Danske Bank added: “The way companies operate is increasingly under scrutiny from customers, employees, and society at large, particularly regarding their environmental impact. At Danske Bank, we embrace this challenge. Benchmarking against other leading organisations in Northern Ireland not only underscores our commitment but also showcases our achievements and identifies areas where we can enhance our sustainability efforts.”
132 NI-based organisations from sectors including: General Manufacturing; Local Authority; Education; Utilities; Construction; ICT; and Food and Drink took part in the Survey, with 39 organisations achieving coveted top Platinum level.
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Keelin McCone, Head of Environment, BITC said: “We can see that businesses in NI recognise that an increase in the likelihood of extreme weather events due to climate change poses significant challenges to operations, supply chains, and long-term financial stability.
“The Survey highlighted that at least 89 per cent of companies have identified climate risks to their business and just over half of organisations who took part in the Survey have mitigation plans in place.
“Biodiversity is being considered too, with 65 per cent of businesses reporting that they have taken action to improve their impacts by making biodiversity a fundamental element in their ESG strategy. They’re making a difference along the value chain too, by engaging with sub-contractors, the local community, and schools, to clean up local green areas, provide bird boxes, planters, soil and wildflower seeds.”
To download the full Report and see a full list of who participated, visit bitcni.org.uk/niebs.
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