Studies have shown that businesses that integrate ESG practices experience positive financial performance, highlighting how sustainability can be a key factor to business success.
With this in mind, Belfast waste management experts at BusinessWaste.co.uk analysed 76 cities across the UK to uncover which cities are the most sustainable places to operate a business and those that aren’t as eco-friendly.
How Northern Irish Cities Rank for Business Sustainability
Armagh took the top spot in Northern Ireland with a score of 50.50/100 for sustainability. The city is home to the best access to public transport in the country with 40.86 stops per square mile. Alongside this, the city is one of only two to have BREEAM certified office buildings with two in the city. Armagh’s recycling rates are also the second highest at 41.30%.
In second place is capital Belfast with a score of 44.06 out of 100. The city has 21 BREEAM certified buildings and the highest number of EV charging devices at 49.4 per 100,000 people. However, it falls behind Armagh on renewable energy capacity, public transport access, recycling rates and its business survival rates.
Bangor takes the third spot with a score of 42.69 out of 100. The city has the highest recycling rates at 53.80% and scores well for business survival at 45.90%.
How Each UK Region Performs for Business Sustainability
The research also uncovered that Wales has the highest average score of any region in the UK at 54.59/100. Meanwhile, the West Midlands had the lowest score at 34.96/100.
Further Findings:
Armagh ranks well across the whole UK, placing 11th out of 76 cities.
Newry ranks 12th from the bottom with a score of just 34.26 out of 100.
Across the whole UK, Cambridge takes first place and Southend-on-Sea sits at the bottom of the table.
More information can be found here.
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