To be Guaranteed Irish a business must take sustainability seriously

Sustainability is no longer a “nice to have” – by now most organisations are on a quest to achieve meaningful sustainability across all aspects of their business. And businesses that have been awarded the Guaranteed Irish symbol are already at least part of the way there, says Clemence Jamet, Guaranteed Irish head of sustainability.

“As sustainability continues to gain prominence in consumer preferences and regulatory requirements, Guaranteed Irish’s emphasis on this aspect strengthens its appeal and relevance to its members,” she says.

Guaranteed Irish promotes sustainability awareness and aims to increase sustainable practices among its members. The organisation is aligned with the goals set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Every member business is appraised on its commitment to jobs, community, provenance, and, since 2022, the environment.

“Our members have steadfastly adhered to the highest social and governance criteria for the past 50 years, a testament to our belief that Guaranteed Irish has the ability to effect positive change in the communities in which we live,” says Jamet.

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To help companies fulfil sustainability criteria, Guaranteed Irish provides resources and initiatives. These include guidance on sustainable business practices, promoting best practice and invitations to attend industry forums, which often include sustainability themes and experts. In 2022 Guaranteed Irish designed a Sustainability Guide exclusively for members.

Member feedback on the organisation’s sustainability efforts has been overwhelmingly positive, Jamet says.

“Our members appreciate the support and resources provided to help them enhance their sustainability practices,” she says.

The buy-in has been significant, she adds. Last year 52 per cent of Guaranteed Irish member businesses had a sustainability strategy in place – Jamet expects considerably more to do so in 2024.

SuperValu is one of those businesses, with an ambitious sustainability strategy that is already showing real results. Ray Kelly, marketing director with SuperValu and Centra, says the network of SuperValu retailers is making strides to reach net zero by 2040.

“Our retailers have shown real passion and enthusiasm to continue to lead by example and implement sustainability measures across their supermarket and convenience stores,” he says. “We are on track and are seeing constant efficiencies and improvements being made across our retail network.”

These include an estimated reduction of 12 per cent in carbon emissions over the past two years and achieving 96 per cent of SuperValu’s own-brand packaging being recyclable, reusable or compostable – the target is 100 per cent by 2025.

“Over 90 per cent of our stores have LED lighting and 100 per cent will be installed by 2025. And by 2025 more than three-quarters of stores will have doors on their refrigeration,” adds Kelly.

A 50 per cent reduction in food waste is on track and the retailer has introduced hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel across its transport fleet.

“As the largest community retailer in Ireland, SuperValu is in a unique position to drive real action with our strong shopper base who, we know, care and want to take action,” Kelly says. “It’s up to us to make it easy for our customers as we want to make a rea, lasting legacy for generations to come and be a leader on climate action.”

Kelly says SuperValu is committed to collaborating with Guaranteed Irish to drive this agenda forward.

“One of our primary objectives is to ensure that our customers are given the opportunity to support a range of local producers through the array of Irish products on our shelves,” he explains. “By supporting Irish suppliers we’re supporting local economies and enabling jobs, while also helping our customers in their endeavours to lead a more sustainable life.”

Restoring biodiversity to Ireland’s marine coastline and planting trees are key projects for Watermark Coffee, a Dublin-based coffee company owned and managed by Marguerite and David Lawlor. Green Ocean Coffee was launched last year and Woodland Coffee in 2020, which fund marine and woodland projects respectively.

“The idea behind these two brands is to enable our customer base to support worthwhile, authentic environmental action that tackles climate challenges in Ireland,” says David Lawlor. “To date we have planted 27,000 trees in our Co Limerick woodland, we have restored 2,000 sqm of seabed in Clew Bay and also started a 15-20 year project to reintroduce the native Irish oyster back into Dublin Bay.”

Watermark Coffee has more than 1,800 customers, supplying coffee equipment to offices, restaurants and cafes across Ireland, as well as selling coffee for private consumption on their website. Its coffees are all sustainably sourced, direct from the coffee farmers, and roasted in Ireland, Lawlor adds.

“Our Irish providence is a very important aspect of our brands, from the coffees that we produce to the projects we are involved in,” he says.

And sustainability does not require any compromise on taste – Watermark took home gold, silver and bronze in the two coffee categories at the 2023 Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards.

“It is a real privilege to combine two passions, great coffee with inspirational environmental projects as part of our daily life,” Lawlor says. “For us, being involved with Guaranteed Irish fits like a glove.”

Building supplier Kilsaran has endeavoured to operate as a responsible business since its foundation in 1964, says Ken Mulkerrins, group head of innovation and sustainability. A pivotal moment for the business came in 2022 when it embarked on creating a “structured, documented and functional” environmental, social and governance (ESG) model centred on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“This strategy has helped shape and accelerate a new era of growth for us that is both sustainable and inclusive,” Mulkerrins explains. “We have since calculated our [Greenhouse Gas Protocol] scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the entire group and had these independently verified. And for scope 1 and 2 an intensity reduction target of 37 per cent has now been set.

“Since 2017 we have reduced our fleet fuel consumption by 22 litres per tonne of product carried and more than 80 per cent of our waste is now recycled.”

The group has not been afraid to spend on innovations to help it meet its sustainability goals – for example, a significant investment in the drying process of its dry mortar business has reduced operational CO2 emissions by 45 per cent, while the development of warm-mix asphalt reduced carbon-related emissions of asphalt products by as much as a quarter.

“We know that populations are growing and so too is the need for housing, infrastructure and the creation of healthy communities,” says Mulkerrins. “Therefore, as a manufacturer of construction materials, we must be in a position to offer the industry greener, lower-carbon and more ethically produced alternatives.

“Being a member of the Guaranteed Irish family demonstrates to our clients that Kilsaran, as an Irish family-owned business, is invested in making Ireland a more sustainable country on all fronts.”

Another Guaranteed Irish business making a difference is Down2Earth Materials, a supplier of sustainable catering disposables, including fully compostable coffee cups.

“Since our beginning in 2009 we have strived to have the highest level of certification on our products, all of which are made from sustainable materials,” says Olan Hodnett, Down2Earth marketing manager. “This fits our ethos of providing our customers with the best sustainable choices and gives consumers the confidence and trust that the products they are using are genuinely eco friendly.”

The business also strives to practise what it preaches, adds Hodnett, and has been recognised for this, having previously been recognised for Excellence in Waste Management in the Green Awards and won the Repak Sustainable Packaging Award.

“Guaranteed Irish has helped with this by awarding us with the coveted G symbol that recognises that our company supports sustainable jobs, we contribute to the local community and economy and are committed to Irish provenance,” she says.

“GI have also provided us the opportunity to showcase our business to other sustainably minded companies through their various networking and industry events.”

As Guaranteed Irish has evolved, it has become something of a byword for sustainability. Jamet points out that 94 per cent of consumers believe that by purchasing from firms with the Guaranteed Irish brand they are reducing their carbon footprint.

“By supporting businesses that sustain jobs and give back to their communities, Guaranteed Irish, for many, has come to define the true meaning of sustainability,” she says.

Spotlight on ... Davy and Matheson

Financial services company Davy and law firm Matheson are two Irish businesses that are talking the talk and walking the walk when it comes to sustainability. Not only have they devised ambitious sustainability strategies, but they regularly help their clients to achieve their own sustainability targets.

“At Davy we believe we can play a substantial role in the transition to a green economy, sitting, as we do, at the heart of wealth and capital in Ireland,” explains Rachael Morgan, head of strategy, brand and marketing with Davy.

The organisation devised a sustainability strategy in 2022 which provided the basis for a detailed five-year action plan. Morgan explains that priority actions in 2023 included capacity building on sustainability in business and financial services, raised sustainability awareness via thought leadership publications and events, and a switch to 100 per cent renewable energy sources and incorporation of ESG into procurement.

Transparency is key when it comes to sustainability, Morgan says.

“It is very important to be perceived as sustainable but even more important that that perception aligns with reality,” she says. “Our key stakeholders – our clients, our people, our shareholders and society at large – increasingly expect us to leverage our market influence to make a positive difference to what is a shared challenge.”

Being a member of Guaranteed Irish aligns neatly with this, says Morgan.

“Davy is an Irish firm with almost 100 years of heritage. While ESG challenges are global, solutions are driven locally. Guaranteed Irish helps to drive the agenda forward.”

Michael Jackson, Managing Partner at Matheson LLP, explains that the law firm is committed to being an environmentally responsible service provider and employer. Sustainability permeates all its activity.

“We are consistently integrating ESG factors into the legal services we offer in order to address the complex challenges that clients are facing today,” says Jackson.

The Matheson Impactful Business Programme outlines the firm’s sustainability ambitions, he explains, by bringing together the company’s diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and arts activities into one dedicated programme.

Matheson also has a dedicated Environmental Sustainability Committee leading the implementation of environmental sustainability initiatives across the firm, which hopes to transition to net zero by 2030, and is currently implementing measures to further reduce its carbon footprint.

“Highlights from our journey to date include reducing our electricity consumption, with a 40 per cent reduction in consumption per employee in the last decade and a 46 per cent reduction in our electrical and gas consumption per employee since 2009,” says Jackson.

In 2022 Matheson launched CarbonCal, its carbon footprint tracker app, which allows employees to calculate their carbon footprint, find out achievable ways of cutting carbon and measure their reduction progress over time.

“As far as we are aware, the app is the first of its kind launched by an Irish law firm,” Jackson says. “Being part of the Guaranteed Irish membership community allows us to share ideas and benefit from the experiences of other members, which helps us to achieve our objectives.”