Enable sustainability

Ireland has set world leading targets to halve Green House Gases (GHG's) emissions this decade and establish a net zero circular economy by 2050. This transitions Ireland away from fossil fuels, resource inefficiency and carbon intensive activities, and is both an environmental and economic imperative. In a world where investment, talent, and consumers increasingly follow environmental sustainability, the transition has become a question of business value and industrial competitiveness.

Founders in Ireland are committed to this endeavour with many introducing sustainability strategies within their organisations. The transition itself is also fertile ground for founders to be innovative and bring forward transformative and disruptive technologies and services to support this global effort. It is critical that Ireland’s founder's ecosystem helps businesses take advantage of these commercial opportunities and grow and scale in a sustainable way.

Our Recommendations:

Incentivise businesses to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Provide businesses with effective financial and advisory support to invest in energy efficient practices and equipment and renewable energy. Government can achieve this by strengthening existing SEAI schemes and services, and introducing new net zero super deduction whereby accelerated capital allowances would be increased to 130% of capital outlay including other costs such as retrofitting.
Enable Irish founders to become leaders in resource efficiency, circular design, and engineering. Develop new incentives, advisory services, and financial supports to help businesses adopt circular design practices, use circular and recycled materials, and roll out innovative products and services that can support the move away from the take-make-waste linear economy.
Support businesses to develop best in class sustainability/ESG strategies and disclosure regimes. Strengthen financial and advisory supports for founder-led enterprises to develop sustainability strategies in line with emerging reporting legislation, industry best practice, and growing stakeholder demands.
Enable businesses to prioritise their ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) agenda. Offer grants and financial incentives to founder-led organisations to encourage them to adopt and prioritise sustainable businesses practises and enhance their ESG performance in line with mandatory reporting standards.
Promote the procurement of innovative green, circular, and sustainable products and services. Selling to the public sector is an important channel for Irish business. The publication of the national Green Public Procurement Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2027 is a start. Government must have ongoing engagement with the marketplace. SMEs must the opportunity to meet with key decision-makers on innovative products and services. Innovation is to be championed, as well as achieving consistency between green public procurement policy and SME access to public contracts.
Enhance efforts to up-skill and educate the workforce in sustainable business practices. Government and state agencies should promote the development of skills in sustainability to meet future demand and guarantee proficiency and expertise in key areas such as research and development (R&D), green procurement, regulatory compliance, circular practices and associated best practice.