Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) is the leading adviser on sustainability. For more than 20 years, its team of experts have advised the largest companies in Ireland on all aspects of sustainable business. Their purpose is to inspire and enable businesses to bring about a sustainable, low-carbon, more inclusive society where everyone thrives.
To celebrate 21 years, BITCI will host a webinar series, The Sustainability Revolution, from October 5th-7th. BITCI believes there is much more to be done to truly embed sustainability at the heart of businesses, and this series aims to be a steppingstone for action.
The event is free to attend for everyone interested in sustainability thanks to the support of BITCI Sustainability Revolution 2021’s sponsors, Abbott Laboratories, BT Ireland, Gas Networks Ireland, IBM Ireland, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland), KBC, Musgrave Group, Permanent TSB and Veolia, .
The challenges in driving sustainability
After more than 20 years promoting the CSR and sustainability agenda in Ireland, we can say that sustainability has become mainstream. While this sustainability explosion is welcome, the increase in sustainability activity has been met by increased cynicism, accusations of greenwashing or lack of authenticity.
The Sustainability Revolution will provide the insights needed to help sustain the business transformation required and address some of these challenges.
Four tips ahead of the event
- Apply long-term vision and integrated thinking
Business needs both. Sustainability can’t exist as a separate strategy from the main business plan. Companies need to revisit their purpose and vision and see how sustainability influences their business model and ways of working. A new type of leadership is required.
Revolutionary Leadership, Tuesday, 5 Oct, 11am-noon: Chief executives of leading businesses will reflect on what radical transformation means in a sector/company, What are the main hurdles to make a company truly sustainable? What does it mean to be a CEO of a company in constant change and transformation?
- Truly integrate sustainability in your business
Sustainability is everybody’s business. Having a sustainability expert is fundamental to embed social and environmental considerations. This expert coordinates initiatives, supports disclosure and engages with critical stakeholders. But for sustainability to succeed, it needs to be visible at the board level, it needs to be in the C-suite and the leadership team, and it requires champions at the level of divisions, teams and sites. Boards must take a role in defining the sustainability of the organisation and its business model.
Revolution in Action, Wednesday, 6 Oct, 11am-noon: Our team of experts will discuss how, in order to be revolutionary, sustainability must be integrated into a business strategy. The experts will also discuss the vital areas of human rights and biodiversity, and why business needs to take concrete action in these areas.
- Collaborate and partner
You can’t do it alone. If we want to really make change happen – and this is critical – then we need to collaborate and partner with like-minded companies and other stakeholders. We need to use the collective voice of business to generate systemic change that goes beyond the four walls of our organisations. On the second day of the series, we will also explore the BITCI campaigns and give updates on the Low Carbon Pledge and the Elevate-Inclusive Workplace Pledge.
- Be brave, be authentic
Sustainability is a journey of growth, learning, successes and sometimes failure. For sustainability to be credible and engaging, it must tell a story. PR and marketing are great tools, but winning the hearts and minds of investors, employees and customers also requires honesty and transparency.
Revolutionary Conversations, 7 Oct, 11am-noon: Are we having enough revolutionary conversations? NGOs, the media, and consumers are demanding more revolutionary action from business. With greenwashing in the spotlight and increasing calls for transparency from business when it comes to diversity and inclusion, in the final session on Thursday we will explore why we need diverse voices in order to drive change.
The time for action is now
Sustainable businesses won’t be successful and profitable if they operate in an ecosystem that does not align with the mounting urgency to address our fundamental social and environmental challenges.