BITCI launches Responsible Business Association
Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) today launched the Responsible Business Association, which is a collective movement by companies who are certified with the Business Working Responsibly Mark. This Association aims for transformative change to environmentally and socially responsible business models, focusing on leadership, knowledge sharing and support to the wider business eco-system in achieving sustainable impact.
The Association is open to those who have been certified with the Business Working Responsibly Mark (“The Mark”) which is Ireland’s Environmental, Economic, Social and Governance (EESG) standard. These companies are representative of Ireland’s most mature, ambitious and innovative businesses, focused on meeting and delivering the transformation needed to address the sustainability challenge. These companies demonstrate their leadership in sustainability by going above and beyond legal compliance.
Tomas Sercovich, CEO BITCI said “The Mark has been operational since 2010 and BITCI is proud of how it has evolved over that time and now the establishment of the Responsible Business Association. The Mark fosters excellence in sustainability by establishing and continually improving the management system of an organisation. This is a key differentiator between the Mark and reporting requirements or frameworks such as CSRD or GRI. Now with the creation of the Association, it enhances the multi-sectoral approach by guaranteeing these diverse companies are supportive in their joint mission to showcase and advocate for the multi-layered and bottom-line benefits of responsible business practices.”
As sustainability regulation and reporting requirements are gathering pace, BITCI believes the focus should not only be on data gathering to ensure compliance but also a company’s demonstration of continual improvement, internal collaboration and regular reviews which are core elements to the Mark’s management system. This helps to ensure the company is embedding a future-proofed system to manage its business practices, helping it to stay ahead as stakeholder expectations continue to evolve.
Annabel Fitzgerald, Chairperson of Responsible Business Association and ESG / Corporate Communications Manager, Energia Group added “A key role of the Responsible Business Association is to serve as an advocacy platform for sustainability. The participating companies are leaders in sustainability, inspiring one another on advancing responsible business practices, while making a positive impact on society and the environment. The Mark provides a structure that helps guide companies on their journeys to achieving compliance with EESG reporting requirements. We recognize that sustainable businesses are prosperous businesses, and we are eager for more companies to embark on this mission with us.”
The Association is governed by a steering committee of Mark certified companies, each serving term of two years. The committee is voted in by members at the AGM.
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