Bank of Ireland has launched the Sustainable Business Coach, a free digital tool designed to help local SMEs identify their ESG priorities and to support their sustainability planning.
Designed as an ESG questionnaire, businesses answer a series of multiple-choice questions with the results of the online assessment, providing SMEs with a personalised sustainability score, a downloadable PDF report containing tailored recommendations and actionable next steps.
The launch of this free and easy-to-use digital tool reinforces Bank of Ireland’s ESG ambitions, as the Bank remains on track to meet its 2030 SBTI greenhouse gas emission targets.
George Higginson, Managing Director, Everyday Banking, Bank of Ireland UK, said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to launch this free digital tool that can provide local SMEs with a plan to support sustainability decision making and enable businesses to transition from awareness to action.
“ESG is a growing priority for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors, particularly for those SMEs within supply chains where mandatory sustainability reporting increasingly applies. While many SMEs recognise the importance of ESG, limited resources, time pressures, and a lack of access to relevant information can all act as barriers to setting meaningful goals and making tangible progress. This tool addresses those challenges and we hope will benefit many SMEs as they tackle what can feel like a complex environment.”
Tyrone-based, Cherry Pipes Ltd, is a leading manufacturer that has placed sustainability at the heart of its operations. The company produces durable, high-performance pipes for the agriculture, civil engineering and sports sectors, manufacturing each product from high-quality recycled HDPE. The company also utilises a specialist in-house system to minimise waste and carbon emissions.
Kris McClelland, Regional Business Manager for Cherry Pipes said: “We’re committed to operational and sustainable excellence in everything we do. This approach has not only strengthened our environmental performance but delivered clear commercial benefits, from greater efficiency to more resilient operations.
“Sustainability isn’t a fixed destination but an ongoing journey, which is why we continue to challenge ourselves, look for opportunities to improve, and invest in changes that will keep driving our business forward. It may seem hard for businesses to know where to start and to take that first step, but our experience shows, action on sustainability can create real commercial value and set the foundation for continued success.”
Any business can find out more about the Bank of Ireland Sustainable Business Coach and access the tool at: sbc.bankofirelanduk.com/dashboard.