Sinead Ní Mhainnín
Connacht-Ulster Regional Waste Management and Planning Offices
Sustainably minded businesses can benefit the planet — and themselves — by improving circularity in the workplace and making waste management easy and effective.
A sharpened focus on sustainability isn’t just a corporate ‘nice to have,’ explains Sinead Ní Mhainnín, Connacht-Ulster Regional Waste Management and Planning Offices. It’s a ‘must do.’
Growing need for sustainability policies
“Consumers are more astute now,” notes Ní Mhainnín. “They want to deal with businesses that have sustainability policies because it shows they take this issue very seriously.” Plus, she points out, new legislation is coming down the track, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require businesses to disclose how they impact the environment and society.
Businesses that start their sustainability journey in one area usually end up exploring others, and creates a domino effect,” she says. “When they begin to segregate their waste properly for the first time, they’ll see the impact and think about other sustainable actions they can take.”
There are small but concrete ways for all businesses
to improve the impact they have on the environment
Tapping into a range of free sustainability resources
Support is available for businesses that want to become more sustainable. For example, free business resources are available on MyWaste.ie — Ireland’s official guide to waste management — including a Commercial Waste Management Toolkit.
“Due to various issues — including transient workforces and poor bin set-up areas — businesses may not always be segregating their waste in the right way,” says Ní Mhainnín. “The Toolkit includes a range of materials, such as posters and labels, to help staff understand exactly what type of waste should go into each recycling bin.” Also available are four short guidance animations which can be used to improve waste segregation practices.
Then there is the MODOS Circular Economy Course, a free online programme for SMEs and micro-enterprises that want to improve their environmental performance. “After the course, businesses will be able to look at their operations with a more informed eye to discover where they can introduce circularity, reduce costs and streamline the way they work,” says Ní Mhainnín. “One-to-one mentoring with MODUS experts is also available.”
Every business — be it a hotel in Donegal, a football club in Limerick, a local authority in Dublin, a manufacturing plant in Cork or a supermarket in Galway — can benefit from these resources. “There are small but concrete ways for all businesses to improve the impact they have on the environment,”says Ní Mhainnín. “And that’s good for staff, customers and ultimately the businesses.”
