Sharon McManus
ESB Group Head of Sustainability
Bláthnaid McPolin
Circular Economy Lead, ESB
Ireland’s leading electricity utility is working to embed the principles of the circular economy into its operations, decarbonising electricity responsibly and sustainably to build resilient and flexible infrastructure.
Decarbonising electricity is essential to achieve a net zero energy system, requiring a global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. While this transition has become an imperative for organisations and governments worldwide, building the renewable generation and network infrastructure needed to support this requires extensive resource use.
Sharon McManus, Group Head of Sustainability at ESB, explains how this challenge affects the company’s approach. “We have huge ambitions to decarbonise the electricity system even as it continues to expand. Grid reinforcement and expansion require significant investment and materials, so our approach to resource use must be responsible. This means reducing reliance on new materials, maximising reuse and improving recovery at the end of life.” For an already asset-heavy company, the question of how to decarbonise responsibly impacts the entire organisation, considering the need for increased resources, renewable energy assets and a mindset shift for employees and stakeholders alike. However, McManus considers this to be an opportunity as well as a challenge: for collaboration, and to maximise efficiency, cost savings and innovation throughout the sector.
Resilient infrastructure
Dr Bláthnaid McPolin, Circular Economy Lead, has taken a new role to develop a group-wide resource use and circular economy strategy, reflecting the organisation’s growing recognition of the importance of circular principles in driving long-term sustainability.
“Embedding circular economy principles ensures that as we continue to move to renewable energy, we do so in a way that minimises our use of material, maximises efficiency and minimises our waste,” she points out. “Globally unsustainable resource use via the take-make waste model is driving the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Circular economy principles and practices mitigate these impacts, and we need to apply them in a strategic and coordinated way across the entire company.”
Circular principles also support systems that are durable, modular and resource efficient, extending asset life and ultimately strengthening system resilience
At the same time, circular principles also support systems that are durable, modular and resource efficient, extending asset life and ultimately strengthening system resilience. “Electrical infrastructure is long-term, highly regulated and safety-critical, often operating for 20-40 years,” explains McManus. “And while our infrastructure is built for durability, we’re also designing for longevity and flexibility, allowing assets to expand or contract as needs change.”
As capital investment grows to meet net zero goals, responsible use of materials is becoming a strategic imperative, building supply chain resilience and stakeholder trust. According to McManus, strategic planning across the supply chain, careful reuse of resources and financial discipline are essential to navigate resource scarcity and rising demand.
As legislation around reuse, recycling and sourcing of critical materials continues to evolve, a forward-looking approach is key. “Our circular economy strategy allows us to stay ahead of a changing policy landscape,” explains McManus.
Embedding circularity
ESB hopes that by embedding the core principles of a circular economy across all aspects of its business, it will be able to lead by example.
“The circular economy breaks down silos, driving efficiency and collaboration throughout the industry,” explains McPolin. “It’s a major opportunity to boost cost savings, innovation and reputation, while aligning with market and legislative drivers to extend circular thinking across the sector.”
Shifting to circularity is a global challenge and requires collaboration throughout supply chains. “ESB cannot achieve circularity alone; Ireland as a whole needs to be circular,” concludes McPolin. “But we’re proud to be actively moving forward in this space, and hope that by creating a roadmap focusing on priority materials, systems and culture, we can embed circularity across the whole company.”
