Encirc shares best practices at conference on positive social impact of ESG

The importance that businesses place on the tangible social impact of their Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) policy was the hot topic up for discussion at the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s ‘Successful Sustainability’ event on Friday.

Held at Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, Encirc’s Sustainability Director Fiacre O’Donnell and Stakeholder Engagement Manager Rebecca Dilworth spoke at the well-attended conference as did Gareth Kirk, Senior Regional Director for GLL Group.

The key focus of the event was to illustrate how companies are increasingly looking at how they can positively impact the communities that they operate in and how they can make a difference to the lives of the people within them.

It was an opportunity for a company like Encirc, a Vidrala Group company, to share best practices from their well-developed sustainability journey.

Fiacre O’Donnell outlined how Encirc’s sustainability strategy is about much more than decarbonisation and that it encompasses many different factors including social engagement as typified by the very successful biodiversity partnerships that Encirc enjoys with many schools and businesses in Fermanagh.

He emphasised though that to make any strategy successful, buy-in needs to come from the very top of the business. He did add that while corporate responsibility is about much more than profits or financial figures, the prosperity of businesses was crucial to drive such change forward.

Fiacre said: “This was a great event hosted by the Northern Ireland Chamber and it was informative to talk to so many likeminded people. It is vital that businesses look at projects with a purpose that can have a transformative impact on our societies.

“At Encirc our mission is ZE30, producing zero emission glass from 2030 but it is about much more than that. It is about creating a Great Place to Work, Decarbonisation and Prosperity. It is the focal point of all that we do at Encirc be that decisions made within our factories or the social impact we look to have as part of being a responsible business.”

Rebecca Dilworth highlighted the importance of connecting with people, especially staff and the community that your business serves. She said that a social impact strategy needs to raise the aspirational glass ceiling in our local communities, improve talent acquisition and impact your community while focusing on issues such as sustainability, health and wellbeing and equity, diversity and inclusion.

She said: “The key takeaway for me is that your people are your power. Engage with them, talk to them, ask them their opinion and then you will see real progress in not only creating a great place to work but also achieving your social impact goals.”