Encirc sustainability credentials recognised again by Benchmarking Survey

Encirc has achieved Platinum Level in the Business in the Community’s annual NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey results for the fifth year in a row.

Encirc’s Sustainability Director, Fiacre O’Donnell believes the achievement is further proof of the glass manufacturer and bottle filler’s “commitment to a comprehensive sustainability strategy” that will allow the company to progress towards net zero goals in line with global targets.

Over 200 sustainability professionals gathered for the announcement of the results recently at the Titanic Belfast.

Indeed, 130 Northern Ireland organisations from a range of sectors declared the measures they take to improve the environment and their emissions. The findings are used to benchmark, measure progress, and drive improvements year-on-year.

Encirc, part of the Vidrala group, was awarded Platinum Level in the 2024 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey once again. Only 39 of the 132 companies involved in the scheme achieved the coveted Platinum level.

The survey looks at environmental management and improvement in areas such as waste, water reuse and CO2 emissions as well as how we can have additional impacts on our communities in terms of nature and biodiversity.

Fiacre said: “We are delighted to achieve platinum level accreditation for the fifth year in a row. My thanks go to the team at Encirc, headed up by our Environmental Co-Ordinator Theresa Clarke, for their hard work in gathering all the relevant information for the survey.

“This recognition of the continued work we are doing at Encirc is an important industry benchmark and to be ranked as one of Northern Ireland’s most sustainable businesses is something we are very proud of at Encirc. It shows our commitment to a comprehensive sustainability strategy which is central to all that we do across our three sites in Northern Ireland and England.”

Kieran Harding, Managing Director, BITC explained: “The Survey is a self-disclosure exercise that offers organisations a way to be externally assessed and scored on their environmental efforts and performance. Participating organisations have access to a Gap Analysis Report to help them to identify areas that need action and highlights where they are performing well, so it’s a comparison tool and real driver for improvement.”

On some of the findings from the Survey, Keelin McCone, Head of Environment, BITC said: “We can see that businesses in NI recognise that an increase in the likelihood of extreme weather events due to climate change poses significant challenges to operations, supply chains, and long-term financial stability.

“The Survey highlighted that at least 89% of companies have identified climate risks to their business and just over half of organisations who took part in the Survey have mitigation plans in place.”