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After another hugely successful year for its sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, Gas Networks Ireland was named Green Business of the Year 2021, and for the second year running, it also won the Green Large Organisation of the Year at the Green Awards in June.
Gas Networks Ireland’s ongoing community support throughout the pandemic was recognised when it won the Outstanding Community Support Award for exceptional customer service at the CCA Global Excellence Awards in March.
“We are thrilled to have won and been shortlisted for a number of awards in recent months,” said Christina van der Kamp, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Gas Networks Ireland. “It is great to be recognised for the passion and commitment our staff have displayed throughout these challenging times.”
Despite the pandemic, Gas Networks Ireland exceeded its corporate social responsibility goals last year. In recognition of this and the huge strides the company is making in the social and environmental sustainability arena, Gas Networks Ireland is also shortlisted in four categories for the Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Awards, taking place in September.
The national utility is shortlisted in the Community Programme category for its support of Business in the Community Ireland’s Schools Business Partnership programme; in the Environment category for its Carbon Footprint Reduction Roadmap; the Volunteering category for its 10-year partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland; and in the Charity category for its partnership with Age Action Ireland.
In Association with
Volunteering Commitment
A Business Working Responsibly Mark holder, Gas Networks Ireland focuses its CSR work in the areas of education, poverty, homelessness and mental health. Last year, Gas Networks Ireland employees accumulated over 580 volunteering hours, despite the challenges of social distancing.
Working with its charitable partner, Age Action Ireland, staff participated in an online tech-tutoring programme for older people, teaching simple technology skills such as making video calls to family members, which helped them stay connected.
“Volunteering is a key part of our social engagement. Our staff contribute to a range of causes in their communities. Many reported that staying engaged in volunteering, even online, helped them to cope with the pressures of lockdown,” said Ms van der Kamp. Additionally, Gas Networks Ireland and its staff contributed over €250,000 to more than 30 charities in 2020 – an increase of 15% on 2019.
Backing STEM
Gas Networks Ireland has partnered with Junior Achievement Ireland to run the STEM education programme, Energize, for the last decade. Energize was delivered to 5,000 sixth-class students in 19 counties last year and was also made accessible online.
Other organisations and charities to benefit from Gas Networks Ireland’s support last year included the BT Young Scientist, Co-operation Ireland, Engineers Week, Time to Read Cork and Dublin, and Skills at Work with Beneavin College, Finglas, and Nagle College Cork.
Among Gas Networks Ireland’s achievements in the last 12 months was attaining a ‘B-’ in the Carbon Disclosure Platform (CDP) global-emissions ratings, exceeding European, global and sector averages to finish in the top quartile of all businesses assessed globally.
Gas Networks Ireland also exceeded the public-sector energy-efficiency improvement target by 13% for its offices and fleet energy, and achieved a 99% recycling rate across its offices. The company has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 22% in the last 11 years.
Photo: Gas Networks Ireland winning the Green Large Organisation of the Year at the Green Awards in 2020 (Pic: Joseph Carr)
