News

10th March 2023

Chambers Ireland Sustainability Awards now open

 

The 2023 Sustainable Business Impact Awards are now open for applications.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon,  April 28, 2023.  Please see details about the individual categories below.

 

To apply: https://sbiawards.awardsplatform.com/

 

Sustainable Business Impact Award Categories 2023

Diversity, Inclusion & Equity
This category seeks to recognise initiatives that enhance the diverse
environment of workplaces and foster inclusion for all staff. Diversity,
Inclusivity and Equity in business is about ensuring that the workplace
environment is one in which staff are valued for their many differences and are
not left behind or excluded because of them.

This category might include initiatives which examine who is being hired, who is
being promoted, and what can be done to improve these practices so that no one
is excluded based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or other
traits. On inclusivity, programmes entered in this category might look at the
culture within a company and how a business ensures that diversity is welcomed
and differences are embraced.

Sustainable Impact by a Small or Medium Business
SMEs, though often operating with smaller resources and budgets, often engage
in meaningful and high-quality work, and this category recognises the best
practice by such businesses, which prove that size is not a factor in the
capabilities of a business to make a positive impact in the world. The SME
category applies to companies with 50 employees or less and recognises
excellence in a variety of areas. This category is not specific to environmental or
community-based projects; all categories of projects can be entered.
Partnership with Charity (MNC & LIC)

This category awards excellence in working with a partner charity. Businesses can
partner with a charity in a number of different ways, for example, engaging in an
awareness campaign with a partner charity, or providing operational and skills
sharing which will support the charity’s work.
This category is about engaging in a considered partnership with a charity and
offering support through a variety of collaborative means, with staff engagement,
skills sharing and more of relevance.

Volunteering (MNC & LIC)
This category aims to award a company for excellence in employee
volunteering. Volunteering is a way for a business to give back to the local
community by offering their time and skills free of charge.
Volunteering enables employees to engage in meaningful activities which will
enrich communities and benefit the participants too. Skills and knowledge sharing
are ways in which a company can meaningfully add to the work of a charity
partner. Projects entered in this category should outline time commitments, levels
of staff participation, knowledge transfer and skills sharing involved the
programme.

Community Programme (MNC & LIC)
A community programme represents a sustained effort by a business to
strengthen its links with the community in which it operates, and to have a
positive impact on its locality. The programme should respond to a specific need
in the community and should focus on the measures taken by a business to
engage with the community and all relevant stakeholders on talking it.
Environment (MNC & LIC)

In following with the principle of ‘Think Global, Act Local’ this category seeks to
celebrate organisations that have taken actions to improve their local environment.
Companies are invited to report on projects that work to enhance biodiversity;
reduce waste; or improve water or air quality. These activities could include
campaigns to encourage greener behaviours or installation and restoration
projects that have environmental improvement as their primary goal. These
programmes might have been carried out on-site or within the local community of
the company and have had a tangible outcome in terms of improving the
environment.

Workplace (MNC & LIC)
Sustainable workplaces are those that support employee well-being and
inclusion. These are happy and supportive environment for your employees. It
involves going above and beyond what is required by business to ensure
employees can develop to their full potential, and work in an environment that is
welcoming and full of opportunities. This can range from healthy workplace
initiatives, mental health support and team building initiatives.
Workplaces have had to navigate the impact of COVID-19 and the closure of schools
and child-care, and support working families to balance both work and the
responsibilities of caring and home-schooling. This category seeks to recognise
excellence in policies and programmes that support staff with caring responsibilities.
Initiatives relating to paid parental leave, “returner” programmes for staff coming back
from parental/caring leave, flexible work policies or additional annual leave will be
recognised in this category.

Communication
Communication is vitally important in highlighting the work that companies engage
in. This category reflects the steps taken in communications across the board,
internally with employees on the company’s work and engagement, externally with
the charity partner or community, and wider again, with customers and external
business stakeholders. Communications is about spreading the message
effectively and sharing best practice and knowledge. Excellence in
communications gives as many people as possible the opportunity to input and get
involved.

Social Enterprise
This category awards excellence in working with a partner social enterprise.
Businesses can partner with a social enterprise in a number of different ways, for
example, including social enterprises in their supply chain, funding the delivery of a
specific initiative, provision of work experience and/or employment to social
enterprise clients, engaging in an awareness campaign with the partner social
enterprise, or providing operational and skills sharing which will support the social
enterprise’s work. This category is about business engaging through collaborative
means so that the impact of the social enterprise is increased.

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