News

16th September 2021

Earth’s Edge becomes first SME to win flagship Sustainable Business Impact Award

Adventure travel company Earth’s Edge became the first SME to win the flagship Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Business Impact Award at the Sustainable Business Impact Awards, previously known as the CSR Awards.

The awards, hosted by Chambers Ireland and sponsored by BAM Ireland, showcase the best of sustainable development and social responsibility by companies of all sizes across Ireland. Earth’s Edge was named as a finalist alongside AIB, Aldi and Boots.

By winning the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Business Impact Award, Earth’s Edge was judged to have delivered a high level of impact across all of the categories in which it was nominated. The company won an Excellence in Community – Volunteering Award for its Explore, Experience, Evolve initiative and was a finalist for five other awards.

The Explore, Experience, Evolve programme provided students from a school in the inner city of Dublin with free guided activities in Ireland’s great outdoors while its other nominations were chosen for a broad spectrum of work focused on people and the environment.

This included efforts to offset carbon through tree planting; providing interest-free small business loans to a network of freelance staff in Latin America, Asia and Africa; creating an equipment lending programme for porters in Kilimanjaro and developing a health and wellbeing programme for its staff who were working from home in Ireland.

Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland, Ian Talbot said:

“Earth’s Edge has shown exactly what is possible when a business places sustainability at its heart and follows through across all aspects of its work. The results they have achieved clearly come from a genuine and enduring commitment to achieving progressive and inclusive outcomes for all.

“For a business of seven people to have made such positive impact across three continents is truly outstanding. They have taken their community ethos to great lengths and provide a fantastic example to businesses of all sizes on how to deliver effective results through targeted actions and smart use of resources.”

Chief Operating Officer of BAM Ireland, Tadhg Lucey said:

“Congratulations to Earth’s Edge and to all involved in the Sustainable Business Impact Awards 2021. BAM is delighted to once again be the main sponsor of these Awards, which champion the innovative initiatives undertaken by Irish businesses towards corporate responsibility and a sustainable tomorrow. It has been inspiring to see the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals being acted upon with such commitment and focus by all the entrants.”

Host of the event, Chambers Ireland created the awards to advance the cause of sustainability across Irish business. In 2019, the organisation placed the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of its policymaking. As part of this work, it recently launched an SDG Toolkit for Business. This guide is available to download here.

In addition to lead sponsor BAM Ireland, the awards are supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development, EPA Ireland, One4all and Waterford Crystal.

Ends.

The full list of winners:

Excellence in Communication: Boots Ireland – Boots Ireland ‘Safe Space’ Initiative

Excellence in CommunityPartnership with Charity (LIC): John Cradock Ltd. – Jigginstown House – A residential facility for vulnerable young adults

Excellence in Community – Partnership with Charity (MNC): Aldi Ireland – Aldi Ireland & FoodCloud Partnership

Excellence in Community – Volunteering (LIC): Earth’s Edge – Explore, Experience, Evolve

Excellence in Community – Volunteering (MNC): Medtronic – Spotlight Pilot – Medtronic and COPE Galway

Excellence in Community – Community Programme (LIC): Permanent TSB – Building Affordable Family Homes – A Partnership With Ó Cualann

Excellence in Community – Community Programme (MNC): DMG Media – Supporting Communities Across Ireland through Covid campaign

Excellence in Environment (LIC) – Sponsored by EPA Ireland: Hotel Doolin – Hotel Doolin – Ireland’s first carbon neutral hotel and our pandemic work

Excellence in Environment (MNC) – Sponsored by EPA Ireland: Aldi Ireland – Aldi’s Plastic & Packaging Pledges

Excellence in Workplace (LIC) – Sponsored by One4all: SSE Airtricity – SSE Airtricity, proud sustainability partner to Dublin Zoo

Excellence in Workplace (MNC) – Sponsored by One4all: VMware – VMware Ireland’s Virtual Workplace

Excellence in Social Enterprise – Sponsored by the Department of Rural and Community Development: William Fry – Social Impact+

Excellence in SME: Spotlight Oral Care – Zero Waste Box™ Dental Aligner Recycling Programme

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion: AIB – Mentor Her

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