About

Our Objective

Our targets to halve emissions by 2030 and be climate neutral by 2050 will require a transformation in our economy, society and communities. Irish businesses will play a crucial role in this transition – with huge benefits.

While many businesses have already grasped the opportunities of a decarbonised economy, for some it can be a big challenge. The Toolkit provides a clear and accessible starting point for any business, signposting them to useful climate action resources. Promoting the economic and environmental sustainability of our enterprise base supports our climate targets while continuing to sustain high-quality employment, entrepreneurship and investment in Ireland.

The Toolkit uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guide, with particular emphasis on:

Climate Action

Climate Action

The actions provided by this Toolkit are aimed at improving awareness and knowledge of the impacts of business activities on our climate.

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all in the climate transition.

Affordable and Clean Energy

Affordable and Clean Energy

The Toolkit will assist businesses to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and make the transition to clean energy.

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

By taking climate action, businesses can demonstrate leadership to their customers and communities, and provide innovative low carbon products and services.

Partners

Local Enterprise Offices

The Network of Local Enterprise Offices across the country assist entrepreneurs, start-ups and existing small businesses in accessing financial, training and expert mentoring supports. The 31 Local Enterprise Offices, located in every county in Ireland, provide the expertise to help small businesses to get off the ground and to work with them to grow and expand.

Local Enterprise Offices

Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland is the government organisation responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. They work in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. In this way, they support sustainable economic growth, regional development and secure employment.

Enterprise Ireland

IDA Ireland

IDA Ireland performs an important role in Ireland's relationship with foreign investors, with multinationals accounting for about 10% of national employment. The agency partners with investors to help them to begin or expand their operations in the Irish market. IDA Ireland provides funding, such as employment, training, environmental and R&D grants, to support new investments.

IDA Ireland

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

The SEAI works with householders, businesses, communities and government to create a cleaner energy future. Its vision is for Ireland’s energy to be sustainable, secure, affordable, and clean. To achieve this, Ireland must use less energy, move to clean energy, and innovate to create new solutions to meet our energy needs.

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)

Skillnet Ireland

Skillnet Ireland is a business support agency with a mandate to advance the competitiveness, productivity, and innovation of Irish businesses through enterprise-led workforce development.

Skillnet Ireland

Ibec

Ibec provide trusted insights through market-leading events, economic research, and forecasts that guide business decisions and inform public understanding of the economy. Supporting businesses also means helping them strengthen their workplaces. As Ireland’s most trusted partner in employment law and HR, it offer comprehensive support in employee and industrial relations, occupational safety and health, and HR policy.

Ibec

Chambers Ireland

Chambers Ireland is the largest Irish business network. It’s members are in every region and economic sector. It's uniquely positioned to represent the views of businesses and understand their concerns. It understands the vital role that the business community plays in adopting and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in Ireland, and it supports businesses’ commitments to achieving the goals in every sector.

Chambers Ireland

Uisce Éireann (Irish Water)

Uisce Éireann’s job is to deliver the highest quality drinking water to your taps every day and ensure that wastewater is properly treated and safely returned to the environment. It's purpose is to rise to the challenge of delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive. It's vision is a sustainable Ireland where water is respected and protected, for the planet and all the lives it supports.

Uisce Éireann (Irish Water)

EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency’s role in addressing climate change challenges includes collating national greenhouse gas emissions and projections, regulating emissions from industrial sectors, supporting climate science research, supporting change in behaviour to promote a circular economy and facilitating the National Dialogue on Climate Action.

EPA

Fáilte Ireland

As the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland. It also provides consumer and buyer insights, mentoring, business supports and training programmes and buyer platforms to help tourism businesses innovate and grow.

Fáilte Ireland

The Carbon Calculator

The carbon calculator provided as part of this Toolkit is designed to give a simple and easy-to-use carbon assessment for most businesses. The calculator provides an estimation only, but gives a good initial understanding of where emissions arise in your business operations. The ‘calculator logic’ link below gives a full description of the carbon intensity, fuel price, travel and other assumptions that the calculator uses to provide you with an estimation of your emissions.
It is important to note that the calculator only estimates ‘direct’ emissions from energy use on-site, water use on-site, waste produced and some travel. The calculator does not attempt to measure emissions related to either the supply chain of a business or the customer’s impact in using a product or service – in some sectors these emissions are likely to be many times the direct emissions of a business. In order to get a full and detailed assessment of your emissions, a full energy and carbon audit is recommended.

Public Service Innovation

The Climate Toolkit 4 Business was developed with support from the Public Service Innovation Fund.
Our Public Service - Funding