Sustainability Centre

  In this week’s Sustainability/ESG Bulletin, read about sustainability in Accountancy Ireland, the upcoming Government Supply Expo which will cover sustainable public procurement, and sustainability in NTMA’s institutional investor presentation. Also covered are the changes to sustainability reporting and the new ISO Standard on biodiversity for organisations, as well as the usual articles, resources and upcoming events.   Chartered Accountants Ireland These articles on sustainability were published in the October/November issue of Accountancy Ireland “It takes a lot of people working together to bring about real change” Chartered Star 2025 winner Sophie Sweeney talks to Susan Rossney, Sustainability Advocacy Manager with Chartered Accountants Ireland, about the future of sustainability in the profession and its impact on wider society   Beating the bills while protecting the planet Pinergy’s Daire Keating explains how all businesses can now combine affordability and sustainability when assessing their energy needs   Female representation in financial services on the rise As a proud signatory of the Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter, Chartered Accountants Ireland has called on the Government to take action to improve access to affordable childcare.  The latest annual report from Ireland’s Women in Finance Charter shows a marked rise in women in senior roles in financial services—but barriers to equal representation remain.   Chartered Accountants Ireland joins CAFA Chartered Accountants Ireland has joined Climate Action for Associations (CAFA), a network dedicated to net zero and sustainability for the membership sector. “Joining the CAFA Collective demonstrates Chartered Accountants Ireland’s commitment to drive stronger climate leadership,” Susan Rossney, the Institute’s Sustainability Advocacy Manager, said. “It empowers us to communicate our climate action intention internally and externally with key stakeholders. It is also aligned with the Institute’s Strategy 27, which is guided by values of accountability, excellence and openness, and shaping the future of business with integrity, and underpinned by a powerful principle: Trusted Business Leadership.”   IRELAND Green public procurement in Government Supply Expo 2025 Green public procurement is one of the topics that will feature in the Government Supply Expo 2025, an all-island procurement event taking place in the Aviva Stadium on 11 November. The event is being organised by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) and InterTradeIreland. Minister of State for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment Emer Higgins has encouraged Irish businesses, particularly SMEs, micro and social enterprises to network, to attend the largest procurement event of the year, build collaborations and scope out upcoming procurement opportunities. Along with green and sustainable public procurement, topics to learn about include the tendering process, innovation, tendering tips and the supports and resources available to suppliers. Sustainability in NTMA’s institutional investor presentation The National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has published the latest version of its presentation for institutional investors, with information on Ireland’s energy mix, highlights on Irish Sovereign Green Bond Impact Report, policy on just transition and biodiversity. You can view the full presentation here.   EUROPE Changes to sustainability reporting The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has approved its position on a series of changes to sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for companies. These changes are to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and are part of the Omnibus I Simplification Package which is aimed at reducing the regulatory burden on businesses. Among the changes are that the CSRD would apply only to companies with more than 1,000 employees and €450 million in annual turnover, and the CSDDD will apply only to companies with 5,000+ employees and €1.5 billion in turnover.  There will be no EU-wide civil liability framework, and while climate transition plans remain mandatory, companies will no longer be required to outline specific implementing actions. Instead, they must make reasonable efforts to align their business models with EU climate legislation and the goals of the Paris Agreement. The next steps are for Parliament to approve the committee mandate at the next plenary session, after which MEPs and EU governments will start negotiations on the final text of the legislation on 24 October.   WORLD New ISO Standard on biodiversity for organisations The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) has launched the world’s first International Standard dedicated to helping organizations take action on biodiversity.  ISO 17298: Biodiversity for organizations – Guidelines and Requirements is a new standard providing, for the first time, a practical, scalable framework to help organizations assess their biodiversity impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. Commenting, ISO Head of Sustainability and Partnerships, Noelia Garcia Nebra, said “Many organizations see the urgency of biodiversity action, but navigating the path can be complex. Until now, there has been no globally agreed standard for organizations to integrate biodiversity into their strategies and operations… The standard embeds biodiversity into core governance and risk management practices - not just sustainability reporting - ensuring alignment with global expectations and organizational operations.” The new standard is designed to be interoperable with other widely used initiatives such as ISO 14001, ISO 26000, TNFD, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and contributes directly to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 15 on corporate action.         Resources The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has released Scaling Finance for Nature: A Primer on What Financial Institutions Are Doing Today, showing  how nature recovery finance or ‘greening finance’ to avoid and minimise harm to nature, as well as restoring nature to no net loss, can happen today and at scale with existing private commercial capital, through the everyday actions of financiers. The primer identifies one prerequisite step and four levers of change that financial institutions can use to achieve this – illustrated with concrete, real-life examples of them already in use.  The primary audience for this primer is practitioners in financial institutions, with concrete examples from across the sector (banks, investors, insurers).   Accountancy Europe has published its October Sustainability update with the following highlights: European Commission de-prioritises certain delegated acts European Commission delivers on ITS and RTS under Green Bond Regulation Council endorses agreement on EU carbon leakage mechanism Ministers discuss 2040 climate target ESMA’s letter on EFRAG’s revised ESRS   Articles This September was the third-warmest on record, coming in at a global average of 16.11 degrees Celsius (Copernicus) Why pension funds are still pushing for climate action - Long-term asset owners have bucked the financial sector trend of retreat on green goals (FT)     Events International Society of Sustainability Professionals Webinar: AI in Action: Practical Tools for Corporate Sustainability Impact Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how organizations collect data, measure impact, and drive sustainability performance—but it can be difficult to separate the hype from the real-world applications. This session will explore how corporate sustainability professionals can leverage AI to work smarter, not harder. Virtual, Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (EDT) NESC, NESC Energy Conference 2025: Energising the Transition This conference follows the publication of NESC’s reports Ireland’s Future Power System and Economic Resilience, International Trade Dependencies and the Energy Transition, and Connecting People to the Energy Transition, as well as the forthcoming Energy Transition: A Systems Perspective. The in-person event builds on this extensive body of work and incorporates inputs from national and international experts to provide stimulating discussions of how Ireland can make the necessary transition for the good of all people and sectors. In person, Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin 2, 22 October, 8.30-15.45 A4S Insights,  Integrating sustainability into decision making – stories of impact Discover what it takes to drive change in finance at this online event featuring winners of the Finance for the Future Awards. Hear how bold sustainability actions are transforming organisations, and learn from the challenges and successes of real-world changemakers. A panel of judges will share insights into what makes an effective sustainability leader, offering practical lessons in resilience, collaboration, and impact that attendees can apply in their own organisations. Virtual, 29 October 2025, 16:00 GMT Sustainability Europe, Sustainability Europe 2025 This in-person event in London brings together finance professionals and sustainability experts to explore how organisations can navigate regulatory uncertainty, climate risk, and supply chain complexity while driving sustainable growth. A highlight of the programme is the A4S-led panel chaired by Ciara Burke, Director of CFO Programme Europe, which will focus on strengthening collaboration between finance and sustainability teams to improve reporting outcomes. In person, London, UK, 21–22 October 2025, 08:40–17:50;  A4S Session: Detangle the regulation web and master interoperability Date and time: 21 October 2025, 15:15–15:50 BST Ibec Networks Autumn Seminar Series, Session 4: The culture of sustainability innovation The final webinar in a four-part series Autumn Seminar Series ‘The culture equation’ looks at what supports are available to assist on a journey to becoming a more sustainable business. In the supporting case study from O'Brien's Fine Foods the webinar will discuss what drives a sustainability focused culture in an organisation. Virtual, Thursday 13 November, 11.00-11.50am     Sustainability Centre You can find information, guidance and supports to understand sustainability and meet the challenges it presents in our online Sustainability Centre.  

  Several measures were included in Budget 2026 to accelerate Ireland’s energy transition and underpin Ireland’s journey to a net-zero future. Residential buildings were arguably the greatest beneficiaries of the almost €1.1 billion allocated to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Funding of €558 million – an increase of €89 million on last year’s corresponding allocation – was allocated to Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) residential and community energy upgrades, including the Solar PV (photovoltaic) Scheme. Public sector building retrofits will also benefit from continued investment, with €21 million allocated for public sector retrofitting for 2026 under the first phase of ICNF (Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund). This purpose of this fund is to support State expenditure where there is a significant deterioration in the economic or fiscal position of the State, and in the years 2026 to 2030, on designated environmental projects. The Finance Act 2020 legislated for annual increases in carbon tax to reach €100 per tonne of CO2 emitted by 2030. This year’s increase – announced yesterday in Budget 2026 – brings the tax to €71 per tonne of CO2 emitted. The tax is applied to auto fuels with effect from the 8 October 2025, and to all other fuels from the 1 May 2026. The additional revenue arising from the carbon tax increase is estimated at €121 million in 2026 and the full year additional yield is estimated at €157 million. Commenting, Susan Rossney, Institute Sustainability Advocacy Manager, said “Chartered Accountants Ireland has consistently advocated for taxpayers to be shown a direct link between the carbon tax collected and how they benefit. Therefore, the decision to ring-fence the revenue expected from carbon tax in 2026 to spend on social welfare measures and other measures to prevent fuel poverty, and to ensure a just transition, is welcome. However, more detail will be needed on the distribution of funds to Government’s planned projects, particularly the €209 million which has been allocated to accelerate climate action and prepare Ireland for the impacts of a changing climate, to understand whether the risks from climate change and biodiversity loss have been properly accounted for. This is especially important given the warning from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council that failing to meet EU climate targets could cost Ireland between €8 and €26 billion by 2030.” The measures funded, relevant Departments, and the allocation for each is outlined in Budget 2026 – The Use of Carbon Tax Funds. Budget 2026 also includes investment in offshore renewable energy site data surveying to assist in the de-risking of future projects. €30 million has been allocated for the Landfill Remediation Programme, described by Department of the Climate, Energy and the Environment as “support[ing] Ireland in transitioning to a Circular Economy, whilst protecting our natural resources, environment and health on the national journey to net zero by 2050”. The extension to 2030 of the Accelerated Capital Allowances scheme for energy-efficient equipment also means that companies investing in, among other things, electric cars for their fleets will be able to write 100 percent of the asset value of those vehicles off against tax in the first year of ownership. Other EV measures include the extension to 2026 of the €5,000 VRT relief for EVs, and the creation of a new vehicle category for zero-emission cars only, where the lowest BIK rates will apply.  Connected to this is the extension of the 9 per cent rate of VAT on gas and electricity bills until the 31 December 2030 which will be welcomed by EV drivers keen to avoid an increase in EV charging prices. The extension to 2028 of the Income Tax disregard of €400 for income received by households who sell electricity from micro-generation back to the grid is to be welcomed, includes electricity sold back to the grid from EVs enabled with Vehicle-to-Grid or V2G technology. To help reinforce the electricity grid, ESB and Eirgrid will receive €3.5 billion.