Resource Efficiency

GreenBusiness Guides

Ireland’s Green Business Programme publishes Resource Efficiency Guides for businesses. Their latest Guide covers Resource Efficiency in Packaging. As packaging is so universal to virtually all manufacturing and other business sectors, there are useful tips contained in the Guide that businesses could readily apply to their packaging operations.
The Resource Efficiency Guide on Packaging forms just one of a series of Guides which can be viewed and downloaded from the Repository section on www.greenbusiness.ie . The website also gives information on how a business can apply for a free on-site Resource Efficiency Assessment conducted by a technical expert – information is treated confidentially.

You can also see case study presentations from the Green Business Roadshow seminars which were run in May 2014.

NSAI SME Portal ‘Bringing the benefits of standardisation to SMEs’

This is an informative portal on different aspects of standards and their application, for example what recent changes have taken place in the ISO 900I Quality Standard, as well as information on environmental standards such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management System or ISO 50001 Energy Management System.

Click here for more information.

ISO 26000 Standard on Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or the wider term of Social Responsibility is always linked with larger branded organisations who typically may support international projects on a philanthropic basis. Smaller companies also can apply the principles of CSR and indeed many are already doing so without realising it. CSR can be applied practically in your own community such as sponsorship of sports clubs and local initiatives, as well as ensuring measures are in place to ensure the welfare of your employees. To view at a glance the seven core aspects of Social Responsibility, please see how they are interlinked, as outlined in the ISO Guide Discovering ISO 26000.

Eco-innovate! – A guide to eco-innovation for SMEs and business

Published by Eco-Innovation Observatory. Funded by the European Commission, DG Environment, Brussels. The Guide can be downloaded at www.eco-innovation.eu.

Green Public Procurement – ‘Green Tenders’

Following publication of ‘Green Tenders’ which is the National Green Public Procurement (GPP)Action Plan, public authorities will be increasingly obliged to introduce green criteria when seeking tenders for products or services.

Environmental criteria will be applied as part of the scoring mechanism when evaluating tenders. For further information on the Irish GPP Action Plan, please check www.greenpublicprocurement.ie

Case Study Brochure by SMILE Resource Exchange

The SMILE Resource Exchange is an initiative which commenced in Cork and now covers Limerick, Clare, Kerry and Dublin, with plans to extend nationwide eventually. The concept behind SMILE is that something that one business may want to discard may just what another business needs, whether it’s materials, equipment or items for recycling or ‘upcycling’ into another useful product.

SMILE now has compiled a large number of case study examples in their new brochure which is available on their website www.smileexchange.ie. It is very straightforward to register on the website which will then allow you to post Offered or Wanted items.

Presentations

You will find useful presentations from our seminars below.