Bus Éireann takes home top prize at PwC Business Post Sustainable Business Awards

David McGee, leader of ESG practice for PwC Ireland, addressed the sold-out event, as did keynote speaker Mark Mellett, the former Defence Forces chief.

Bread 41 bakery in Dublin was named sustainable small business of the year at the PwC/Business Post Sustainable Business Awards.

The award for sustainable small business of the year went to Bread 41 in Dublin, while Cool Planet in Co Wicklow was named sustainable medium business of the year. An Post was the winner in the large sustainable business category.

The sustainable business team award went to Abbvie Ireland, while Bus Éireann took home the honours in the sustainable transport project category, as well as the overall grand prix prize.

Electric Ireland Superhomes won the sustainable energy project award, while Veolia was named winner in the sustainable waste project category.

Ballykilcavan Brewery in Co Laois emerged as winner in the sustainable agrifood category, while Eddie O’Connor, the well-known entrepreneur who now runs the renewal energy firm Supernode, was named sustainable business leader of the year.

Sarah Hayes of Statkraft was this year’s rising star winner at the Sustainable Business Awards

Bank of America was named as social and equality business of the year, while Margot Slatter of ISS was awarded the social and equality business leader of the year title. Sarah Hayes of Statkraft won the rising star award.

A record 130 entries were received for this year’s awards from over 100 businesses active in Ireland. program extended to 11 categories due to growing activity in the ESG space.

“The quality of this year's entries was very high, showing the broad range of sustainability efforts underway across the Irish business landscape,” Daniel Murray, political and environmental correspondent of the Business Post, said.

“It was really encouraging to see environmental, diversity and equality issues becoming a key consideration for many businesses.”

David McGee said the volume of entries was “a demonstration of the passion and effort that Irish businesses are taking to build a better future for commerce and society”, and congratulated all the shortlisted individuals and businesses.

“The awards celebrate those who have gone above and beyond to protect our planet and create a fairer world for all. By highlighting and recognising these efforts, we will hopefully motivate others to up their ESG ambition and realise that sustainability is an opportunity to future-proof their business,” McGee said.

“While businesses must be profitable to last, profitability and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. In fact, investors are now divesting from companies that fail to make satisfactory progress across a broad range of sustainability metrics, which suggests that a new world of business is opening up before us.”

The winners were selected by an independent panel of Irish and international judges including the Business Post’s Daniel Murray, Lorcan Allen and Ellie Donnelly; Catherine Sheridan of Green Rebel; the Nigerian-Irish lecturer, author and consultant Dr Ebun Joseph Arogundade, and Tomás Sercovich of Business in the Community Ireland.