Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (DLR) County Council and Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) are undertaking a collaborative project aimed at building capacity from a resource efficiency perspective in Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the region.
The project is being delivered in partnership with three large employers in the county – namely SSE Airtricity, the Musgrave Group and Dundrum Town Centre – all of whom wish to support an increased awareness of responsible environmental practices through a structured programme that supports direct engagement between their organisations and local SMEs.
The first phase of the programme comprises a Resource Efficiency and Waste Prevention Workshop facilitated by the local authority bringing together three large businesses in the DLR area with several SMEs in their supply chains or locality.
The workshop aims to cover the following:
- Articulation of what being an environmentally responsible business means in relation to implementing resource efficiency and waste prevention practices;
- Insight into what environmental criteria or credentials organisations look for in potential suppliers when procuring goods or services;
- An overview of selected waste management regulations;
- Case studies demonstrating the environmental and financial benefits of resource efficiency and waste prevention in practice in SMEs.
The second part of the project is for the SMEs then to carry out resource efficiency actions within their companies, building on what they have learned from the workshop and the supports from the larger firms. This is also supported by a one-to-one site meeting with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Green Business Officer for SMEs based in the DLR area to offer advice and explore the option for SMEs to attain an environmental certification if desired.
A further facilitated workshop to support SMEs to review existing resource efficiency practices and to create an Environmental Policy and Action Plan for their organisation. This will also provide an opportunity for the SMEs to share tehir experience and to achieve recognition for their activities.