The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the not-for-profit organisation that gathers data on how companies act to prevent dangerous climate change, is issuing a final call to Irish businesses to participate in this year’s project. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, 31st May 2011.
The Project, principally sponsored in Ireland by the NTR Foundation and supported by KPMG, acts on behalf of large international investors and invites Irish companies to measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies, encouraging them to set reduction targets and make performance improvements.
Dick Budden, Ireland Director of CDP, has called on Irish businesses to participate: “Investors want smarter, more efficient, more sustainable organisations. Consumers are also looking for more sustainable suppliers. CDP has become the established and accepted global standard for examining the possible impacts on business of the many factors connected with climate change. Last year more than 3,000 companies around the world responded to the CDP request, recognising that carbon management has a strategic role to play in reducing energy costs, generating revenue and remaining competitive. The deadline for entries for Ireland is 31st May 2011 and we look forward to welcoming more Irish firms to the Carbon Disclosure Project this year,” he said.
Chairman of the NTR Foundation, Jim Barry said: “The adverse impacts of climate change will be global and the risks are too big to ignore. But it is also increasingly evident that ‘green’ practices actually contribute to the bottom line and more and more companies are taking this on board. It therefore makes sound business sense, even in today’s global recession, to participate in CDP and demonstrate that your organisation is also assessing the challenges and opportunities of sustainable business practices.”
The CDP Questionnaire examines climate change practices; emissions reduction targets; climate change risks and opportunities; emissions data; zero or low carbon strategies.
The Questionnaire is circulated to 40 of the largest companies in Ireland listed on the Irish Stock Exchange; large organisations involved in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, including the major utility companies such as Bord na Mona and ESB; and other companies that volunteer to take part.
In Ireland, 33 Irish companies participated in 2010 and it is anticipated that this number will increase in 2011.
Questionnaires must be completed by Tuesday, 31st May 2011 and the Carbon Disclosure Project Ireland 2011 Report will be published later in the year.