Bord Bia and Skillnet Ireland have recently launched the Origin Green Academy, to ‘develop sustainability skills and talent for the Irish food and drink industry’.
Bord Bia has partnered with the Lean & Green Skillnet and 20FIFTY Partners to develop a series of sustainability-themed training programmes.
Launched in support of the European Year of Skills, Bord Bia highlighted that the Origin Green Academy will support Irish food, drink and horticulture businesses to develop industry-leading sustainability talent and the skills required to achieve ambitious emission reductions across the sector.
The academy will also ‘accelerate […] sustainability progress, and meet the expectations of global consumers and legislative requirements such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.’
Origin Green Academy
The first programme to be offered by the Origin Green Academy in partnership with the Lean & Green Skillnet is Pathways to Net Zero, a training, mentoring and support programme that will prepare Origin Green member companies to meet commercial emission reduction requirements.
The programme will also allow attendees to prepare for the new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive climate change disclosures, which will commence in 2024.
Speaking at the launch, Jim O’Toole, CEO, Bord Bia, said, “The Origin Green Academy builds on the supports and initiatives we provide to the industry, such as introducing mandatory emissions targets for large companies, the recent Pathway to Net Zero emissions guidance, and our bespoke science-based targets guidance series.
“Through over a decade of progress, Origin Green has created a significant point of differentiation for our industry, and the Origin Green Academy in partnership with [the] Lean & Green Skillnet is a natural evolution of our goal to increase meaningful partnerships across the sector and drive sustainability progress at the most senior level of Irish businesses.”
Suite Of Supports
Overall, the Origin Green Academy will provide a ‘suite of supports over a three-year basis to Origin Green members on a one-to-one, sector-specific, and programmes-level basis.’
Paul Healy, chief executive, Skillnet Ireland, highlighted that the new initiative is an “excellent example” of how Skillnet Ireland’s model of collaboration between industry and national stakeholders can help Ireland achieve its climate goals.
“This suite of programmes and projects will assist Irish businesses in the food, drink and horticulture sectors to deliver on their own sustainability objectives whilst also supporting Ireland’s climate ambitions,” Healy said.
“Scaled and impactful inter-agency collaboration with industry on the green-skills agenda is so positive to see in this, the EU [European] Year of Skills.”
Initial Programmes
Maria Kelly, head of communications with 20FIFTY Partners, the promoting agency for the Lean & Green Skillnet, outlined the initial programmes launched by the academy.
“The first two programmes on offer from the academy will help address some of the most difficult practical sustainability challenges facing firms operating in the sector: reducing emissions and deploying sustainable packaging policies and solutions.
“They will achieve this through structured peer-to-peer learning approaches and anchored in international best practices.”
© 2023 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more A-brand news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
