Sustainability
Sustainability plays a key role in food and drink companies’ long-term competitiveness. The sector can be a key driver of the sustainability of the food supply chain. The food and drink industry in Ireland is committed to being part of a circular economy and is working with suppliers, retailers and consumers to support sustainable consumption patterns.
FDI members have identified environmental sustainability as one of their top priorities. FDI has a dedicated Environmental Sustainability Executive to work with companies on this priority area. The FDI Sustainability Group was established to bring together subject-matter experts from FDI companies and disseminates information on sustainability developments.
The objectives of the group include:
- To identify sustainability and packaging experts from FDI companies in Ireland and create a network of these experts
- To facilitate two-way sharing of information, including national and EU policy updates from the secretariat and case studies, best practice and data from the membership
- To engage with external stakeholders where relevant, for example, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Bord Bia, Repak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Teagasc
Some examples of issues covered by the group are:
- Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation
- Single Use Plastic Directive
- Green Claims / green labelling
- EU Deforestation Regulation
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
- Sustainable Food Systems
- Food waste
- Circular Economy
Kevin Maher
Environmental Sustainability Executive
T: +353 1 605 1787
E: firstname.lastname@ibec.ie
