Together Towards a Greener Carlow is designed around the pillars of Promotion, Collaboration, Education and Support, creating a greener more sustainable Carlow.
Through this page you will get insight into some of what members are doing within their businesses:
MSD Carlow have made it their business to reduce their carbon footprint and improve their long term sustainability to be Net Zero target approved by SBTi no later than 2050. MSD energy program is certified to ISO 50001 standard. Three of their current buildings conform to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) which include LED lighting, Solar panels, heat pumps and operational controls of all significant energy users. Natural resources make up a large portion of the products manufactured on the campus.
MSD’s waste management ensures No waste goes to landfill; Utilising the expertise of local companies, glass components are melted down to produce new glass, and Plastic waste is recycled and repurposed promoting a circular economy.
MSD have a strong Social Corporate policy and are heavily involved in the local community. They implemented a ‘Sea Green, Be Green’ workstream within the business which connects employees to green spaces which supports the local eco system and environment. They have planted Trees close to the campus with every tree they planted locally,10 were planted in Malawi in Africa, which has resulted in over 19,000 trees being planted in total. They have included pollinator plants and owl boxes on site. They have worked with Irish Heart foundation to put a ‘Sli na Slainte’ in place along a green walking route on the campus. They support Carlow Pride festival and have worked with many local volunteer organisations to help improve the local community.
As part of their social inclusion policy they support Carlow Pride festival along with other local organisations. And have an open employment policy which includes equal opportunities for the disadvantaged and otherwise marginalised individuals.
With all this as standard Its easy to see why MSD have received numerous awards in the area of sustainability. And they continue to strive to improve.
Gas Networks Ireland are thriving in the sustainability field. The companies vision is ‘To be at the heart of Ireland’s energy future’. Consequently, they regularly reviews their strategy to ensure it adapts as required to the rapidly changing ecosystem. This sets out how they will continue to operate and maintain our gas networks to ensure safe, reliable, affordable and secure supplies while preparing for a future in which networked gas enables an integrated energy system to achieve net zero.
As part of our commitment to decarbonise the national gas infrastructure, they are working to assess the technical capability of the gas network to transport hydrogen. Incorporating green hydrogen into our network is a practical solution for storing and transporting renewable energy in the near future.
Gas Networks Ireland were named Green Public Sector Organisation of the year at the Green Awards 2022, which is a testament to the whole organisations commitment to sustainability.
“ARC Green-Clean Systems”
Arc Construction Solutions Ireland is a specialist products provider, based just outside Tullow, Co. Carlow. They mainly supply to the renewable energy sector, with a focus on site safety and offering products that help contractors work smarter, not harder- thus helping to eliminate risk of injury on site.
After a lot of research into planet (and people) friendly cleaners available on the Irish market, They realised that even so called “non-toxic/ eco-friendly” cleaners contain high concentrations of glycolic acid and other acids/caustics, which are classified as corrosive and can cause damage to people, equipment, and the planet.
They decided to introduce a range of synthetic acid based products to the Irish market, called “ARC Green-Clean Systems”.
All products are biodegradable within ten days, non-toxic to humans, pets, or aquatic wildlife, non-corrosive, non-fuming, and non-carcinogenic.
The range includes products suitable for cleaning concrete off equipment without causing any damage, products for concrete etching, a spray and walk away cleaner for outdoor surfaces, and a cleaner/degreaser that is ideal for use in kitchens- to name but a few.
Hickson’s SuperValu, Tullow have began work on installing 340 solar panels on their roof. This is part of Musgraves sustainability scheme and when it is completed, this will save them up to 30% of electricity usage and greatly reduce the supermarkets carbon footprint. The store has also been undergone a big renovation recently, which saw upgraded refrigeration, freezers and lighting being installed, which is an investment in the energy and carbon reduction in the store.
A Pathway to Decarbonisation for Ireland’s Gas Network.
We were delighted to host a webinar last week in partnership with the Chamber of Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford on A Pathway to Decarbonisation for Irelands Gas networks.
Delivered by the team at Gas networks Ireland the session covered areas including Biomethane and Green Hydrogen with some great discussion and Q&A at the end.
The webinar was recorded and is available to playback on the Carlow Chamber Website or click below to playback.
A Pathway to Decarbonisation for Ireland’s Gas Network – YouTube
County Carlow Chamber of Commerce are looking for your participation in our Climate Action Plan. Have your say, offer suggestions, share information, insights or knowledge for consideration, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us for more details at ceo@carlowchamber.com
Optimization+
Optimization+ in association with Carlow County Council – Local Enterprise Office , Carlow Tourism & County Carlow Chamber and Vision Green Consultancy is a free consultancy programme open to all SME’s in County Carlow. It’s aim is to help guide companies to the supports available for implementation of projects which are designed to ensure your company’s competitiveness. The programme offers a review by experts using national standards that will show you how much money you could save by implementing some simple green or food waste management process improvements.
The Optimization + Programme is delivered by the Team in Vision Green who will:
- Review of your Waste/Green Assessment to national standards
- Estimate of your financial savings potential
- Signpost and support your company to apply for the Lean for Micro & Green for Micro Voucher
Places are limited and allocated on a first come , first served basis.
Beam Services CLG
Beam Services provide training and care to adults with special needs in the Bagenalstown area.
They have always been conscious of the environment in which we live. To this end, they have reduced their carbon footprint by powering their building at Regent Street by means of Geo-thermal energy, which has been in place since 2012.
Beam’s garden development of “The Barrow Experience”, which is a wonderful and unique series of nine inter-connecting gardens has held Organic Status since 2013. Organic gardening helps to prevent a loss of topsoil, toxic runoff, water pollution, soil contamination, soil poisoning, death of insects, birds, critters and other beneficial soil organisms.
One of “The Barrow Experience’s” key objectives was to provide a healthy and therapeutic working environment for the members attending the BEAM Training Centre.
As a result of these practices, Beam Services CLG align with 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy. SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation. SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being and SDG 15 – Life on Land
Carlow Toolmaking Services
Is a niche market company which produce high quality and innovative precision components for a range of multinational customers, providing flexible service to allow the completion of work to the highest accuracy,
CTS undertook a carbon footprint assessment and an energy audit in 2022. As a result of the Carbon Footprint report, CTS has aligned with 3 Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption & Production. SDG 7 – Affordable & Clean Energy, and SDG 8 – Decent Work & Economic Growth.
In their efforts to align with these goals, CTS have put in place the following:
• Replacing all lights in the building with LED lights.
• Installing sensors to turn off lights when rooms are not in use.
• Implementing Lean Management and Achieving ISO9001
• Turning off machines when not in use and using applications to control valves so machines can be turned off remotely and not left on all night.
• Recycling.
• Reusing carboard boxes we have received goods inwards in, to send our goods outwards in. This reduces the demand for cardboard manufacturing.
• Not using single use plastics in the business.
• Engaging with and encouraging the “Bike to work Scheme”.
• Installing E.KO Ioniser systems on all 5 Wire EDM Machines. These systems allow the CTS to reduce hazardous waste such as resin.
• Installed Solar Panels in November 2022. Not only are we now producing electricity for ourselves, but we are also providing electricity back to the grid outside of working hours offering more power to our community.
• Using couriers who actively support sustainability and have sustainability plans in place.
• CTS offers an annual health check-up for employees.
Blacknight
Blacknight, Ireland’s largest webhost and domain registrar, has reiterated its commitment to green energy by installing a large array of solar panels on its Carlow headquarters roof. The energy generated by the panels will provide almost 90% of the office’s energy usage. As part of their ongoing office upgrade they have also installed motion activated LED lighting thoughout the building which will help reduce use.
This will help Blacknight reduce its overall carbon footprint and save on energy costs, reinforcing their commitment to sustainability and renewable energy. This is just the latest action in Blacknight’s quest to help reduce its carbon footprint. Blacknight are signatories to the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, a European-focused organisation seeking to reduce the overall carbon footprints of data centres and their back offices. Blacknight will be playing its part in making Europe carbon neutral by 2050.
C.I.A – Catering Innovation Agency
Founded on April 1st, 2008, the CIA has an enviable customer list ranging from Adare Manor ,The K Club to Award winning pubs like Langtons and Paris Texas in Kilkenny. CIA founder Seamus Marnane is expert on efficiency numbers, for example 90 percent for induction cookers and 75 for clever salamanders which take heat and carbon out of the kitchen; Also he is passionate about design and continuous surfaces built on plinths. It’s a green shift for the hospitality industry to say goodbye to gas and introduce induction appliances into the Kitchen. With the help of the Carlow based CIA this change is well under way .
” The Wren Hotel is Dublin’s first Carbon neutral Hotel and the Pembroke Kilkenny was Irelands first commercial kitchen granted aid for Energy Efficiency by the SEAI via the Southeast Energy Agency. The common denominator for both Hotels is Carlow Chamber member the Catering Innovation Agency .
CustomPC, Build, Design, and Service custom PC’s, also providing administration from their purpose-built facility which is located in Enterprise Business Pk Carlow. It is 100% Irish owned and operated established sinch 2005.
Electricity & Heating – We use 100% Green Electricity supplied by Energia. In 2020 we added Smart Plugs to all heaters which allowed us to reduce our energy by 55% in 2021. This year we have added LPG heating to further reduce electricity usage. We plan to install 4KW of solar panels to reduce our electricity usage further in 2023.
Shipping in Ireland – We work with our partners www.GREENWAYCOURIERS.ie to provide delivery across Ireland using their fleet of Electric Vans. This allows us to provide carbon neutral deliveries.
Packaging – We recycle almost 100% of packaging and cardboard boxes. Paper – We send all Invoices delivery notes etc as PDF document by email We ask customers not to print documents unless necessary. We also advice customers of online document services such as DEXT.COM which allow companies to avoid using paper. Waste – We separate our waste and recycle all paper, plastics, etc which we cannot use for packing.
Inward Shipping – In 2020 we made the changed our ordering system from 5 times to twice a week to reduce the need for daily shipments. In 2022 we have also added over 1000 of the most popular items to stock here in Carlow which further reduces our reliance on daily shipments.
Our Products – We provide advice customers with the power requirement of the equipment they purchase. In 2023 we will add a real time energy calculator which will show the customer the exact power consumption of any desktop pc or laptop they purchase down to the exact wattage.
Asset Management – We offer to accept any products back from our customers purchased from us for recycling which is provided by a fully licensed third party company. We also offer a TRADE & SAVE offer for our customers
Burnside Autocyl is a leading manufacturer of Custom Hydraulic Cylinders for all types of mobile applications, based in Tullow. As a Manufacturer they are very conscious of Energy Usage and have implemented the following initiatives to improve their sustainability in the long term.
They have committed to a 3-year plan to remove old and poorly insulated roofing structures and replace with State-of-the-art insulated panels. They are upgrading their entire premises with LED lighting. Burnside are assessing all areas of their facility – production and non production – where energy is used & looking for opportunities to reduce the consumption of energy through the installation of sensor lighting, energy efficient compressors, timers on high energy usage points to ensure no energy is wasted at off peak times. All of these measures reduce their total energy use.
They have introduced a system for cleaning, filtering ad re-using Hydraulic oils. This means they will use less Hydraulic Oil. They are in the process of replacing existing diesel forklift fleet with all electric products.
They are re-using packing materials such as pallets and crates and have a return packaging programme operating with some of their customers, they are working to roll this out to more of their clientele in the future.
Operationally they have installed a completely new paint pre-treatment plant reducing the need to heat liquids & water to high temperatures. Also have installed two new dock levellers for loading trailers, reducing the amount of heat escaping from the building as doors no longer need to be opened when loading trucks. They are using low friction designs for new cylinders where possible. This will mean that the cylinders use less energy when doing their job, thus reducing energy consumption overall on the machines to which the cylinders are fitted.
They are running an employee awareness campaign to make every team aware of their energy consumption – no matter how small or large & actively encouraging everyone to think about how they can help to reduce usage. Employees are being encouraged to be mindful of filling trailers to capacity when shipping goods and avoiding shipping “empty space” on trailers.
Talbot Hotel Carlow
At Talbot Hotel Carlow, we recognise that our business has an important role to play in protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations and to help secure the long-term sustainability of the Tourism Industry. To this end Talbot Hotel Carlow has changed the following within the business:
- Single use plastic toiletries have been replaced in guest bedrooms, Talbot Fitness Changing Facilities, and staff changing facilities, with refillable Easy-Press dispensers.
- Single use plastic pens in Guest bedrooms are being replaced with pencils
- EV charging point powered by EasyGO to accommodate electric vehicles
- Branded water cartons in sustainable packaging
- Further monitoring of utilities to minimise our waste and reduce our water consumption where possible
Furthermore Talbot Hotel have taken on a ‘Sustainability Manager’ to oversee the Green initiatives and continue to develop our efforts on an ongoing basis. We are delighted to announce that we will be Installing PV solar panels over the coming months.
Detail Menswear their Green Journey
In the last few years the team at Detail Menswear have been working hard behind the scenes on their “Greener Business” policy.
Some of the initiatives include:
- They have introduced paper packaging from sustainable only forestry
- All cardboard and plastic packaging from suppliers is recycled
- Their procurement prioritises the suitability of items with recycled and organic cotton garments taking up more and more of their shelf space.
- The priority project for 2022 will see the introduction of Solar Panels to their roof space in Potato Market Store, producing 30% of their consumption and paid back within 5 years.
The 2022 Project
With the introduction of a 9 KW Solar Panel system, they hope to produce 30% of their total yearly consumption in the Detail Menswear Potato Market store. The outlay of approximately €11k is projected to be paid back within 5 years with the savings. The panels have a 25year lifespan which should give a 20year free return following the payback period.
The system is also eligible for ACA (Accelerated Capital Allowance) which promotes investment in energy efficient products and equipment whereby capital depreciation can be compensated through a reduction in a company’s tax liability. The ACA scheme allows a company that pays corporation tax in Ireland to deduct the full cost of the equipment from their profits in the year of purchase.
Additionally companies providing the Solar panel system can offer funding over a 7 year period with the system becoming your property on the last payment in year 7.
Your Business Carbon Footprint
Climate change is here. It’s a very real challenge and it’s facing us all. At VisionGreen we collaborate with companies of all sizes and support them in first understanding the impact their business has on the environment, and then helping them put strategies and solutions in place to reduce this environmental impact – ultimately driving sustainable change.
All of our solutions are designed in accordance with the latest Irish and EU regulatory frameworks for Climate Action.
South East Energy Agency
South East Energy Agency for Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford we work in partnership to deliver energy saving projects for the local authorities, communities and individuals in the Southeast.
As an organisation, our vision is that the Southeast region becomes a leader in sustainable efficient use of locally produced clean energy delivering low carbon homes, jobs and enterprise.
Building sustainability into your business is critical because it matters to your customers.
The Government’s Climate Toolkit 4 Business allows you to get an estimate of your carbon footprint and a personalised action plan to reduce it.
