Click here to download the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey Report 2022.

100 organisations took part in the Survey in 2022

Two years on from the pandemic, interest in the 2022 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey has remained steady, with a slight decrease to 100 participants from 113 in 2021. Although participant levels were slightly below the previous year, we welcomed 22 new participants to the Survey, signifying that environmental issues are still on the radar of organisations, despite the challenges that organisations faced last year. We heard from participants that higher energy prices and the wider cost-of-living crisis created huge challenges for organisations, but that their commitment to the environment continued. This was our fourth year offering the Small Business Survey, which is open to organisations in Northern Ireland with fewer than 25 employees. In 2022, small business participants represented 10% of the Survey cohort, including four who participated for the first time.

The top three highest-performing organisations in 2022 were as follows:

1. Spirit AeroSystems

2. Openreach NI

3. Seagate Technology (Ireland)

Average scores remained consistent, but the number of companies achieving Platinum level decreased

The average 2022 Survey score continued to increase, with a 2% increase from 2021. This reflects the growing focus on environmental sustainability for businesses in Northern Ireland despite many participants reporting that the impacts of the pandemic are still having an impact on their programmes. However, we did notice a shift in the proportion of participants in each band. The proportion of those awarded Platinum decreased by two percentage points, and we saw slight increases in both those awarded Silver and Bronze.

There were several changes to the Survey questions this year, scored and unscored, to continue to challenge participants. Some of the changes designed to stretch participants, such as the increased focus on measuring and reporting on value chain (scope 3) emissions – helps to explain the reduction in the proportion of Platinum participants. We also asked new questions, such as the proportion of generated waste recycled (scored) and what were the barriers to increasing your company’s recycling rate (unscored). This showed that over half (55%) of participants recycled over 75% of their generated waste, with 23% recycling between 50-74%.

We welcomed 22 new main Survey participants. As in previous years, the average scores of these new participants were naturally lower than the overall average. This gives these newcomers a clear roadmap for improvement in future years.

The Survey’s focus is on an improvement in environmental performance

The Survey responses tell us that many participants have strong environmental strategies and management procedures in place. With the fundamentals established, the next step is to translate this into action by: kicking off improvement projects; improving data quality; realising performance improvements; and reporting on environmental impacts. We understand this can be a challenge, which is why the majority of the points are allocated in this section.

We are impressed by how many organisations are measuring their performance and by how many have implemented initiatives to take action. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement, by publicly reporting performance data and by innovating to demonstrate improvements in this area. Organisations seeking to improve their scores should explore ways to drive tangible environmental performance improvements.

*organisations that divert 100% of waste from landfill were also counted as demonstrating improvement.

The Survey responses tell us that many participants have strong environmental strategies and management procedures in place. With the fundamentals established, the next step is to translate this into action by kicking off improvement projects; by improving data quality; by realising performance improvements; and by reporting on environmental impacts. We understand this can be a challenge, which is why the majority of the points are allocated in this section.

We are impressed by how many organisations are measuring their performance and by how many have put initiatives in place to take action. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement, by publicly reporting performance data and by innovating to demonstrate improvements in this area. Organisations seeking to improve their scores should explore ways to drive tangible environmental performance improvements.

Small Business Survey

The top three highest-performing small businesses in 2022 were as follows:

1. Technidrive Ltd

2. Suki Teahouse Ltd

3. Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority

Many small businesses performed well in terms of environmental management, however, as has been the case in the past, fewer measure their environmental impact. For many, this may be about developing their approach over time. We would encourage these businesses to make a start by tracking the consumption of fuel, as well as the bills from suppliers. While the Survey may be more challenging for smaller business with fewer resources, there are still some areas where small businesses scored almost as high as the main cohort. Small business participants were particularly strong in areas such as employee engagement and the circular economy.

Thank you to all organisations who have encouraged others to participate in the Survey

Each year, we recognise organisations that demonstrate environmental leadership and help to grow the Survey by introducing another organisation to take part. In 2022, nine participants successfully brought another business on board through the ‘Bring a Business’ initiative.

What’s even more encouraging is that the relationship often extends beyond the Survey, with more experienced environmental managers supporting their business contacts to progress.
The table (below) recognises those who introduced new businesses to the Survey.

Splitting the results by sector is a useful way for organisations to compare their scores to their industry peers. It also allows us to see which sectors are performing well in terms of environmental performance.

While it can be useful to compare participants in each sector, it is important to note that some sectors are very small, and the participants usually change each year. Therefore, it is not always a like-for-like comparison between the years.

Utilities was the highest-scoring sector this year, with an average score of 86.3%, increasing by 6.1% from 2021. It was the third highest performer in 2021, with only the Local Authority and Education sectors above it (these two moved to second and third respectively in 2022). Information and Communications Technology saw the largest increase in average score, with a 66% increase.

Across the board, eleven of the seventeen sectors saw an increase in score, which is reflected in the overall average score growth for all participants. Significant changes to average sector scores can often be attributed to new participants that tend to score lower while they get accustomed to the Survey. We saw this in the Health and Social Services Trust sector, which decreased by 22.7% from 2021 to 2022.

SPOTLIGHT ON . . .

. . .Renewable Energy Sourcing

We asked organisations about the proportion of their energy consumption that is from renewable sources. Impressively, 86% of respondents told us that they are sourcing at least some proportion of their energy from renewable sources.

Almost half (44%) of participants are sourcing more than half their energy from renewables, a 9% increase from the 2021 survey (35%). Were also seeing participants go further with their renewable sourcing as one fifth (20%) use over 95% renewable energy.

Switching to a 100% renewable electricity tariff or generating your own electricity onsite with renewables are two great methods that organisations could consider when aiming to reduce emissions.

. . . The Circular Economy

Switching to a 100% renewable electricity tariff or generating your own electricity onsite with renewables are two great methods that organisations could consider when aiming to reduce emissions. The circular economy will be vital to all organisations in the shift to a more sustainable operating model. Not only is it good for reducing waste, but more efficient use of resources may also provide cost savings. For more inspiration on the circular economy, please visit WRAP and the circular economy and the Ellen Macarthur Foundation website.

. . . Science-Based Targets

While many organisations set targets for their environmental performance, the question we need to ask is this: what makes a credible target? The opportunity now exists for organisations to set targets to reduce their emissions in line with reductions required to limit global warming to 1.5C, as stated in the Paris Agreement and 2022 Climate Change Act NI.

We asked an unscored question on whether organisations were setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets that were aligned with what the science is telling us, and 41 participants out of 100 told us that they were.

As an additional layer of rigour, organisations can get their science-based target approved by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi).

. . . Protecting Biodiversity

In 2022, we included an unscored question on biodiversity, asking organisations if they have any commitments, policies, or actions in place to conserve or enhance biodiversity. Over half of participants (55%) have a formal commitment and 41% have biodiversity targets in place.

Feedback from organisations has shown how valued biodiversity is in Northern Ireland, and this is reflected in the results. 60% of organisations have programmes and/or management plans in place to support biodiversity, with nearly the same number of organisations (58%) assessing their operations to understand their exposure to/impact on biodiversity.

After the pandemic, there has been a renewed focus on protecting biodiversity, and we expect that organisations will continue to respond and will look for ways to preserve biodiversity.
Click here to read more about Business in the Community’s Business & Biodiversity Charter, in partnership with Ulster Wildlife, a framework for businesses to engage with biodiversity.

. . . Proportion of waste recycled

Introduced in the 2022 Survey, we asked participants what proportion of their waste generated is recycled, and over half (55%) of participants told us that they recycle over 75% of waste generated. Just under a quarter of participants (23%) recycle 50-74% of their waste and 10% recycled between 25-49%.

Recycling plays an important role in the circular economy and can help drive down emissions and prevent harm to the natural environment. When organisations are exploring opportunities to reduce the waste sent to landfill, we would suggest prioritising action based on the waste hierarchy: first by preventing the use of raw materials, then by reducing it, reusing it, and finally recycling it. For some materials that are hard to recycle, we would encourage businesses to explore partnering with your waste management provider, suppliers and/or other business to innovate in addressing the barriers for recycling or repurposing these waste streams.

In addition to GHG emissions, water consumption and waste, organisations are asked to report their performance of an additional environmental impact of their choosing that is relevant to their business.

The responses told us that 93% of participants were tracking an additional impact. Reporting on additional impacts gives participants an opportunity to showcase another way in which they are making a positive impact on the environment – or how they are limiting any negative impacts.

Nearly a quarter (23%) of participants reported that their additional impact was related to biodiversity initiatives. Biodiversity initiatives ranged from small-scale actions like planting wildflowers, to engaging with entire supply chains on improving their own biodiversity impacts. With recent high-profile documentaries and research highlighting biodiversity loss and the associated risks2, it is encouraging to see Survey participants taking action in this area.

Other additional impacts reported included environmental training or engagement, selected by 22% of participants. This indicated a positive trend of organisations educating both their employees, external stakeholders, and the wider community about environmental issues and what can be done to address them.

We encourage participants to choose their additional impact by considering which environmental impacts align closely with the nature of their operations. This is where organisations have the most scope for change. We also encourage participants to choose impacts that can be measured and that can ultimately demonstrate improvements over time.

2 See, for example, Sir David Attenborough and the BBC’s documentary Extinction: The Facts or WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022

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