Business in the Community, the Responsible Business Network, has supported businesses and communities for 35 years in Northern Ireland. With more than 270 members, we are the largest business-led coalition dedicated to responsible business.
From community engagement to employment, diversity to climate action, we offer expert advice and specialist resources on all aspects of responsible business. We drive best practice by convening, sharing learning and recognising great performance across our influential network.
Our Vision
To achieve a world where responsible business is at the core of every organisation.
Our Purpose
To inspire and support business to be a force for good.
Business in the Community is the network for responsible business. A registered charity and membership organisation, we exist to support and challenge business to be a force for good in society. We have a presence in all parts of the UK and a sister organisation in the Republic of Ireland.
We are led by business and in Northern Ireland our 270+ members employ more than 40% of the working population. Our network is comprised of companies of all sizes and from all sectors.
Our ability to convene business is one of our greatest strengths and we use that power to encourage collaboration to tackle key societal and environmental issues.
To help us decide where we are best placed to influence and act on those issues, we will ask ourselves a series of questions before deciding on a course of action. We call this our litmus test.
Our litmus test
- Does this fit with our unique purpose of engaging business in society?
- Are we best placed to deliver?
- Could we be duplicating the work/role of others?
- Do we have the skills and resources, or can we get them?
Our Responsibilities…
We believe we cannot ask businesses to act responsibly unless we hold ourselves to the same high standards. We continually challenge ourselves to reduce our environmental impact and demonstrate leadership across our People, Planet and Place commitments.
Environmental Leadership
- Our Environmental Management System is fully certified, demonstrating our commitment to continual improvement
- We are a Carbon Literate Organisation (Gold, 2024–2027), recognising our organisation-wide commitment to climate education, staff empowerment, and meaningful carbon reduction
- We have signed the Climate Action Pledge, committing to reduce our absolute scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and to work towards measuring and reporting scope 3 emissions
- Our Carbon Reduction Plan sets out the steps we are taking to achieve these goals
Policies & Transparency
We publish a suite of policies and reports to ensure transparency and accountability, including our Environmental Policy, Biodiversity Policy, Responsible Procurement Policy, and annual Walk the Talk report.