Norman Crowley and Dairygold co-op take accolades at ESG awards

A pair of Cork businesses were recently awarded at the Mansion House in Dublin for their responsible ethos at the inaugural Business & Finance ESG Awards.

Cork native Norman Crowley of Cool Planet received a special recognition ESG Leader Award as a rapidly scaling global leader in energy and solar services. Meanwhile, Cork’s Dairygold Co-operative Society Ltd took home the Energy Efficiency Initiative Award.

The Energy Efficiency Initiative Award was established to recognise companies that make a continued and significant attempt to adopt practical energy efficient strategies. The Dairygold Co-operative Society Ltd was commended by the judges for having shifted from simply doing the right thing, to leading with a deeper and more innovative approach that is moving the dial and making a difference.

Attracting over 100 entries from more than 80 companies nationwide, the ESG Awards were established to recognise and celebrate individuals and groups who are actively striving to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The awards showcase the successes of ESG initiatives and examples of best practice, as well as highlighting the importance of transparency.

There were more than 300 attendees at the gala luncheon last Thursday.

In light of the increasing importance of sustainability, increasing numbers of businesses are recognising the need to adopt ESG into their company’s DNA. The ESG Awards were established to commend and encourage this trend by recognising those who are surpassing their expectations and setting a high standard for ESG excellence.

Among the winners were Bus Éireann who picked up the Sustainable Supply Chain Award for its highly innovative AI enabled technology programme.

Accepting his special recognition ESG Leader Award, Cool Planet’s Norman Crowley said: “I am very honoured to receive this award and am encouraged by the enthusiasm of every entrant at the Business & Finance awards today. We all have a responsibility to maintain our planet and our goal is to assist companies in doing so.

“It makes sense that a strong ESG proposition creates value for a company, and that is where Cool Planet enters the conversation. We help companies become more ESG conscious, saving them money at the same time. I believe that companies need to be encouraged – and not forced – to become more ESG conscious. I extend my thanks to the business and finance team for this award.”