Ms Linda Kane:

The enterprise sector currently accounts for 13.3% of our national emissions. Under the current climate action plan commits to reducing those emissions by 10% to 15%. That is likely to increase in the new climate action plan.

Making investments in new sustainable methodologies and products requires a level of certainty. The council welcomed the announcements in budget 2022 that the carbon tax will increase to €41 to tonne and a planned increase to €100 per tonne. That certainty really helps enterprises when they are making those long-term investment decisions. They need that element in place to know the playing field.

On our competitiveness, there is a global shift where consumers are demanding more environmentally conscious products. That is a niche market that our suppliers can work into. If they want to expand their businesses, they need to respond to what their consumers are demanding.