Mr. Declan Hughes:

I take the Deputy's point. It is something we may come back to him on again with a further discussion. To emphasise, and it may have come up before, there are a range of supports available for companies through Enterprise Ireland. There is a toolkit which they can use to check and they can get basic grants for auditing and assessment, etc. The regulation side is important because it drives behaviour. If we can get this suite of initiatives through at European level and cascade them down through to the enterprise sector, that puts pressure on. In the construction sector, which we have been working in over the past year on modern methods of construction, there is a realisation of how the sector can reduce 20% to 40% of waste. You do not bring waste to site; you use and design in circularity, along with the increased use of timber rather than concrete and cement, etc. Everything is cut with precision for installation, as opposed to the previous practices, and then it is an issue of ensuring there are sustainability credentials for the final product. That is where NSAI has a role in providing that support.

The electronics industry, as I mentioned, and many of the leading sectors, are also at the forefront because they must have those credentials - I think it is the R2 standard - which is a standard in the US and is now available in Ireland. That is what companies and multinationals look for. That translates all the way through to their supply chains. Every company engaging with them, particularly in Ireland, must demonstrate those circular economy and sustainability credentials, which are green and renewable energy and reducing and minimising waste. I take the point that there is probably more we can do to put a spotlight on that, which we will do.