Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Challenges Facing Businesses in Relation to Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Discussion

Ms Jeanne McDonagh:

Absolutely. It is a far more holistic move because it does not involve siloing the work of CSR as a sort of tick-box exercise. It involves encompassing it within the whole of a company and that thought is put into everything it does and every action it takes.

It involves taking a stance on issues that have social impact and putting the work into finding out why these issues exist, what the underlying factors are and what needs to be done to improve them for wider society. That sounds like a grandiose undertaking, but we are of the view that you start small and build with that model in mind and with the mindset that, as a company, it is incumbent upon you to do social good, whatever form that takes.

Pride is a good example. Everyone gets excited about Pride in June but over the rest of the year many issues impact on the LGBTQ community and it is about having an understanding of those issues and of issues relating to the trans community, a put-upon, small community that is not - I use the word "fashionable" lightly - but it is not all the fun of Pride. They need to be looked at and helped during the year to understand from their lived experience what needs to be done and how best to work with them. That applies to all social issues. Immigration is a big issue. There is much reaction to and a lack of knowledge about it, including in the context of our history of emigration. If people talked and knew more about that, it would make them more understanding of those who are coming here looking for help. That is important. I could talk about this until the cows come home but will hand back to the Deputy.