Brexit bureaucracy hammers growth - Grant Thornton report

The impact of Brexit is continuing to affect the growth of Irish businesses, according to new research collected in Grant Thornton Ireland's International Business Report.

Kingspan posts record H1 profits on strong demand

Insulation and building materials manufacturer Kingspan has reported record first half profits, but said that cost inflation will persist until 2022.

Apple postpones office return to at least January - report

Apple is delaying its return to corporate offices to January at the earliest because of surging Covid-19 cases and new variants, Bloomberg News reported last week, citing a staff memo.

Opportunities and returns in green investments

The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has called for an end to new coal plants and fossil fuel exploration, and he urged governments, investors and businesses to focus their efforts on achieving a low carbon future, following the publication of the UN report on climate change.

Diligent acquires Limerick-based ESG software company Accuvio

Diligent Corporation, the global leader in SaaS governance, risk and compliance (GRC), has announced that it has acquired Accuvio, a leading environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data aggregation and reporting software company.

Pandemic pushes profit at comparison site Bonkers to €1.1m

Price comparison site Bonkers saw its profitability boosted last year as the Covid pandemic resulted in a shift in consumer behaviour and door-to-door selling that competes with the website was suspended.

Two-thirds of people say it is important to consider ESG factors before investing

Workers are actively concerned that their pension savings should be invested in a way that respects environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, but not at any cost, according to a study from leading life and pensions group Aviva.

Two-thirds of company directors expect staff to split time between office and home post-pandemic

A new business survey has confirmed the dramatic shift the pandemic has made to the Irish workplace with over two-thirds of company directors expecting all their staff to mix office and remote working once all restrictions are lifted.

Irish workers can’t wait to get back to workplaces, Savills survey says

Irish workers overwhelmingly support in-office work and a large majority prefer city centre locations.

Irish Water and BusConnects tap into green bonds funding boom

Irish Water is the biggest single beneficiary to-date of the cheap funding sourced on the bond market from environmentally committed investors, drawing €679m a year of the fund in 2020 and 2019.

Career change is a strong trend in new female-led businesses being established in rural Ireland

ACORNS is a highly-successful development initiative to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland.

Dublin City Council launches EU Programme Participation Strategy 2021-2027

Dublin City Council's Economic Development Office and International Relations Office have hosted the launch of Dublin City Council's EU Programme Participation Strategy 2021 - 2027.

Commission approves €9.5m Irish scheme to support not-for-profit entities in the context of the coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €9.5 million Irish scheme to support not-for-profit regional, county and local entities affected by the coronavirus outbreak and the restrictive measures that the Irish government had to implement to limit the spread of the virus.

Limerick-based Arise Europe bought by ADEC Innovations

Limerick-based Arise Europe has been bought by ADEC Innovations. The company’s employees will now join the 4,400 strong ADEC workforce, which are based across 16 countries, covering six continents.

Businesses fear carbon tariff will be too complex to administer

The most controversial aspect of the European Union’s latest climate plan - the proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) - was described by high-level industry sources as “administratively complex” and potentially damaging to the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Ireland to receive €990m in EU grants to support recovery

Ireland is to receive a total of €990 million in EU grants to support recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Charity shops have a triple bottom line impact: economic benefit, social benefit and environmental benefit

Every year the Irish Charity Shops Association conducts a Benchmarking Survey with its members to quantify how shops benefit the charity sector, and also their impact on the communities where they operate and on the environment.