This week’s Sustainability/ESG bulletin highlights Ireland’s gender pay and digital skills gaps and their impact on competitiveness, alongside new requirements for centralised pay gap reporting. Also included are updates on the Government’s actions on energy security, offshore wind, expanded zero‑emission HDV grants, and the introduction of the EU’s ESAP portal to support SME finance. The Green Economy reached €12.1bn output in 2023, with emissions intensity falling. Also covered are EU clean‑energy measures, greenwashing guidance, technical updates, key articles, and upcoming sustainability events.
IRELAND
SMEs and sustainable finance
Tánaiste and Minister of Finance, Simon Harris, has signed into law the Statutory Instruments creating the Irish framework of the European Single Access Point (ESAP), an EU-wide data portal centralising free source of public information about EU companies and investment products. Read more.
Gender pay gap consequences for Ireland’s competitiveness, innovation and resilience
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley has urged employers to publish their gender pay gap reports, pointing to new research showing how a gender pay gap is evident in the early stages of young women’s careers. A gender skills gap has also been a priority area for certain sectors across Europe, with research published by the ESRI and European Parliament. Read more.
Energy security and competitiveness developments
The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) has convened a meeting of the Government's Energy Security Group to assess the current implications of the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region; however, commentators argue that the crisis in the Middle East exposes over-reliance on fossil fuels, particularly LNG as a liability for Ireland, and call for investment in household energy security and clean energy alternatives. Read more.
Government expands zero emission HDV grants for Irish logistics sector
Irish businesses are set to benefit from expanded Government support to help cut costs and accelerate the move to zero-emission transport. Read more.
Gross Output of Ireland’s ‘Green Economy’ €12.1 billion in 2023
The Gross Output of the Green Economy was €12.1 billion in 2023, up 10 percent on 2022, according to figures released by the CSO office. Meanwhile, a separate publication revealed that Ireland’s economy is becoming less emissions-intensive and is producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic activity. Read more.
ISIF invests €140m in new climate action fund
The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), part of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), has announced it will commit up to €140m as a cornerstone investor in a major new climate action fund. Read more.
NORTHERN IRELAND/UK
Urgent call for action as rising oil and gas costs hit households and businesses
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald has written to the British Government warning that the rapid rise in global oil and natural gas prices is now placing significant pressure on households and businesses across the north. It comes as consumers using heating oil saw prices rise over 80 percent in less than a week. The Minister’s call for action builds on her engagement last week with her Irish and British Government counterparts, business, consumer, and industry stakeholders, on the stark price rises in petrol, diesel and heating oil.
The call was made only five days after a report was published detailing the percentage of electricity consumption in the region generated from renewable sources. The report found that the volume of renewable electricity generated in the year to December 2025 was equivalent to 47 percent of gross final electricity consumption compared to 44 percent in the previous period, of which the majority (72 percent) was from wind.
EUROPE
Commission presents measures to increase EU's energy independence and affordability
The European Commission has presented a package of initiatives designed to boost investment in homegrown clean energy solutions, increase resilience and reduce energy prices. Delivering on the Affordable Energy Action Plan which was adopted in February 2025 to strengthen Europe's competitiveness, reduce energy dependencies and increase affordability for households, the package comprises:
a Clean Energy Investment Strategy to help bridge the gap between the private capital currently available and the investments needed, de-risking projects and mobilising private finance for grids, innovative clean energy technologies and energy efficiency.
a Citizens Energy Package to reduce energy bills, empower citizens to produce and share their own clean energy and fight against energy poverty
a Strategy for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to reduce import dependencies and ensure strategic autonomy by enabling EU Member States pursuing this technology accelerate their development and deployment.
The Commission will present further measures in due course.
Accountancy Europe on the EU sustainable reporting ecosystem and greenwashing
Accountancy Europe has called for stability in the EU sustainability reporting ecosystem, as the European Commission drafts and ultimately adopts the Delegated Act on Revised ESRS. Calling for the EC to “keep the standard-setting process technical and avoid subjecting it to political pressures” Accountancy Europe advises the Commission to refrain from further diluting the standards or reopening technical elements, which it warns would undermine the due process the Draft Revised ESRS went through at EFRAG level.
Separately, Accountancy Europe’s new publication Trust and integrity: the role of corporate ecosystem actors in preventing greenwashing demonstrates that mitigating greenwashing risks requires a systemic approach. The publication examines how different actors in the corporate ecosystem (across the three lines of defence) can identify and mitigate greenwashing risks, clarifying how each contributes to safeguarding the integrity of sustainability disclosures.
“Sustainability information is key to capital allocation and stakeholder decision-making and demand for it will persist. With lighter regulation due to the latest changes under the ‘simplification agenda’, ensuring good governance and clarifying the roles of corporate ecosystem actors is more important than ever.”
RESOURCES
Technical Roundup (from our colleagues in Professional Accounting)
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has published:
a Jurisdictional Readiness Assessment Guide for the adoption or other use of ISSB Standards
a podcast on the latest developments around the ISSB.
EFRAG has called for a balanced and cost effective approach to the proposed changes to Scope 2 Guidance in its response to the public consultation of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, while also raising some strong concerns regarding the complexity of some of the proposals. EFRAG has also released an updated version of the VSME digital template, which includes language support in Irish.
ARTICLES
Sustainability isn’t dead. It’s a commercial risk (Business Post)
"A Quiet Momentum" - Trends of Sustainability in Business for 2026 (IBEC)
More than half a million car journeys avoided every day in Dublin by walking and cycling (The Journal)
Why it makes sense for women to work for women (Financial Times)
Women represent 40pc of board member positions in Irish companies (Irish Independent)
Pension gender gap would see women working 10 extra years (Irish Examiner)
“A real opportunity to level-set pay gaps”: Employers face new EU salary transparency rules (The Currency)
After years of pay gap reporting, what do we know? (Financial Times)
New law to fast-track infrastructure will ‘benefit businesses’ (Business Post)
EVENTS
Dublin Chamber, SustainableSolutions Match 2026
In conjunction with the Enterprise Europe Network, Dublin Chamber is running free online events to exchange ideas, discover innovations, and connect with partners who share the same ambition: building a more sustainable and circular European economy. Whether you’re a company searching for practical sustainability solutions or an innovator ready to showcase your ideas, this event is where collaboration turns into action.
🌍 Opening Session 16 March | 💡 Online Pitching Sessions 16-24 March | 🤝 Online B2B Meetings 16-27 March
Enterprise Ireland, Sustainability Kickstarter Workshops
A half‑day workshop series designed to support business leaders in recognising the strategic importance of sustainability and decarbonisation. The sessions provide practical skills to integrate core sustainability principles, identify competitive opportunities, and build actionable plans to meet rising customer expectations for sustainable products and services. Workshops | Dates & Times
• Friday, 20 March 2026 | Half‑day workshop
• Friday, 17 April 2026 | Half‑day workshop
• Friday, 8 May 2026 | Half‑day workshop
Goodbody Clearstream From Strategy to Supplier Performance: Making EcoVadis Work for Your Organisation
Join this webinar to explore how EcoVadis is being used by organisations to strengthen their sustainability performance and meet growing expectations. We’ll begin with a clear introduction to the EcoVadis Scorecard and IQ Plus tools and hear directly from businesses that are using EcoVadis today. Through their experiences, you’ll gain valuable perspective on implementation timelines, internal engagement, challenges faced, and the business benefits achieved. Whether you’re new to EcoVadis or looking to better understand its role in supply chain and sustainability management, this session will provide practical insight into how the platform supports continuous improvement and risk management.
Virtual | Thursday, 26 March |12:30pm – 1:15pm
SEAI, SEAI Energy Show 2026
The SEAI Energy Show is a business-to-business event where you can learn about the latest developments in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
In person, RDS, Main Arena, Merrion Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, D04 AK83, 22nd - 23rd March 2026
Sustainability Centre
You can find information, guidance and supports to understand sustainability and meet the challenges it presents in our online Sustainability Centre.
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