In this week’s Sustainability/ESG Bulletin read about our Sustainability Trends overview for 2025. Also covered are measures announced to accelerate electric vehicle take-up, Ireland’s progress towards UN SDG 5 – gender equality, ethical procurement, sustainability in accounting education and financial literacy, a report showing job creation and economic expansion in the UK net zero economy, news from Europe on the ‘Omnibus’ and the Clean Industrial Deal, and the usual articles, resources and upcoming events.

Sustainability trends 2025

2025 is already seeing changes that are reshaping our future. Read about what to expect from sustainability in 2025 in this roundup by Institute Sustainability Advocacy Manager, Susan Rossney, with contributions from experts in reporting, assurance, tax, skills, procurement and more.

Ireland news

Measures announced to accelerate transition to electric vehicles

The Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, TD, has announced a suite of initiatives aimed at accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) and encouraging a cleaner and more sustainable transport future for Ireland. Administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and funded by the Department of Transport and Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), the scheme offers grants ranging from €500 to €1,000 for various vehicle categories and will continue in 2025 with a budget of a €12.5 million. To address a particular challenge of home-charging access, the Minister also introduced a Shared Charging Pilot Scheme to be supported by ZEVI and rolled out in urban, suburban and rural area, enabling homeowners to rent their EV chargers to others through a booking platform.

Ireland’s progress towards gender equality – UN SDG 5

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has published a report on Ireland's progress towards achieving the UN SDGs – Goal 5 Gender Equality 2025. The release is the latest in a series from the CSO that monitor and report on how Ireland is progressing towards meeting its targets under the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). Among other things, the report points to a steady rise in the proportion of females in managerial occupations, rising from 33.7 percent in 2020 to 38.4 percent in 2024.

Ethical procurement certification for Office of Government Procurement

The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) has been recognised with a certification in Ethical Procurement from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). Commenting, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment, Emer Higgins, TD, said “The Programme for Government outlined ambitions around transparent, sustainable and green procurement practices, and having highly skilled people in this area is crucial to achieving these goals.” The Office of Government Procurement, which is part of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform & Digitalisation, has a significant role in delivering on Government’s vision for public procurement that is sustainable, ethical, innovative, transparent and cost-effective. 

Sustainability in accounting and financial literacy in Ireland

‘Ethics and Sustainability in Accounting’ has been identified as a cross-cutting theme in a revised specification for Leaving Cert accounting, published this week by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.  The draft is now open for public consultation until Friday 28 April.  Chartered Accountants Ireland (under the auspices of CCAB-I) will be making a submission in response, which will be published on our website.

Separately, the Department of Finance has published Ireland’s first National Financial Literacy Strategy with a view to supporting greater overall financial wellbeing and resilience among people in Ireland, as well as guidelines aimed at improving financial literacy, financial resilience and overall financial wellbeing for children and young people. Financial Education in Schools: Guidelines for the Financial Services Industry aim to build quality partnerships between schools and the financial services industry in delivering financial education programmes across the country.

OECD makes climate recommendations in biennial assessment of Ireland’s economy

The analysis of economic trends, suggested policy recommendations, and overview of structural policy developments in the recently published OECD’s biennial assessment of the Irish economy includes an analysis of Ireland’s progress towards addressing climate change. The Economic Survey of Ireland 2025  makes a number of key recommendations to meet climate targets, including faster implementation of plans and pricing emissions more uniformly across sectors. The OECD, of which Ireland was one of the founding members in 1961, provides access to the highest quality analysis and policy prescriptions and the opportunity to contribute along with larger economies into shaping the economic policy environment internationally.

Northern Ireland/UK news

Northern Ireland consultation on potential development of offshore renewable energy

Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, has launched a consultation as a first step towards identifying areas for potential development of offshore renewable energy. Commenting, Minister Archibald said “Offshore renewable energy in our marine area is a key deliverable of the Executive’s Energy Strategy. It could be the north’s most ambitious energy infrastructure plan in a generation, which could supply our homes and businesses with clean and affordable electricity.” The consultation will remain open for 12 weeks until 22 May 2025, and information and to access the consultation is available on the Department's website.

Invest NI offers free sustainability reports for businesses

Invest NI is offering free Sustainability Reports for businesses which intends to enable business to measure, monitor and report on environmental impacts, demonstrating transparency and accountability. This support is available to all Northern Ireland businesses with annual energy and resource spend of more than £30,000, which could include the combined value of a business’s heating, electricity, water, waste disposal or raw material billings.

Reforms to UK government’s flagship renewables scheme announced

The UK government has unveiled proposals to reform renewable energy schemes as part of its efforts to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2030. The full list of proposed reforms being consulted on include changes to the way budgets for offshore wind are set and published; increasing the contracts for different (CfD) contract term beyond the current 15 years and enabling CfD support for repowered onshore wind projects.  These proposals are the latest actions taken by the UK government to deliver clean power by 2030 and support growth. Other actions included the launch of the Clean Industry Bonus, incentivising offshore wind developers to invest in cleaner supply chains and create jobs in industrial communities.  

UK’s net zero economy a “powerhouse of job creation and economic expansion”

A report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has described the net zero economy as “a powerhouse of job creation and economic expansion” supporting 10.1 percent growth in total economic value since 2023.  The report, The Future is Green: The economic opportunities brought by the UK's net zero economy, identified 22,800 net zero businesses in 2024, with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) making up 94 percent of the sector, together contributing £28.8 billion into the economy and support 273,000 full-time jobs, outpacing employment in the telecommunications industry. It also attracted £23 billion in funding in 2023/25, with £20.1 billion coming from foreign direct investment (FDI), a growth of 47 percent compared to 2022/23. 

Europe News

• The EU released its ‘Omnibus’ package this week, proposing significant changes to sustainability reporting, notably to the CSRD, CSDDD, Taxonomy, and CBAM. The legislative proposals will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council for their consideration and adoption. The changes on the CSRD, CSDDD, and CBAM will enter into force once the co-legislators have reached an agreement on the proposals and after publication in the EU Official Journal. For early insight, watch our 30 minute webinar with David Connolly, FCA who provided insights from Wave 1 reporting and an at-a-glance view of the Omnibus proposals. See coverage by Chartered Accountants Ireland. Chartered Accountants Ireland will continue to cover developments as they unfold.

   

• The European Commission has presented the Clean Industrial Deal, a business plan to support the competitiveness and resilience of EU industry. The Deal aims to accelerate decarbonisation, while securing the future of manufacturing in Europe. The Deal focuses mainly on two closely linked sectors: energy-intensive industries and clean technology. As part of the Clean Industrial Deal, the Commission will also adopt a new Clean Industrial Deal State aid framework by June 2025 to accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy, deploy industrial decarbonisation and ensure sufficient manufacturing capacity of clean technology.

World news

The OECD has published a paper that maps diverse patterns of worker rights along supply chains, considering all labour embodied in OECD countries’ final demand for a good or service. The paper, Mapping efforts to protect worker rights in supply chains,  compares three instruments designed to safeguard worker rights in the context of international trade: trade agreements, voluntary sustainability initiatives, and supply chain sustainability laws, and documents their coverage of specific supply chains.

Technical Roundup

(From our colleagues in Professional Accounting on 21 February )

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) have confirmed a new partnership enforcing a shared commitment to high-quality sustainability assurance.

The International Sustainability Standards Board has released its Q1 2025 Implementation Insights podcast.

Resources

A new book has published that explores key debates shaping the future of business and sustainability has published. For the World’s Profit: How Business Can Support Sustainable Development, published by The Brookings Institute, includes a chapter on the rollout of International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA) 5000 and the evolving assurance ecosystem.

Articles

Events

Mid South West Economic Engine, SME Big Breakfast Briefing: Reduce Energy Costs with Net Zero Action
Hosted by BBC’s Louise Cullen, attendees at this event will gain exclusive insights from Invest NI, hear the real success stories from local businesses and learn how to be the Supplier of Choice in 2025. There will be insights from Invest NI’s Green Economy Team and a session on how to be the Supplier of Choice in 2025. The Carbonfit team will be on hand to help you sign up and get started.
In person, Glenavon Hotel, Cookstown, BT80 8QS, 6 March, 09:00 - 14:00

Institute of Chartered Accountant England and Wales (ICEAW), 2025: ESG – how should the financial statements reflect sustainability?
Gain a practical understanding of how to reflect ESG principles in financial reporting for your organisation.
Virtual, 14 & 24 March 2025, 9.30-12.30  

EPA, Climate Change Lecture Series - Transformation in a Changing Climate: Insights from the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment
The EPA, as part of the National Dialogue on Climate Action, will host a public lecture online on 26th March 7:00pm
Virtual, 26 March, 2025

Chartered Accountants Worldwide, Difference Makers Discuss Special: Global Challenges and the Drive for Sustainability with Carmine Di Noia (OECD)
In our upcoming episode of Difference Makers Discuss, Ainslie van Onselen, Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and CEO of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, will be speaking with Carmine Di Noia, the Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs at the OECD. This special conversation will dive into the crucial global challenges we face today and the role of finance professionals in tackling them.
Virtual, 3 April, 18:00 - 18:30 pm BST

Chartered Accountants Ireland ESG Masterclass: Take your sustainability knowledge to the next level (ROI/NI)
Masterclass designed for all professional accountants working in business or practice, wishing to consolidate their knowledge and understanding of the sustainability regulatory, reporting and assurance landscape.
9 April, 08:30 – 14.00, Virtual

Chartered Accountants Ireland, The SME and SMP Sustainability Workshop
A workshop for SMEs and small/medium accounting practices (SMPs) on how to get ahead of the sustainability curve. This interactive half-day session will focus on positive actions you can take to understand the ‘trickle-down’ effect of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ('CSRD’), green public procurement, access to sustainable finance, and how to make your practice more sustainable to save costs and respond to staff and client demands.
Virtual, 23 May, 9.30- 12.30; €60 members; €75 non-members; 3 hours CPD points.

EPA, EPA Annual Climate Change Conference 2025
The EPA Annual Climate Change Conference will be held on Wednesday 28 May 2025 in Dublin Castle. Please save the date for this event.
In person, May 28, 2025

Sustainability Centre

You can find information, guidance and supports to understand sustainability and meet the challenges it presents in our online Sustainability Centre.