Today marks a significant milestone as the Supply Chain Sustainability School extends its footprint to Ireland. Already recognised as a leading learning platform in the UK, the School is now set to provide free industry-supported training, knowledge sharing, and support for best practices in sustainability within the Irish built environment.

The launch event, held at Croke Park, Dublin, was supported by the School’s 15 Founding Partners. These Partners, including the Construction Industry Federation and key players in semi-states, homebuilders, major contractors, manufacturers, and service providers, such as Cairn Homes, ESB, Gas Networks Ireland, Glenveagh, Iarnród Éireann, IPUT Real Estate Dublin, John Sisk & Son, Kingspan, Kirby Group, Murphy Group, Roadstone, Saint-Gobain, Skanstec, and Uisce Eireann, showcased a collective commitment to building skills across their supply chain and the broader workforce. The event brought together a diverse range of industry leaders, highlighting a collaborative effort to advance skills and expertise within the construction and related sectors.

Mark Harmon, Chief Procurement Officer for ESB, commented: “ESB is proud to be a Founding Partner of the School, which we believe will play a key role in supporting our supply chain partners on our collective sustainability journey by providing tools, resources and learning materials.”

The Supply Chain Sustainability School has a well-established reputation in the UK, boasting a community of over 100,000 registered members and 200 Partners since it launched almost 12 years ago. The School team, instrumental in shaping the UK School’s success, now aim to replicate this achievement in Ireland.

Andrew Wilson, Programmes Manager for the Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “We are delighted to establish a Supply Chain Sustainability School for Ireland. Building on the success experienced since 2012 in the UK, and working closely with our Partners, this initiative will accelerate collaboration to tackle shared industry risks such as climate change, labour shortages and modern slavery.”

The Irish School is steadfast in its commitment to providing free learning, fostering knowledge sharing, and encouraging a collaborative approach to tackle key sustainability challenges in the industry. These challenges encompass energy and carbon, sustainable procurement, waste and circular economy, community and social impact, as well as issues like modern slavery, fairness, inclusion, and respect. 

Ellen McKinney, Sustainability Manager for IPUT Real Estate Dublin, said: “The School will support the wider uptake of sustainability training, improving our industry and positively shaping our cities. It will help build on our relationships with our design, construction, and building management teams and create new and lasting partnerships across Irish real estate.”

Membership to the School is free, offering access to hundreds of CPD-accredited online sustainability training sessions and e-learning resources. Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up via https://www.supplychainschool.ie.

Companies wishing to collaborate with industry peers to shape the School’s development for the Irish built environment industry can become a Partner. For more information on becoming a Partner, contact Rick Dunn.