In 2022 we installed Solar panels on the roof of our main building which will reduce our energy bills by 100%

A recent World Economic Forum (WEF) global risk survey found that the risk of an emerging “global water crisis” was regarded as the third highest ranked risk, in terms of overall global impact.
Around 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water by only 2.5% of this is fresh & potable. At IGate our direct water consumption is quite low. In 2022 we upgraded our drinking water from using plastic 15 Litre containers to a filtered water system.

We are working hard to create a culture that values water conservation principles by recognising achievements in water-saving initiatives & including awareness as part of continuous training.
We also realise that many food & clothing items have a less obvious water footprint in their manufacturing process, so we also try to reduce our consumption indirectly. For example, to produce one cotton t-shirt requires 2500L of water.
We encourage our team to be conscious of their water use domestically & adopt small changes. We are all able to turn the tap off sooner, shower for less time, flush less often & utilise washing machines & dish washers in a more sustainable fashion.

Our team at IGate are all educated on the various types of waster & the waste hierarchy below. Our aim is to Reduce, Reuse & Recycle as much as possible, and to minimise waste for landfill.

We understand that Segregation is a highly effective way of reducing waste and controlling our waste cost. We recently upgraded our Waste Signage on our premises, as well as reducing the number of small waste bins internally & adding to our Brown Bin & Recycling stations.
We regularly ask our suppliers to ensure packaging is minimised & recyclable/re-usable. We also do our best to buy in bulk to reduce packaging needs & logistics. We ask our suppliers to take back empty pallets for reuse.
Our deliveries of goods all use recyclable materials with minimum packaging. Our drivers also take back packaging from customer sites as much as possible.
To minimise Office Waste we actively encourage our team to:
• Reuse scrap paper
• Return unwanted post & remove details from unwanted mailing lists
• Encourage double sided printing & photocopying
• Recycle printer & toner cartridges
• Email all documents (mainly invoices & statements) instead of by post
• Reduce paper towel use (we installed hand dryers in 2022)
• Avoid unnecessary printing
• Eliminate Single use plastics in our building
• Sustainable Sourcing: We work with Wholesalers who are ISO aligned & REPAK certified
By Adopting our strong ‘reduce – reuse – recycle’ thinking and behaviours it is proving to effectively reduce wasteful practices and help us to become more sustainable.

Biodiversity encompasses all varieties of plants, animals, and microorganisms, their genes, and the ecosystems of which they are a part of. Unfortunately, our biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate, which poses great risks. Ireland has a rich Biodiversity, but species such as Red Deer, Butterflies, Bees & Red Squirrel are facing significant declines in here at present.
We all have a role in supporting biodiversity as it underpins the sustainability and health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives and well-being.
Reduced biodiversity means millions of people face a future where food supplies are more vulnerable to pests and disease, and where fresh water availability is in irregular or short supply
As a small organisation we can work at a local level to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss, including business practices & consumer choices.
In 2022 we hired a Transition Year student with a flair for all things botanical to turn our office space into a mini jungle, making for a better place to work aesthetically & better air quality.

An example of an initiative we run during the summer months is our inclusion of Summer Flower Seeds with all deliveries. This supports the 2015-2025 All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to make Ireland more pollinator friendly.