Bord Bia has launched a new executive programme in partnership with Smurfit Business School, University College Dublin (UCD), to accelerate sustainability capability at board and chief executive level in Irish food, drink and horticulture businesses.

The Leaders’ Sustainability Acceleration Programme was launched at an event marking 10 years of progress under Origin Green, Ireland’s national food and drink sustainability programme.

It comes as Bord Bia reports that 80% of its client companies would like to receive more training for senior leadership teams to better understand and embed sustainability across their businesses.

The new programme will focus on senior members of organisations’ leadership teams and will develop skills at board level and among senior management to build capability around sustainability and climate literacy, while also helping them to establish sustainability as a key value proposition driver for their business.

Origin Green currently works with more than 55,000 farmers and 300 company members across Ireland

Origin Green currently works with more than 55,000 farmers and 300 company members across Ireland and represents 90% of Ireland’s food and drink exports.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that as the world’s only national food and drink sustainability programme, Origin Green has been instrumental in monitoring and driving improvements in sustainability and demonstrating this to trade customers and consumers.

Important step

Bord Bia interim CEO Michael Murphy said the Leaders’ Sustainability Acceleration Programme is an important next step in the evolution of Origin Green, as Bord Bia advances and embeds the sustainability agenda across businesses by developing expertise and growing skills at board and chief executive level.

“Sustainability has become a key issue for our client companies’ entire executive teams and their boards,” he said.

Director of sustainability and quality assurance at Bord Bia Deirdre Ryan also unveiled Origin Green’s new three-year strategy 'Powered By Partnership', which is a commitment to strengthen and empower the Origin Green programme over the period 2022 to 2025.