Dawn Meats, which has operations across Ireland, the UK and Europe, has been recognised at the prestigious Green Awards 2019 at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin, winning “Sustainability Team of the Year.” The Waterford-based processor was presented with the award in front of an audience of close to 450 industry professionals.

The awards ceremony, which has taken place each year for over a decade, recognises the contribution and commitment that companies make towards growing a greener future in Irish business and provide a platform for sharing sustainability intelligence, leadership and innovation in best green practice in Ireland.

Dawn Meats’ holistic, team-led approach to sustainability was clearly communicated in its submission. Group-wide, sustainability initiatives are coordinated by a team including the CEO and draw on the engineering/environmental team which recently achieved ISO 50001 certification; operations (including LEAN); agriculture; procurement; HR and the community and charity teams. These teams drive the sustainability agenda across multiple platforms and via participation in a range of initiatives, including the Newford Suckler Beef Demonstration Farm; the Better Farm Programme; the Young Beef Farmer Sustainability Programme; the European Round Table for Beef Sustainability; the Government CSR Forum; the SDG Forum; Bord Bia’s Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce; and BITC’s Low Carbon and Social Inclusion working groups.

David O’Flynn Head of CSR at Dawn Meats commented

“We published our first sustainability plan 10 years ago this year, so it has been a key theme for us for some time. We have ambitious 2025 targets to reduce water and energy intensity by 40% and CO2 emission intensity by 50%. None of this would be possible without the commitment of the whole team and this award is even more appreciated because it recognises the Group wide effort. 2025 is fast approaching, and we will continue to keep a close eye on our targets to ensure that we meet and exceed them where possible.”

At the ceremony, awards were presented in categories including Green Business of the Year, Green Leader, Green Construction Award, Green Food & Beverage Award, Green Technology Award and Sustainable Energy Achievement Award.