Our sustainability statement
At Springboard Communications we believe in the role our business can have in positively impacting society. We have looked at our business through a sustainability lens, focusing on people, planet and profit. This work is grounded in our purpose “We will partner with you to deliver your purpose through world-class communications, powered by Creative Thinking and Common Sense” and our Values – “To Be the best. To Challenge. Together“.
We don’t have it all figured out but we have started the journey and are committed to making a difference in the lives of our stakeholders.
In order to set the course for what actions we need to take we conducted our own materiality assessment and have identified the following areas where we can have the greatest impact. We have aligned our business with the following Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs):
Knowledge is Power
SDG 4/Quality Education: This is something we feel passionately about, and it is brought to life through our mentoring with MTU and UCC, board volunteering and memberships of organisations such as Purpose Disruptors. We also know that to advise others our own team has to understand the fundamentals of sustainability which is why all employees are brought through our Sustainability 101 programme as part of their onboarding process. We also foster a culture of continuous learning at Springboard where the topic of sustainability is firmly on the agenda with updates on social and environmental issues shared through our SPARKS communications channel. This is essential to ensure our team, as strategic advisors to our clients, have up to date sustainability and ESG knowledge. This also extends to potential clients and we have included a sustainability section in all of our briefing documents.
Believe in Equal
SDG 5/Gender equality: As a female-led business we want to be a visible force for gender equality and diversity and inclusion. This is why it is gratifying to be the PR partner for I Wish, supporting their work in promoting STEM to girls through a charity rate. In addition to mark our 10 years in business we established 3-year education bursary with the Cork Life Centre to give one female student financial support to access third level education.
Working Together
SDG 17/Partnerships: Partnership is at the heart of how we work with our clients based on our core value of “Together”, and it is where we can have the greatest impact, advising and steering them on their own sustainability initiatives. In recent years, we have worked with our clients across a range of sectors on kickstarting their sustainability strategies, advising on their policies and plans, creating community initiatives and employee engagement programmes. We partner with a team of sustainability experts to bring technical expertise to our clients at key stages of their sustainability journeys. We carry out pro bono work with charities such as Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland and Brighter Communities Worldwide. In the last number of years we have supported the following charities Edel House, Cork Penny Dinners and Mna Feasa.
Reducing our Impact
SDG12/Responsible Consumption and Production
SDG13/Climate Action
As a service business our carbon footprint is relatively low. However, we intend to measure our carbon footprint in 2023 in order to establish a baseline and reduce emissions. The core areas we will be focused on are travel, energy and waste. Waste typically only accounts for 1% of carbon footprint (Ad Net Zero Report) therefore the other two areas are more of a priority. We have waste segregation in our office and all employees are encouraged to use their reusable water bottles and their Springboard Communications travel cup. Our website digital carbon footprint has been measured and over 12 months generates 340kg of CO2 per year. This is something we are committed to reducing through upgrading our hosting services and through efficiency upgrades by 2025. We will also work with our clients to share the learnings re how to improve organisations digital footprint through concrete actions.
In terms of travel this has reduced significantly due to virtual meetings. Additionally, we carpool for face to face meetings and when possible use public transport. Our bike to work scheme is also available to all of our employees.
We endeavour to source locally, ethically and sustainably where possible. We are working towards building this into our business offering in 2023 by asking our suppliers about their sustainability credentials when purchasing from them either for ourselves or on behalf of our clients.
