Business and Enterprise

The Generators of Demand (People) subgroup focused on a wide range of potential measures in the education sphere that could impact positively. These are summarised in Chapter 9 and amplified in Chapter 10’s set of recommendations.

(CSRD) are placing much greater focus on climate and environmental decisions by businesses in Ireland and internationally. Transport emissions are captured directly and indirectly and are becoming an increasing focus of attention by large enterprises, particularly in terms of Scope 3 emissions (i.e., emissions a firm is responsible for but which happen outside of its walls and are controlled by other parties up and down the value chain). In terms of Scope 1 emissions, many companies in Ireland are already making significant strides to reduce carbon footprint from their own transport fleets (e.g., An Post, DPD etc).

A second National Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development – ESD to 2030– was published in June 2022 and aims to ensure that all learners have the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. ESD to 2030 is co-sponsored by the Department of Education and Youth, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Department of Children, Disability and Equality and so covers education at all levels and beyond into the non-formal youth education sector.

It is clear that Ireland’s sustainability credentials are increasingly important in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and talent into the country. This represents a major competitive opportunity for Ireland in leading the way on decarbonising transport in particular across the enterprise sector. In the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council’s (NCPC) 2023 Scorecard14, it was identified that Ireland lags behind competitor countries in terms of environmental sustainability. It also noted that the slow delivery of infrastructure and the backlogs in the planning system are key challenges for Ireland across several sectors.

The Department of Education and Youth has published a Sustainability Toolkit to support schools adopting a Sustainability Policy Statement in line with the School Sector Climate Action Mandate. The toolkit comprises a self-assessment audit, a guidelines document and a template policy statement. The audit asks schools to rate itself in terms of 1) promoting sustainable transport including walking and cycling to school and b) engagement with the Safe Routes to School programme. The guidelines document includes information about active travel and the Safe Routes to School programme.

As a result, and as outlined in the Government’s White Paper on Enterprise, 2022 – 203015, the integration of decarbonisation and net zero commitments has been identified as a priority. The delivery of public transport infrastructure has been an ongoing issue with delays in the planning system resulting in significant delays in the rollout of many planned projects such as BusConnects. That said, many planning related delays will be alleviated in the future with the introduction of statutory timelines for decisions in the new 2024 Planning Act to go alongside increased resourcing for An Coimisiún Pleanála and LAs.

A quarterly ESD to 2030 Newsletter issues to all schools and regularly contains articles and information for schools about sustainable transport initiatives and projects. ESD funding for schools has included projects in the field of sustainable transport e.g. bike libraries.

Business and Enterprise

This Strategy has a two-fold focus in respect of business, and enterprise. It identifies the role that related activities have in generating transport demand, including the contribution they can make to reducing this demand, but also identifies the inherent economic opportunities in this regard - helping these sectors to contribute, as required, to the national vision of a net zero economy by 2050. The advent of regulatory levers notably the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

The planning system is not the only delivery issue, however. Delays can arise due to a range of factors e.g., the cyclical nature of investment, multiple large-scale projects entering the system at the same time, capacity to deliver once approved, time taken to comply with the Infrastructure Guidelines, and that a level of prioritisation will be required in the future to

14 final-ireland-s-competitiveness-scorecard-2023-pdf-copy.pdf

15 White Paper on Enterprise, 2022 – 2030

enable project delivery under the NDP given wider systems capacity issues, as highlighted in the ESRI’s NDP Report16.

Generators of Demand (Freight) provide some useful examples of how adjustments to the logistics model can make a significant impact on congestion and carbon emissions, as well as positively impacting the bottom-line.

Such issues are often identified by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment who oversees the implementation of nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These Plans facilitate regional stakeholders to work collaboratively to identify growth opportunities, recognise vulnerabilities, and in response strengthen the regional enterprise ecosystem.These are bottom-up plans, developed by regional stakeholders including the Local Authorities, the enterprise agencies, local enterprise offices, regional skills forum and education and training institutes in each region. The Plans focus on undertaking collaborative initiatives that can help strengthen the regional enterprise ecosystem thereby realising enterprise growth and supporting job creation in each of the nine regions across Ireland. They are complementary to the ongoing work of the various bodies such as the IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, Regional Assemblies, and could be leveraged to support the principles of this Strategy and the NPF.

Work-related journeys currently account for approximately 25% of all travel in Ireland. During the Covid Pandemic, working from home became the norm for large cohorts of workers and this had a significant impact on travel demand. While there has been a gradual return to the office, employers and employees have experienced the benefits of a blended approach. The NTA modelling for the Climate Action Plan assumes a continuation of this blended approach with white collar commute trip rates reduced by 25% for example. Government has put in place various supports for remote working, with the public sector itself leading by example.

Among the main actions under the Making Remote Work: National Remote Work Strategy, which was published by Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) in 2021, is mandating that home and remote work should be the norm for 20 percent of public sector employment. Making Remote Work reflects how work can occur in lots of places - at home, at a hub, or on the move. A key action for the development agencies under the strategy is to promote remote work amongst businesses. This includes raising awareness of remote work training and advising on the skills interventions required for the successful adoption of remote work. It also commits to mapping and investing in a network of remote working hubs across Ireland.

Business and enterprise are a significant generator of vehicle use. In 2018, manufacturing alone was directly responsible for 227,052 jobs in Ireland while also indirectly supporting 182,000 additional jobs. Due to their nature, many manufacturing jobs are located in areas where public transport is not readily available which means people use their car to travel to work. Additionally, the manufacturing sector has a high export orientation which adds to freight kilometres travelled.

Through Our Rural Future, Ireland’s rural development policy, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) has led on the delivery of a national network of remote working hubs and launched a booking platform in 2021 - https://connectedhubs. ie/ - which provides information on the location of, and facilities available at remote working hubs throughout Ireland. As part of the strategic development of Ireland’s hub sector, DRCDG in conjunction with DETE are leading on the formulation of a National Hub Strategy. As part of this Strategy, DETE will lead on the enterprise pillar while DRCDG will be the lead department for coworking in hubs and digital services at Broadband Connection Points.

The retail sector is also a significant generator of travel demand, both in terms of the location of retail outlets – particularly large retail centres – and also in terms of product delivery to and from retail outlets. Planning guidelines play a key role in the decisions around retail locations. Stronger alignment of decisions with the NPF objectives for compact growth in particular is key. There are also significant opportunities for rationalising and decarbonising deliveries including home deliveries, with many companies already seizing the opportunity (e.g. An Post). A key driver of congestion in urban areas are goods delivery requirements set by traditional logistics models. Appendix 1 and sub-group reports (notably

16 The National Development Plan in 2023: Priorities and Capacity