NORTHERN Ireland’s leading waste and resource management company, RiverRidge has announced its continued sponsorship of the upcoming Northern Ireland Waste and Resource Management Conference, as it calls upon all local companies to set ESG targets for their business and replicate the trend reported by the manufacturing sector, which has seen 62% of manufacturers implement ESG targets since 2021. (source Manufacturing Month NI).
As a trailblazer in navigating ESG in the waste sector, the challenge set down by RiverRidge, which comes ahead of this year’s conference on Thursday 20th June at the Europa Hotel, Belfast, focuses on organisations giving their full support to the sustainability in waste initiative through adapting their own business practices.
Cecil McBurney, Corporate Operations Director at RiverRidge, recently outlined the company’s approach to best practice at the Manufacturing Month NI ‘Anchor High Summit’ saying, “The development of a decarbonisation roadmap to align with government policy and legislation, supports both RiverRidge’s commitments and its customer base in delivering their scope three commitments in the disposal of waste in a sustainable manner.
“This ties in with the theme of this year’s NI Waste and Resource Management Conference, Ever Increasing Circles – Circular Economy: Engagement, Action and Impact, which will focus on sustainability, the circular economy and all matters relating to how Northern Ireland as a whole, can transition to a more efficient and environmentally friendly waste management sector.”
A circular economy aims to reduce material use, redesign materials and products to be less resource intensive, and recapture “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and products.
“Over the past twelve years, RiverRidge has played an integral role in pioneering the circular economy across the Northern Ireland waste landscape, revolutionising the way the region thinks about waste and resource management,” he explains.
“As the only operator with access to its own large-scale waste to energy facility, Full Circle Generation, RiverRidge provides green energy to neighbouring businesses, including Spirit AeroSystems, and is currently developing innovative projects that will maximise the level of recycling from residual waste.”
The 2024 Northern Ireland Waste and Resource Management Conference is facilitated by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management NI (CIWM NI) and Recycle NI.
With over 250 attendees expected to attend, the conference will give the opportunity to hear from keynote speakers including the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Mr Andrew Muir, as well as RiverRidge CEO, Brett Ross, who will be discussing aspects of the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, and reviewing its inaugural ESG report launched earlier this year.
“The NI Waste and Resource Management Conference is a fantastic opportunity to get key industry figures together to discuss and learn more about the opportunities existing within the resources sector, as well as looking at upcoming challenges and how we can all collaborate to improve Northern Ireland’s waste landscape,” says Brett. “With the main theme focussing on the circular economy and how we engage, take action and the impact it has on the waste sector, we are looking forward to showcasing how RiverRidge embraces the circular economy through our ESG strategy.
“We made a commitment to publicly report annually on our performance, offering our stakeholders clear visibility of our sustainable work practices and our vision, ‘To treat waste as a valuable resource, and in doing so, ensure a positive outcome for both our planet and communities’.
“Our overall company strategy is now firmly interlinked around ESG, which is becoming a more prevalent requirement amongst our customer base, and something that we have spearheaded on implementing into our practices and processes.”
Adrian Hopkins, Conference Manager said, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank RiverRidge for its continued support and sponsorship of the Northern Ireland Waste and Resource Management Conference. The conference has become a key event in the Northern Ireland calendar and we are looking forward to once again welcoming professionals interested in resources, waste and circular economy from all aspects of industry, academia, social enterprise, local and central government to the Europa for this year’s event. The conference also coincides with the incoming CIWM Presidential Inauguration and so promises to be a worthwhile event to attend.”
