[ Press releases listing ](/media/media/news-and-press-releases " Press releases listing") 25 Oct. 2019 **On Thursday 24 October 2019 Sinead Patton, Chief Financial and Commercial Officer, Veolia Ireland, took part in a discussion on the importance of sustainability to business in an event in Trinity Business School organised by the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Business in the Community Ireland.** ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2576/files/styles/default/public/image/2019/10/20191024_193707.jpg.webp?itok=hcpy7HUr) We have seen a significant change in recent years as sustainability is increasingly at or near the top of the agenda in many sectors. Increasingly, society is expecting business to take the lead when it comes to sustainability. This is reflected in initiatives such as Business in the Community’s Low Carbon Pledge, where Veolia was one of the initial 43 signatories in 2018, and the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce Working Group on Climate Impact, where Veolia is also involved. This is one of the key developments that Sinead Patton, Chief Financial and Commercial Officer, Veolia Ireland; Augustin Blanc, General Manager, Servier; Seamus Egan, Managing Director, Transdev and Gemma Donnelly-Cox, Co-Director of the Trinity Centre for Social Innovation discussed with Tomás Sercovich, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland at a joint Business in the Community Ireland / France Ireland Chamber of Commerce event which took place in Trinity Business School. What is clear to me is that as a country, as a society and as businesses we need to step it up a level and together significantly increase what we are doing to become more sustainable SINEAD PATTON CHIEF FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL OFFICER, VEOLIA IRELAND In Veolia, we are seeing this change in focus appearing in the types of questions we are being asked by our existing customers and the wide variety of solutions we are proposing to organisations to meet their sustainability needs. This includes turning waste into a resource, reducing carbon emissions as part of energy efficiency projects and delivering a water treatment infrastructure that meets our future needs as a society. Working in partnership across industry and society can help us to balance the opportunities that are out there with the cost of implementing them while delivering visible results. [ ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2576/files/styles/content_push_teaser/public/image/2019/08/715C0436.MOV_.13_20_25_02.Still001pp.jpg.webp?itok=W-WOYk4l) ](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-and-irish-water-sign-upgrade-contracts-key-water-treatment "Veolia and Irish Water sign upgrade contracts for key water treatment sites") Customers - 13 August 2019 [Veolia and Irish Water sign upgrade contracts for key water treatment sites](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-and-irish-water-sign-upgrade-contracts-key-water-treatment "Veolia and Irish Water sign upgrade contracts for key water treatment sites") Projects form part of the €5.5bn investment plan to improve water infrastructure [Read more](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-and-irish-water-sign-upgrade-contracts-key-water-treatment "Read more") [ ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2576/files/styles/content_push_teaser/public/image/2018/07/John_Lamb_and_Alan_Sharpe20180620_0005_0.jpg.webp?h=82dad47e&itok=cQbaBd2Y "John Lambe and Alan Sharp") ](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-deliver-first-carbon-energy-fund-ireland-contract-dublins "Veolia to deliver first Carbon Energy Fund Ireland contract to Dublin’s Mater Hospital") Customers - 11 July 2018 [Veolia to deliver first Carbon Energy Fund Ireland contract to Dublin’s Mater Hospital](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-deliver-first-carbon-energy-fund-ireland-contract-dublins "Veolia to deliver first Carbon Energy Fund Ireland contract to Dublin’s Mater Hospital") Mater Misericordiae University Hospital targets €26m in guaranteed savings. [Read more](/media/news-and-press-releases/veolia-deliver-first-carbon-energy-fund-ireland-contract-dublins "Read more") [ ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2576/files/styles/content_push_teaser/public/image/2019/05/Declan%20White%20Examiner.jpg.webp?h=375b665d&itok=sQjgySve) ](/media/news-and-press-releases/monday-interview-declan-white-regional-director "The Monday Interview with Declan White") Thought Leadership - 07 May 2019 [The Monday Interview with Declan White](/media/news-and-press-releases/monday-interview-declan-white-regional-director "The Monday Interview with Declan White") Pádraig Hoare of the Irish Examiner talks to Declan White about how the ‘circular economy’ can help businesses in Ireland [Read more](/media/news-and-press-releases/monday-interview-declan-white-regional-director "Read more") [ ![](/sites/g/files/dvc2576/files/styles/content_push_teaser/public/image/2019/10/Sustainability%26FutureofBusiness-%2001.jpg.webp?itok=E4cON3ET) ](https://www.franceireland.ie/news/n/news/ficc-event-sustainability-and-the-future-of-business.html "Sustainability and the Future of Business") Press Release [Sustainability and the Future of Business](https://www.franceireland.ie/news/n/news/ficc-event-sustainability-and-the-future-of-business.html "Sustainability and the Future of Business") Press Release from the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce on the Sustainability and the Future of Business event [Read more](https://www.franceireland.ie/news/n/news/ficc-event-sustainability-and-the-future-of-business.html "Sustainability and the Future of Business")