Businesses encouraged to 'pledge' for cleaner, greener Waterford

Local businesses are invited to take the Business Pledge to strive towards a cleaner, greener Waterford, and commit to completing at least two actions in the next 12 months that would reduce the carbon footprint of their business. 

A spokesperson for Waterford City & County Council said that through the initiative, SME’s and hospitality businesses could be eligible for a 9% discount on their rates bill as a reward for taking action to reduce their carbon footprint.

"This is the fourth year of this scheme which is unique to Waterford," she said. Businesses have already completed training and carried out energy audits to help them avail of grant funding. 

From August 5, businesses will be able to upload the evidence of some of the actions they are undertaking on Waterford City and County Council’s submit platform to receive the discount for this year.

"If your business missed out last year, there is still opportunity to apply for the discount," said the spokesperson. "All you need to do is pledge to complete two 'greener' actions in the next year."

Additionally, if businesses are worried about applying or are unsure of the process Waterford City and County Council’s Climate Action Team can help. A series of workshops, both online and in person, will be held in the coming weeks. These workshops will provide information and guidelines to help businesss choose the format that best suits their schedule.

The Climate Action Team is also available throughout the year, as is Waterford Local Enterprise Office to help businesses achieve their pledge for a cleaner, greener Waterford.

The scheme is open to businesses whose annual rate bill is less than €10,000 or who operate in the hospitality and leisure industries. These businesses will be eligible to receive a rates energy discount of 9% once they have provided details of the actions they will take to become more sustainable in the coming year.

For more information about the scheme see the Business Pledge Guidelines 2025 at https://submit.link/41A 

Applications can be submitted from Tuesday, August 5 at https://submit.link/3V7 and more information including details and links to the online and in person workshops is available through the Climate Action Team at climateaction@waterfordcouncil.ie or through www.waterfordcouncil.ie