At SL Controls, we firmly believe in the collective responsibility of everyone to build a sustainable future for the planet. Continuous improvement is a core part of our business, and that translates through to sustainable development where we are fully committed to continuously working to improve how we operate.
To achieve this, we have set five core sustainable development goals. We have modeled these goals on the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN in its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development initiative.
In defining our sustainable development goals and priorities, we have selected those where we can have the most impact in our day-to-day operations, and where our long-term corporate strategy can make the most difference.
Keith Moran, SL Controls CEO, said: “We all have a role to play in making a difference with climate change, to change the gender imbalances that exist, and improve how people are treated. At SL Controls, we want to do our bit to feed into making these changes.”
Keith explains the thinking behind each of the sustainability goals that SL Controls is focusing on.
Good Health and Wellbeing
“We have been proactive in SL Controls on the topics of health and wellbeing for several years now. This includes having well-established physical health and mental health wellbeing programs that encourage healthy lifestyles. However, there is always more we can do.
“Health and wellbeing are really important topic areas for companies like us at SL Controls, as our team is largely made of up roles where most of the work is completed at a desk in front of a computer. There isn’t a need to get up and move very often.
“But everyone has to move, so we promote this fact by regularly highlighting that not moving is detrimental to everything from physical health to stress levels to blood flow. It’s important to continue this focus on health and wellbeing because of the type of work that we do, and to continue building on the good work we have done over the years.
“We also believe it is very important to include high-quality healthcare in the benefits package that we offer to employees. We are passionate about providing these extra benefits and making sure they are as good as possible.”
Quality Education
“Given the type of work we do at SL Controls and the qualifications that new recruits to the company must have, it’s important that we promote quality education with local colleges and training providers, and to help drive the further development of education in those areas.
“We believe it is also crucially important to provide continuous education for our employees so they can be the best they can be and achieve their potential.
“We have extensive experience working with educational institutions in Ireland in the field of engineering. Historically, our employees have been based here in Ireland, so we also have a lot of experience in providing continuous professional development opportunities to those Irish-based employees.
“We are committed to extending this push for quality education beyond these shores, particularly in parts of the world where there aren’t as many educational opportunities for qualified and aspiring engineers.”
Gender Equality
“This is an area that all of us here at SL Controls are very passionate about. It is also important that a company like SL Controls steps up to the plate, especially in the sector we are in – engineering.
“Previously, engineering was male-dominated and that was the end of it. That is changing, but it needs to change faster.
“We all need to promote engineering to everyone in the population and the wider world. We’ll be doing our bit in a number of areas, such as bringing engineering into schools to get children – males and females – excited and interested in what engineering is about.
“We want to promote there is equal opportunity to become an engineer and we want young people, particularly girls and young women, to realize there are good careers and opportunities available in engineering. We also need to make sure there is absolutely no bias because of gender.
“In many parts of the world, including here in Ireland, we are breaking away from those biases, but gender equality is an area we must constantly promote. We are committed to doing so here at SL Controls.”
Decent Work and Economic Growth
“The experience of the pandemic resulted in us carrying out a major review of our operations here at SL Controls. That review led to the company moving to a hybrid working model, rather than getting people back into offices.
“This is just one example where we are working to provide a decent working environment for our employees. By working from home for at least part of the week, our people don’t have to commute as much. This results in fewer carbon emissions, while being better for the individual too.
“Hybrid working helps our employees achieve a better work-life balance, for example. Also, our hybrid working model feeds into local communities as our staff spend more time at home contributing to their local economy and region.
“There are benefits for us as a company, too, as our hybrid working model provides us with a broader availability of talent. This demonstrates how having sustainable development goals really is good for business.”
Responsible Consumption and Production
“Responsible consumption and production is an area that we are committed to doing whatever we can. This includes maximizing our recycling activities, optimizing paper management, and generally reducing the waste we produce across the organization. We’ve also looked at our lighting and heating, and we’ve started to introduce electric vehicles into our fleet.
“We continue to explore opportunities in all these areas and more to see how we can implement improvements to make our business more sustainable. Wherever we see there is wastage, we will make a change.”
Continuous Improvement
At SL Controls, we are aware that all five of our sustainable development goals are important to build on over the long term. So, while we are already actively involved in each of the areas mentioned above, we will continuously review our position and plans for the future to ensure we are always making progress.