Three Laois businesses shortlisted in Sustainability and Circular Economy Awards

Three Laois businesses have been shortlisted in the RDS Sustainability and Circular Economy Awards in May. 

Refillz Zero Waste in Stradbally, Ballykilcavan Brewing Company and Fior Bhia Farm based in Geashill have all been shortlisted in the awards which celebrate the work of individuals, farm families and organisations who are enhancing the economic, environmental and social development of Irish agriculture and rural communities. 

Refillz sells wholefoods such as nuts, seeds, cereals, rice and pasta, household cleaning and personal care products for refill. Also, a selection of eco-friendly products.

Ballykilcavan Brewing Company - set up in 2017 Ballykilcavan is a brewery based on a family farm just outside Stradbally. The main motivation for setting up the brewery was to secure the financial future of the farm, to restore and repurpose our abandoned stone buildings and to improve the farm’s environmental sustainability.

Meanwhile Fiorbhia focuses on growing a rich and diverse soil microbiome, using knowledge almost lost from previous generations, combined with modern technologies to measure and build science-based methods. Fiorbhia achieves 100% artificial chemical free farming, on the land, in the animal’s food or in medication.
 

The awards ceremony takes place as part of the ‘Finding Common Ground’ Festival on Friday  May 3. The inaugural two-day event is being delivered as one of the RDS Foundation social impact programmes. It will incorporate presentations and panel discussions exploring how Ireland can harness the benefits of our natural resources and the circular economy with a view to creating increased awareness, education and identification of solutions to act on. Alongside this, a number of awards ceremonies will take place to celebrate best practice in these areas.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Niamh De Loughry, Deputy Chief Executive, Foundation at RDS said, “With social sustainability at its core, the RDS long-term vision for Ireland sees five key areas underpinning the island's culture and economy - Arts, Agriculture, Enterprise and Equestrian, Science and Technology. Our objective is to harness the energy and ideas of people to identify needs, work to foster momentum and create scale to propel our culture and economy to new heights. There are many barriers to sustainable development in Ireland and the RDS is poised to play a role in addressing them alongside key partners through events and initiatives such as this upcoming festival.”