Ariane Coulombe,
Market Director,
EMEA at CDP
|
CDP Corporate Health Check 2026: Ireland
Ireland’s corporate environmental leaders are reshaping the blueprint for growth in a time of regulatory and political uncertainty. They see environmental stewardship not as a constraint on prosperity and competitiveness, but as a precondition for it. This comes as climate change and nature loss are impacting cost structures and supply chains across every sector. This analysis of Irish companies disclosing through CDP in 2025 shows that corporate environmental disclosure and performance tracking structures have become well established across the region. It is now difficult to imagine a credible future business strategy that does not factor nature dependencies, and transition readiness. |
The foundations are strong. In 2025, 22% of Irish companies assessed reached Leadership level in climate - the top score of the four categories in our analysis. This is well above the European average of 16%. These leading companies are considered the standard setters for best practice transparency and performance on environmental issues.
In the past year, Irish climate leaders reduced emissions from their baseline year three times faster than peers, cutting at an average rate of 6.7% per year.
Our data also makes clear that the next phase is all about execution.
Leading Irish businesses are using high-quality disclosure to manage risks and capture commercial gains. All Irish companies which achieved Leadership level now link executive incentives to environmental performance. Transition plans are 1.5°C aligned and increasingly inform long-term decision-making, with 87% of leading Irish companies having these plans in place.
As Ireland prepares to host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Irish leaders of this year’s Corporate Health Check are already proving the business case for Earth-positive action. The companies that act ahead of peers, invest in sustainable strategies and persist even when the path is uncertain are those that will define Ireland and Europe’s next phase of economic resilience and growth, supporting Europe to reach its ambitious climate targets.
Ariane Coulombe, Market Director, EMEA at CDP
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In the past year, Irish climate leaders reduced emissions from their baseline year three times faster than peers, cutting at an average rate of 6.7% per year.
Our data also makes clear that the next phase is all about execution.
Leading Irish businesses are using high-quality disclosure to manage risks and capture commercial gains. All Irish companies which achieved Leadership level now link executive incentives to environmental performance. Transition plans are 1.5°C aligned and increasingly inform long-term decision-making, with 87% of leading Irish companies having these plans in place.
As Ireland prepares to host the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Irish leaders of this year’s Corporate Health Check are already proving the business case for Earth-positive action. The companies that act ahead of peers, invest in sustainable strategies and persist even when the path is uncertain are those that will define Ireland and Europe’s next phase of economic resilience and growth, supporting Europe to reach its ambitious climate targets.
Ariane Coulombe, Market Director, EMEA at CDP
Click for home
Click for next