Madeleina Loughrey-Grant, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Since joining Cairn, I’ve been struck by the strength of the foundations already in place and by the ambition across the business to continue raising the bar. Sustainability is an active journey at Cairn, one that requires honesty about where we are, courage about what needs to change and discipline in how we act and play our part in making a lasting positive impact in Ireland.
At Cairn, our purpose is simple and demanding: to build sustainable communities where people can truly thrive. This is the lens through which we make decisions, set priorities and hold ourselves to account. Sustainability, for us, is not about claiming perfection. It is about making progress visible through transparency, rigour and a commitment to continuous improvement. That is why we are proud to have achieved an A score in CDP Climate Change for the first time, placing Cairn among a small number of Irish companies to reach this standard in the past year. More importantly, this recognition reflects the depth of work underway across the business to better understand our climate risks and opportunities, and to act on them in a meaningful way.
The latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are unequivocal: it is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C but only with rapid and deep emissions reductions. To that end, we have made significant inroads into our absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and are tackling our scope 3 GHG emissions associated with the homes we build (amounting to 98% of our carbon footprint). These emissions originate from sources outside our direct control but are linked to our activities and over which we can have considerable influence. From the materials we source to their transportation to site, the activities of the subcontractors we employ, and finally through to the use of the homes we build, our footprint extends across the entire lifecycle of a project and from end to end of our value chain.
We will need the continued cooperation of our supply chain partners over the coming years to reduce the Embodied Carbon of our homes, but in 2024 we initiated design changes to reduce the Operational (In-use) Carbon of several projects, the impacts of which have been seen in our 2025 reporting. These projects have been constructed to the internationally-recognised Passive House standard, delivering unparalleled levels of quality and comfort combined with low energy bills for the residents, and significantly reduced lifecycle emissions.
We know that continued progress will depend on collaboration. Reducing embodied carbon, in particular, will require sustained partnership with our supply chain over the coming years, underpinned by shared ambition, transparency and innovation. By building the most accurate picture possible of our environmental impacts, we are better able to focus our efforts where they will have the greatest effect and to prioritise actions that deliver lasting value.
As we continue this journey, we remain committed to openness, to learning, and to strengthening the systems that support long-term, sustainable outcomes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with CDP as we measure, report on and improve our performance during the critical years ahead.
Madeleina Loughrey-Grant, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Click here to return to CDP Ireland Annual Report
At Cairn, our purpose is simple and demanding: to build sustainable communities where people can truly thrive. This is the lens through which we make decisions, set priorities and hold ourselves to account. Sustainability, for us, is not about claiming perfection. It is about making progress visible through transparency, rigour and a commitment to continuous improvement. That is why we are proud to have achieved an A score in CDP Climate Change for the first time, placing Cairn among a small number of Irish companies to reach this standard in the past year. More importantly, this recognition reflects the depth of work underway across the business to better understand our climate risks and opportunities, and to act on them in a meaningful way.
The latest findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are unequivocal: it is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C but only with rapid and deep emissions reductions. To that end, we have made significant inroads into our absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and are tackling our scope 3 GHG emissions associated with the homes we build (amounting to 98% of our carbon footprint). These emissions originate from sources outside our direct control but are linked to our activities and over which we can have considerable influence. From the materials we source to their transportation to site, the activities of the subcontractors we employ, and finally through to the use of the homes we build, our footprint extends across the entire lifecycle of a project and from end to end of our value chain.
We will need the continued cooperation of our supply chain partners over the coming years to reduce the Embodied Carbon of our homes, but in 2024 we initiated design changes to reduce the Operational (In-use) Carbon of several projects, the impacts of which have been seen in our 2025 reporting. These projects have been constructed to the internationally-recognised Passive House standard, delivering unparalleled levels of quality and comfort combined with low energy bills for the residents, and significantly reduced lifecycle emissions.
We know that continued progress will depend on collaboration. Reducing embodied carbon, in particular, will require sustained partnership with our supply chain over the coming years, underpinned by shared ambition, transparency and innovation. By building the most accurate picture possible of our environmental impacts, we are better able to focus our efforts where they will have the greatest effect and to prioritise actions that deliver lasting value.
As we continue this journey, we remain committed to openness, to learning, and to strengthening the systems that support long-term, sustainable outcomes. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with CDP as we measure, report on and improve our performance during the critical years ahead.
Madeleina Loughrey-Grant, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Click here to return to CDP Ireland Annual Report