Following another exceptional GRESB performance this year, we sat down with Emma Armitage, Sustainability Lead at Enet, to discuss what this recognition signifies for the business.
In regard to the 100/100 GRESB achievement, can you share what this recognition represents for Enet?
Emma: What this award demonstrates for the business is continued commitment to sustainability and responsible operations throughout the last number of years. In 2025, Speed Fibre Group, which is Enet’s parent company, achieved a really exceptional score with a 100% marking and ranking first in our peer group across Europe. We have also been recognised as an Infrastructure Asset sector leader for the second year in a row, which is no small feat. It also reflects several years of consistent improvement – each year we’ve raised the bar, and GRESB recognises that long-term commitment.
The achievement represents global recognition of our Environmental, Social and Governance performance and isn’t just a badge, but a reflection on how deeply we’ve integrated ESG across the business. Maintaining that five-star rating has showed our continued commitment through the last number of years to transparency, responsible growth and measurable sustainability outcomes. For stakeholders, this will show that Speed Fibre Group, Enet and Magnet+, are all trusted and accountable operators and one that recognises environmental stewardship, social responsibility and strong governance practices. This is increasingly important as customers, suppliers and investors are looking for verifiable ESG leadership, not just intentions.
Enet has made strong strides in ESG over recent years. What have been some of the key priorities driving this progress?
Emma: I’d say a key driving factor for us would have been shareholders’ and stakeholders’ influence over the last number of years.
We’ve definitely seen more of a push towards improving our ESG performance from our shareholders, yes, but also coming from suppliers and customer preferences. We’ve seen a clear shift in the telecoms and digital infrastructure space globally – ESG performance is now a competitive differentiator. With that in mind, we’ve tried to embed ESG in all of our business strategy and decision making. Some of the key priorities that we’ve been focusing on over the last couple of years have been advancing our net zero pathway, making sure that we’re aligning to Ireland’s 2030 and 2050 climate targets, and strengthening social inclusion.
We’ve had multiple community projects such as the volunteering efforts that we’ve undertaken this year at Hughes’ House Dublin, Down Syndrome Limerick and Animal Welfare Limerick. These volunteering initiatives are part of a broader CSR programme that ensures every employee can contribute meaningfully to social impact each year. We have also had digital access initiatives, such as the ‘Wi-Fi for EU’ initiative that Magnet+ had taken part in with the Galway County Council. On the governance side of things, making sure that all of our reporting is on track and continues to be relevant to major material topics. We identify these material topics through undertaking a double materiality assessment so we’re looking both at how ESG impacts our business and how our operations impact society and the environment.
Leadership buy-in has also been critical for us. ESG is definitely not a siloed function. Making sure that everyone is involved the whole way across the organisation from the lower levels to the leadership, all the way up to our shareholders, making sure that ESG strategy and progress is always a consideration for those key decisions.
Can you share some of the specific metrics or initiatives Enet has implemented to strengthen the ESG performance?
Emma: We had a really significant year in 2024 in terms of different metrics and progress that we’ve made. Specifically on the environmental side, we were able to show that 97% of our energy and electricity was sourced from renewable sources.
Our scope to emissions dropped from over 1,000 tonnes of carbon in 2022 to just 31 tonnes in 2024; a 97% reduction, which is no small feat. We also conducted an energy audit that was aligned to ISO 50002 across 100% of our operations and reporting to ensure that the methodology and metrics that we’re reporting on are all accurate. This is a major milestone because energy use is one of our largest environmental impacts, especially across our colocation sites.
25% of our fleet from H1 2025 are all transitioned to hybrid vehicles with plans to expand this further where we can. Where these options aren’t possible, we’re going to be looking into other options, such as HVO fuel to try and mitigate any unavoidable fleet emissions. Telecoms fleets can be challenging to decarbonise due to technical and geographical requirements, so exploring alternative fuels is essential.
In 2024, we had zero waste go to landfill. All the waste was recycled or circularly managed. This aligns with our growing focus on circular economy principles across the group.
And then on the social side, we’ve obviously had some great achievements there. The Great Place to Work recertification has gone through in 2025 and we’ve maintained our investor in diversity silver with the aim to go for gold accreditation for that in the coming years.
Then on the governance side, we are in the process of rolling out Supplier ESG Due Diligence questionnaires and enhancing data protection and security frameworks under the incoming legislation of NIS 2 and DORA. These results are obviously demonstrating that ESG isn’t just a policy and it’s embedded across everyday operations.
Since 2024, we have been using the industry-specific metrics in our sustainability report through the SASB standards. This is really important to us because it provides our stakeholders with comparable, transparent and measurable metrics that are relevant to our industry – so they can not only compare our own metrics year on year, but they can also serve as a benchmark against other players in the industry.
ESG reporting and transparency become increasingly important. How does Enet ensure accountability and continuous improvement?
Emma: We continue to measure and monitor ESG activities and outcomes. Accountability starts for us with rigorous monitoring and independent verification.
Where energy and greenhouse gas is concerned, we obviously have a very rigorous process in-house, which is led by Product Manager Des Sullivan. Since 2025, we’ve gone out and externally validated our energy and emissions data. This year, we got an independent auditor to review that in line with the ISO 50002 standards to confirm that all of the metrics that we’re disclosing are accurate and transparent. Health and safety and environmental performance metrics are also scrutinized during our ISO audits. We currently have ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 for environmental management systems and occupational health and safety. That’s a great touch point for us to have during the year to make sure that all of our systems are up to scratch. These reviews aren’t just annual box-ticking exercises – they actively shape our improvement plans and operational decisions.
On top of this, we utilise the annual GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) report to compare where we are against global best practice. Also, our internal KPIs to track our ESG performance throughout the year. GRESB is also a useful roadmap because it highlights where global best practice and legislation is evolving, helping us stay ahead of expectations.
We’re always looking to improve where we can year on year.
Sustainability is often about culture as much as compliance. How have you worked to embed ESG thinking across the organization?
Emma: Luckily, everyone is very receptive to this in Speed Fibre Group.
In the last year, we set up an internal ESG committee. This has created real ownership across the business, because every department now has a voice in ESG delivery. We appointed one member from each department across the different organizations in Speed Fibre Group to come together, give updates on where we’re at with reporting and let anyone get engaged with any of our reporting or benchmarking submissions or any initiatives that we have ongoing. We’ve had fantastic engagement.
We’ve set out in different ways that everyone has a role to play in ESG. It can’t just come down to one person to make all the changes. Everyone is encouraged to engage with the ESG team and everyone gives a great hand during our reporting periods. The first couple of months of the year are usually very busy for reporting.
We need a lot of cross-functional engagement for that as well. We have an internal engagement platform, Workvivo. Regular visibility of progress helps people understand not just what we’re doing, but why it matters. We’ll give updates there on any of the sustainability achievements that we’ve had through the year.
The aim is to ensure ESG is not just a tick-box exercise. We want to have shared accountability and a shared mindset across the business of how people can help improve.
Looking ahead, what are the next steps for Enet’s ESG strategy on maintaining your GRESB score?
Emma: We have a lot on the table over the next couple of years and a lot planned with the GRESB assessment and the way that assessment continues to evolve annually.
Our next steps will often mirror the incoming legislation and best practice. The ESG landscape is evolving quickly, so we want to stay agile and ensure our approach is future-proof. Scoring well against that is a good test to see how you’re doing against the best practice across the different industries, but also incoming legislation. We have a lot of elements that we’re looking to do over the next couple of years and definitely maintaining the GRESB five-star rating is top priority. Advancing our net zero pathway is also a really big focus for us at the moment.
Comprehensive scope-three footprinting analysis, and further developing our decarbonisation plan with the aim of going forward to science-based targets initiative approval will be one of the hopes for the future. There are also different smaller initiatives like circular economy integration and sustainable procurement principles throughout the business would also be on the agenda for us over the next couple of years.
Year on year we’re continually improving our measurement and analysis processes, and that iterative approach is central to maintaining strong performance and ensuring our results remain robust and credible.
One last question: do you enjoy it?
Emma: Yes, definitely. I came into the business on the legal compliance cosec side, and over time, I was more drawn to the ESG space. It really aligns with the work that I was doing already on the legal compliance side of the business and it’s a genuinely exciting part of the business to be in, especially with the recent acquisition. We have got a lot on the plate for the next couple of years to align all the houses on the environmental side, and it’s a satisfying role to be in. It’s rewarding to see the real-world impact – whether that’s reduced emissions, better employee engagement, or improved community outcomes I thoroughly enjoy seeing the results come through and knowing that we have a leadership team that truly have your back, and provide the resources that make this all possible. ESG is not just about making and reaching green targets. It’s about the real benefits felt across the business in terms of savings in costs, boosting employee morale and company reputation. And now that Speed Fibre Group has made its latest acquisition, there are more opportunities to implement and improve.