Today we had, in my opinion, our most intimidating business visit yet. As we walked in and received our visitor passes and walked into the conference room, I had no idea what to expect, but I walked out feeling more inspired than ever to integrate sustainability into my future career.

Paul started off the presentation by discussing three lenses to sustainability: how it works for property lending, how to give advice, and our role as corporate. My main takeaway from Paul was the importance of working with customers. He explained that it’s like trying to pace another runner in competitive running. In other words, you have to work alongside your customers rather than being more sustainable and expecting them to simply follow.

Katie continued the discussion by explaining Clearbody Clear Stream’s approach to corporate sustainability. She explained to us double materiality. This essentially means that corporations must decide what is important to them, as well as what is important to the planet and society.

John brought the meeting to a close by discussing Allied Irish Bank’s future sustainability goals. I found out the importance of supporting a better society at entry level and how to do so.

I found it fascinating how strong sustainability initiatives are in Ireland compared to the United States, yet how Ireland is considered to be behind compared to the rest of Europe in terms of sustainability. I also found it interesting how strongly corporate sustainability is enforced in Ireland.

I’d like to learn more about how I can bring this newfound knowledge of corporate sustainability into my career, as this visit helped me understand how businesses integrate it rather than just what it is.