Interesting news coming out of China's Ant International, a global digital payments and fin tech provider. They have launched a new AI play with Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit. This will be an AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) platform. The strategy is to support fintech companies and nudge super apps to build AI driven financial services with the goal of better security, flexibility and seamless experiences.

Making AI work for finance remains the key goal for fin tech companies. Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit is a platform to help entrepreneurs create effective AI-native financial services. These tools will combine automated workflows and task orchestration with a dynamic enterprise context. Key tasks include payment orchestration, customer onboarding, compliance checks, fraud detection, dispute resolution, and evaluation and performance optimisation.

New AI Platform for Fintechs launched by Ant International

Three-pronged AI strategy focuses on AI security, Vertical Fintech Expertise, and Full-stack AI platform support

First fintech clients begin official integration in June 2025 in Southeast Asia and South Asia

"The future of finance will be shaped by agentic AI that not only carry out tasks autonomously in real automated workflows and sophisticated financial business and compliance context with reliability, but also interact, evolve and learn rapidly in orchestration with ever-growing precision," said Jiangming Yang, Chief Innovation Officer of Ant International.

Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit has been honed on Ant International's four key business units: wallet gateway service (Alipay+), merchant payment service (Antom), cross-border business account service (WorldFirst), and embedded finance service (global treasury management, digital lending and credit tech solutions). Upon successful completion of trial runs, the first external clients in Southeast Asia and South Asia will start officially deploying the Cockpit in June 2025.

Three-Pronged AI Strategy: Security, Vertical Fintech Expertise, and Platform-level Support for Agentic FinAI

Combining a fintech-specific toolbox and dynamic industry knowledge base alongside business-ready AI innovations, the Cockpit embodies three key directions of Ant International's AI strategy.

Security Shield for Trusted AI

AI scamming threats using deepfake and other technologies have been growing over 10 folds by the year, with grave implications especially in the financial sector. Statistics show 22% of businesses have encountered AI-generated payment fraud.

Ant International invests heavily in AI security solutions to combat external AI scamming attacks and eliminate internal model security risks such as model hallucination or bias. Its AI SHIELD framework manages risks across system architecture designing, data processing, model training, and inferencing. It offers real-time dynamic risk assessment, including detecting adversarial prompts and sensitive data leakage through over 100 recognition models and 600,000 risk lexicons. Today, fraud loss rate in Ant International's merchant payment service is 5% of industry average.

Deep Vertical Financial Expertise

Alipay+ GenAI Cockpit leverages over 20 leading LLMs, including Ant International's own Falcon Time-Series Transformer FX Model. However, it has focused on integrating fintech knowledge bases, such as bank transfer rules and dispute resolution policies, to help businesses build specialized fintech agents.

The Cockpit toolbox supports retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), post-training, evaluation, and benchmarking, taking the combination of general-purpose datasets with industry-specific benchmarks developed from Ant International's financial expertise to help improve model precision.

Built on the Cockpit, Antom Copilot is the world's first AI agent designed to help merchants boost conversion by streamlining the process of payment method integration, recommending optimal payment channels, and resolving common tasks like code correction and the auto-completion of merc...

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled the independent European governance structure for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, the creation of a dedicated Security Operations Center, and the establishment of a new parent company that will be led by European Union (EU) citizens and bound by local legal requirements. Kathrin Renz, who currently serves as vice president of AWS Industries, will serve as the company's first managing director.

The AWS European Sovereign Cloud will be the only fully-featured, independently operated sovereign cloud, backed by strong technical controls, sovereign assurances, and legal protections. Customers and partners using the AWS European Sovereign Cloud will benefit from the full power of AWS including the same service portfolio, security, availability, performance, familiar architecture, APIs, and innovations such as the AWS Nitro System. Launching by the end of 2025, the AWS European Sovereign Cloud will combine operational autonomy with expansive AWS services to meet the stringent sovereignty needs of European governments and enterprises.

European-based control, governance, and operations

AWS will establish a new European organisation and operating model for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, with a new parent company and three subsidiaries incorporated in Germany. The management team leading this new parent company will include the managing director and a government security and privacy official, who will all be EU citizens residing in the EU.

AWS will establish an independent advisory board for the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, legally obligated to act in the best interest of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Reinforcing the sovereign control of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, the advisory board will consist of four members, all EU citizens residing in the EU, including at least one independent board member who is not affiliated with Amazon. The advisory board will act as a source of expertise and provide accountability for AWS European Sovereign Cloud operations, including strong security and access controls and the ability to operate independently in the event of disruption.

Building on deep experience running AWS services for the most sensitive workloads around the world, the AWS European Sovereign Cloud is designed with the unmatched operational resilience our customers expect from AWS. The design of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud enables it to continue operations indefinitely, even in the event of a connectivity interruption between the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and the rest of the world.

European customers and governments benefit from the resilient AWS architecture that features multiple Availability Zones with independent power, networking, facilities, and security capabilities that make these critical operations possible. To support continuity even under extreme circumstances, authorized AWS employees of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, who are EU residents, will have independent access to a replica of the source code needed to maintain the AWS European Sovereign Cloud services.

Experienced European leadership

Kathrin Renz, the first managing director of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, is a German national who brings deep global and European expertise to the position with more than two decades of experience in the global technology sector, including key roles in European technology and large enterprises. Based in Germany and acting as the most senior leader of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, Renz will be legally bound to act in the best interest of the AWS European Sovereign Cloud and will be responsible for overseeing decisions related to corporate governance, compliance, and security, while ensuring the AWS European Sovereign Cloud complies with all applicable laws and regulations in Germany and the EU.

"We're taking a unique approach with AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Customers tell us they don't want to choose between feature-limited solutions or the full power of AWS, s...

Park Place Technologies, a global leader in data centre and networking optimisation, has partnered with Softcat, a leading UK technology solutions provider, to provide access to its internal training portal, Uptime Academy.

The initiative aims to enhance Softcat's support services team's knowledge and capabilities, ultimately leading to improve service delivery for customers.

Park Place collaborates with thousands of partners across the globe and selected Softcat for this pilot program to demonstrate its commitment to partner enablement, and to Softcat's people.

The primary purpose of making Uptime Academy available to Softcat was to educate, upskill and provide sales enablement to the support services team at Softcat, focusing on key areas such as Third-Party Maintenance (TPM), Infrastructure Managed Services, and Entuity Software.

Uptime Academy is Park Place's internal Learning Management System, ensuring consistent messaging about Park Place's offerings, culture, and compliance across the entire organisation.

The training content contains material created in-house by Park Place subject matter experts, as well as a variety of content from third-party specialty providers. Uptime Academy also allows tracking of learners' progress through courses, curricula, and certifications.

Ian Anderson, Senior Director, Partner Sales in EMEA, said, "Our internal Uptime Academy training portal offers hundreds of courses, ranging from IT basics to deep-dives into specific Park Place services. Sharing that knowledge base with a partner empowers and hopefully motivates its people to develop their talents, contribute to their personal growth, and fuel the success of Softcat and Park Place."

Softcat was eager to leverage Uptime Academy as it recognised the platform as a tool that could help to upskill its support service teams, who in turn could immerse themselves in Park Place messaging and go-to-market methodology. This elevates Softcat as a channel partner selling our services into literally being an extension of the Park Place Technologies team out in the field.

Kevin Rickard, Sr. Team Leader for Support Service Sales at Softcat, said, "Having access to the Park Place Uptime Academy has significantly empowered our specialists in several ways. It has enhanced our expertise, increased confidence when talking around managed services, and given us a competitive advantage. It has given us a detailed insight into how Park Place works and how their services, management, and fulfilment of contracts flow."

The initial Softcat trial saw participation from two dozen individuals, who praised the engaging delivery style and practical knowledge gained from the courses. The format of Uptime Academy was called out for particular praise, with participants enjoying the digestible, bite-sized courses. Several shared their training certificates online.

Park Place's Anderson added, "Following this successful trial, we are looking to expand access across other teams at Softcat and also look to roll similar initiatives to other partners globally. This initiative demonstrates Park Place Technologies' pioneering approach to partner enablement. We are committed to transparency and empowering our partners with the knowledge they need to ultimately be more successful in selling more to customers - meaning everyone wins."

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DP Energy has partnered with ESB to develop Lyra Wind Farm in Co. Mayo, a renewable energy project with the potential to generate up to 100MW of clean power.

Located approximately 7km southeast of Westport, 2.2km southeast of Aghagower Village and 9.5km west of Ballintubber Village, the proposed area of development is situated in the townlands of Cordarragh South, Corveagh Upper and Teevinish West. The majority of the proposed turbine area is located at an elevation of between 100m and 200m above sea level and will generate enough energy to power up to 70,914 homes on an annual basis.

The design of the proposed project is at an early stage and is following an iterative approach that will be guided by any potential environmental impacts, as advised by third-party technical experts. The wind farm, once operational, will only occupy a small portion of the overall site area - approximately 4% - allowing many of the existing land uses, such as farming and biodiversity management, to continue alongside the project.

DP Energy has collaborated with ESB previously to develop Cappawhite Wind Farm, a 51MW onshore wind project in Co. Tipperary, located at the southernmost extent of the mountain range known as Hollyford Hills. DP Energy also previously sold its operating and pipeline projects to ESB in 2008.

Simon De Pietro, Director and CEO at DP Energy Group, says: "We are delighted to be working alongside ESB to develop Lyra Wind Farm. This project has the potential to deliver substantial benefits to the local community while fostering local employment and enterprise. Having previously achieved excellent results working with ESB, we look forward to building on this strong partnership and using it as a foundation for future projects across Ireland and the UK."

Jim Dollard, Executive Director, Generation and Trading at ESB, says:

"At ESB, we are progressing a pipeline of projects and acquisitions, including initiatives with our trusted partners, to deliver our Net Zero by 2040 strategy. Building on our previous successes, we are delighted to partner once again with DP Energy on the proposed Lyra wind farm in Co Mayo. By leveraging our shared values and combined expertise, we believe the Lyra project will deliver significant benefits for the community, the environment and Ireland's net-zero energy commitments. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure the project is a success."

Visit the Lyra Wind Farm website for more information on the project.

Opportunities presented by digitalisation and AI go beyond traditional generational shifts; they will require fundamental change in the mindsets of business leaders

Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes was quick to engage with Skillnet Ireland's new chief executive, Mark Jordan, following his appointment in March 2025, by inviting him to address a luncheon to mark the tenth anniversary of Shannon Chamber Skillnet.

The event, which took place in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Limerick last week, attracted a guest list which included Chamber member companies, representatives from Skillnet Ireland, Skillnet Business Networks in the Mid-West region, the tertiary education sector and private training providers.

Skillnet Ireland is recognised internationally as a best practice model for workforce development, supporting the competitiveness, productivity, and innovation of Irish businesses. Under the leadership of newly appointed chief executive Mark Jordan, the organisation remains committed to building on its excellent track record of the past 26 years.

Since its inception in 1999, Skillnet Ireland, via its 70 Business Networks, which includes Shannon Chamber Skillnet, has continually evolved. This evolution is reflected in the expanding profile of the businesses it supports, the deepening and diversification of its engagement strategies, and the ongoing development of innovative support schemes tailored to the needs of industry.

"Our success depends on aligning Skillnet Ireland's work with national strategies, including the National Digital and the National AI Strategies," said Mark Jordan.

"To remain relevant, we need to anticipate change and have meaningful conversations with companies to bridge the gap in skills development. This is particularly important as 59% of SMEs and MNCs expect their core skills to undergo a major shift in the next two to three years, and that, by 2027, 50% of today's skills will be obsolete," he added.

Focusing on future skill requirements, Mr. Jordan stated: "Digitalisation will play a critical role in helping companies become more resilient nationally and internationally. Technologies such as machine learning and AI will be central in the transformational journey of companies in many sectors, as will sustainable business practices, which have become an integral part of Ireland's enterprise sector".

Highlighting regional achievements, he noted: "In the past year alone, 3,000 businesses in counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, upskilled 7,000 people through Skillnet Ireland programmes. That level of engagement is impressive, and it's only set to grow."

Mr Jordan was joined on the podium by representatives from Atlantic Aviation Group (AAG), Element Six and Engine Lease Finance Corporation (ELFC) for a lively question and answer session moderated by Shannon Chamber Skillnet Network Manager, Alan Kelly.

Trevor Rogers, organisation development manager with AAG, Stephen Linnane, general manager, Element Six, and Maria Frost, senior vice president, human resources at ELFC, brought valuable insights into the strategic importance of keeping employees' skills aligned with the evolving needs of industry. During a panel discussion, they shared their views on topics as diverse as: people development during a corporate merger, addressing skills gaps post-apprenticeships, Skillnet Ireland as an operating model, the future of learning and development and the growing relevance of sustainability literacy.

They highlighted the benefits of having balanced skills within an organisation and discussed the positive payback, in terms of mindset shift and increased motivation, that can result from introducing a skills-based pay programme, as well as the urgency of prioritising digital literacy across all sectors.

Having witnessed, first hand, a clear escalation in the demand for talent development programmes, Shannon Chamber CEO, Helen Downes, said that operating a Skillnet Business Network has enabled the Chamber to help local b...

National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company responsible for delivering the Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP), has announced that two-thirds of homes, farms and businesses in the rollout area can now connect to high-speed broadband.

There are now 367,154 premises that have been passed with NBI fibre (out of the 564,000 currently included in the NBP Intervention Area). This follows a decision earlier this year to bring forward the connection timeline for 65,000 homes, farms and businesses, ensuring faster access to fibre broadband for thousands of families and communities across rural Ireland.

When a premises is passed, an order can be placed to connect to high-speed fibre broadband on the NBI Network. People living and working in rural Ireland can enter their Eircode on the NBI website, www.nbi.ie, to see if their home or business is included in the rollout and how to get connected.

With more than 50 broadband providers actively selling on NBI's open-access network, rural communities now have access to the same level of competition and choice as those in urban areas. Customers can select from a wide range of internet providers, with competitive pricing and bundled packages available nationwide.

The rollout is already delivering meaningful impact with 129,079 premises already connected. Take-up rates now average 35% and continue to climb, approaching 60% in areas where the network has been live the longest such as the rural areas near Athlone, Castlebar and Emyvale. Fibre broadband is also live on ten offshore islands, including Hare Island, Collanmore Island and Rutland Island, with build works significantly completed on others, including Achill Island, where people can now order connectivity on the NBI Network.

Independent research has highlighted early social and economic benefits, such as improved quality of life, increased productivity for rural businesses, and enhanced access to services, showing the transformative potential of the NBP as it nears completion.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, T.D., said: "This is a major milestone for the National Broadband Plan and for rural Ireland. Two-thirds of homes, farms and businesses in the rollout area can now access world-class connectivity - a transformative step for communities, businesses and families across the country. Reliable high-speed broadband is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity, and I am proud of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring every home, no matter how remote, is given the opportunity to thrive in a connected world."

Peter Hendrick, Chief Executive Officer, National Broadband Ireland, said: "We are proud to have passed two-thirds of the premises in the State intervention area, bringing us significantly closer to our goal of delivering high-speed fibre broadband to every home, farm and business in the rollout area. The strong and growing take-up rate reflects the demand for reliable connectivity in rural Ireland and the trust people are placing in the NBI network. With over 50 retail providers offering services on our open-access network, end users have real choice and access to world-leading speeds."

Progress update as of 23.05.2025:

The number of premises passed, and which can connect to NBI's fibre network, is 367,154.

129,079 premises are already connected.

The average take-rate is 35%. Take-up is approaching 60% where services have been available for longer.

95% of the project (537,286 premises) has moved to or through construction.

100% of premises have been surveyed.

Take-up rates are approaching 60% in the Deployment Areas that were released first.

955 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) have been installed and are live with 672 of these in schools.

A high-speed broadband connection through NBI is available for order on 10 of the 27 islands included in the rollout. The remaining 17 islands are in various stages of survey and design works.

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By Nikki Trott

For too long, business has been treated as separate from the rest of life. It's been built on models of extraction, scarcity, linear discarding and competition, designed for short-term success and measured only by financial growth. But business is not outside the ecosystem of life - it is one of the most powerful forces shaping it.

I wrote Sacred Business because I have seen that we urgently need a new model - one that aligns business, and its success, with the flourishing of life on Earth.

Sacred business?

After years advising some of the world's most iconic brands, I started to question the meaning of success. I saw leaders and teams pushing endlessly for more - more reach, more revenue, more growth - but often at the cost of health, purpose and the planet. I questioned: is that really success? At the same time, I was on my own journey of personal transformation, exploring practices from indigenous wisdom to meditation and energy work. What struck me was how deeply misaligned our dominant business culture is with the principles of life itself.

At one point, I found myself integrating my growing conscious practices into my mornings, but returning to my laptop and making decisions from the same old mindsets: scarcity, control and busyness. I saw this pattern in my clients, too - purpose-led entrepreneurs and CEOs who genuinely wanted to create change, but were still operating within the mental and strategic frameworks they'd inherited. That's when it became clear to me: we cannot transform business without transforming ourselves. As Albert Einstein said, 'the same consciousness that created a problem cannot be used to solve it.' This is the central thesis of Sacred Business.

It's a book for leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who want to do more than add a purpose statement to their website. It's for people who are ready to align their inner evolution with their business strategy - so they can create companies that are not only successful, but regenerative, ethical and truly impactful.

The book is a manifesto for the transformation of ourselves to create thriving businesses in harmony with the life around them. It offers a nine-principle framework, moving through shifts including From Busy to Present, From Linear to Cycles, and From Overthinking to Intuition. It's like having a business mentor and transformation guide wrapped into one. With practical tools throughout, it's grounded in real stories from clients I've worked with, thought leaders I've interviewed on my podcast Going Conscious, and my own journey building purpose-led ventures and investment platforms.

The biggest thing I want readers to take away is this: business can be sacred. Not in a religious sense, but in the truest meaning of the word - something worthy of reverence and care. A Sacred Business doesn't reject ambition; it redefines it. These are businesses that thrive not despite their ethics, but because of them. They don't burn out their founders or resources - they grow in harmony with the world and create value across generations.

This is not just a new way of doing business. It's a new way of being in business.

Business is an expression of our human creativity and consciousness - a system to help solve problems and serve people. So why is it also the greatest contributor of our times to the degradation of planetary and human health?

We're standing at a crossroads. Business holds the tools, systems and scale to turn things around. If we are bold enough to redesign it from the inside out, business can become the greatest force for true success, health and returning to thriving life on the planet.

Welcome to the era of Sacred Business.

Sacred Business by Nikki Trott is out 5th June RRP £25 (Bloomsbury Business) available at all good bookshops, Amazon or visit Nikki's website nikkitrott.com/sacredbusiness for more information.

Connect with Nikki on Instagram @nikkitrott or LinkedIn /nikkitrott.

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Sky has unveiled Sky Glass Air, the smarter TV for a smarter price. The stylish new TV comes with vibrant 4K picture quality, Dolby Audio, voice control, and Sky built in, all streamed over Wi-Fi, with no dish or box required.

Designed to make Sky's entertainment experience accessible to more households and for those wanting Sky TV in more rooms, Glass Air is available to buy from just €8/month (on 48-month interest free credit-sale agreement) with a Sky TV subscription from €18 a month for 12 months for new customers, when it goes on sale Tuesday 10th June.

With a Sky Essential TV subscription starting from €18 per month for new customers, which includes Sky Atlantic, Netflix, and discovery+, TV fans can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment, along with the smart Sky Glass Air TV experience, from €26 per month.

Sky Glass Air runs on Sky OS, the smart software that powers Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Stream, making it a great option for a second TV in the home for existing customers.

4K picture meets Dolby Audio

With a 4K HDR Quantum Dot screen, Sky Glass Air delivers a vibrant picture packed full of colour. Global dimming and contrast enhancement automatically adjust the display for sharp, true-to-life visuals, combined with a Dolby Audio speaker system for rich sound. The TV intelligently adapts to what's on screen, bringing out the best in every moment, whether watching the latest series of The Last of Us or a nail-biting Premier League match.

Simple set up and sleek design

Available in three stylish colours - Sea Green, Carbon Grey, and Cotton White - and three sizes, 43", 55", and 65", Air's sleek design, slim frame and colour-matched remote and stand complement any room. It's quick and easy to set up, with no tools required, it can simply be lifted onto the stand included in the box. It's also compatible with universal wall mounts, as well as Sky's own.

Caroline Donnellan, Marketing & Brand Director of Sky & NOW said, "With the launch of Sky Glass Air, we're bringing the Sky TV experience to even more households in Ireland. Combining an elegant design, superb picture quality and rich sound from just €8 a month, Sky Glass Air is our smarter TV for a smarter price. It's about giving our customers their favourite content with greater flexibility, without compromising on the quality our customers expect from Sky."

Sky OS: The smartest way to watch

Sky OS does the hard work by bringing together entertainment from Sky and all the popular apps in one place, helping TV fans get to what they want to watch, faster. And it keeps getting smarter, with regular updates and new features added.

With hands-free voice control, simply say "Hello Sky…" to turn on the TV, search for shows or genres from Sky and apps, adjust volume, add to Playlist and much more.

Sky OS learns what viewers like to watch, curating collections of the best entertainment based on viewing habits, so there's always something new to enjoy. There are now 30 more genre rails on the homepage, which are personalised based on watch history and bring together suggestions of what to watch across Sky content, apps and channels. With collections including Hilarious sitcoms, Thrilling action movies, and Suspenseful crime drama, there's something for everyone.

With personal Playlists, viewers can save all their favourites from Sky, live TV and apps in one place, ready to watch later. Plus, the Continue Watching rail allows customers to quickly pick up where they left off, whatever channel or app their show is on.

Premium entertainment for less

Sky Glass Air is available from just €8/month for the 43", €12.50 for the 55" and €15.50 for the 65" on 48-month interest free credit-sale agreement. New customers can combine it with Sky Essential TV (€18/month for 12 months), to enjoy top-rated shows from Sky, Netflix, and discovery+, all on a smart new TV from just €26/month*.

Sky Essential TV offers customers a taste of Sky for an affordable price, with over 70 channels including Sky A...

As Ireland accelerates its offshore renewable energy ambitions, a new initiative is underway to safeguard marine ecosystems from underwater noise pollution, a growing global environmental concern.

The Irish Marine Acoustics Platform (IMAP) research?project will establish Ireland's first systematic underwater acoustic monitoring programme. This noise monitoring programme will help to protect marine life by identifying, managing and mitigating the underwater radiated noise (URN) pollution which may occur during the building of offshore wind farms.

Launched in April of this year, the project will run until December 2028 and is funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Marine Institute (MI) with the MaREI Centre in University College Cork (UCC) and Wind Energy Ireland as project partners.

The project will record annual and seasonal variations in ambient sound levels throughout Irish coastal waters using hydrophones. These devices will be strategically placed around the entire Irish coastline, in line with proposed locations for offshore developments. Using advanced analytics, modelling and data infrastructure, the programme will enable offshore developers to ensure an appropriate balance is met between the need to develop renewable energy and the need to conserve our marine biodiversity.

On conclusion of the research project, the data collected will be used to establish an underwater noise baseline to be used to determine future project viability. The IMAP project will also create expertise in a growing research area and provide the necessary underwater equipment to continue future exploration.

Speaking about the research, Gerry Sutton, IMAP Project Lead at University College Cork, said: "This acoustic baseline project will help ensure Ireland's green energy transition doesn't come at the cost of our marine ecosystems. It is a critical step toward responsible development and will help to ensure that Ireland's offshore expansion proceeds sustainably, minimising ecological risks while cutting the carbon emissions which put marine life in danger."

Kerrie Sheehan, Head of Research, Innovation and Electricity at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, added: "SEAI is pleased to support this project, which aligns with Ireland's ambitious goals for expanding the offshore wind sector to meet government targets for 2030 and 2050.

"Co-funded by the Marine Institute, the project will investigate the potential impacts of underwater noise pollution from offshore infrastructure on marine ecosystems. The data collected, along with an online research portal, will serve as a vital resource for informed decision-making during the planning stages of offshore developments.

"This initiative will help safeguard marine life while accelerating Ireland's transition to clean energy."

Further information on the project can be found at https://info.windenergyireland.com/en-ie/imap.

As Ireland celebrates its fourth National Food Waste Recycling Week, new research highlights both the remarkable progress made in brown bin usage and the ongoing challenge of contamination. With over 200,000 new brown bins rolled out nationwide since the start of 2024, bringing the total number of brown bin owners across Ireland to approximately 1.2 million, householders in Ireland are embracing food waste recycling like never before.

However, a recent study of over 1,000 adults reveals that despite widespread brown bin usage, contamination remains a concern, potentially compromising the quality of compost and hindering our efforts towards a circular economy.

The research, conducted by Empathy Research on behalf of MyWaste, Ireland's official guide to managing your waste, found that while the vast majority of people use their brown bin (84%), confusion and occasional haste can at times lead to incorrect items being disposed of in the brown bin.

The study indicated that 33% admit to knowingly putting incorrect items in their brown bin, a figure that rises to 50% amongst 18-34-year-olds. The research also highlights confusion about garden waste, with younger adults (18-34) mistakenly believing stones and barbeque coals can be composted. Other common items incorrectly placed in brown bins include general waste (32%), the plastic around vegetables (26%), soft plastics (24%), and food cartons (24%).

This National Food Waste Recycling Week (June 1st - June 8th, 2025), MyWaste.ie is launching a new campaign to tackle this problem, focusing on both confusion and haste as key contributing factors.

"I'm delighted to see the continued growth in brown bin usage across the country," said Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with responsibility for Circular Economy, Alan Dillon TD.

"The expansion of the programme, coupled with the dedication of Irish citizens, is a testament to our commitment to a circular economy and a greener future. By working together to reduce food waste in the first instance and minimise contamination thereafter, we can ensure that our food and garden waste is transformed into valuable compost, enriching our soil, supporting sustainable agriculture and reducing our carbon footprint."

The research also explored the reasons behind these mistakes. The primary reason cited for knowingly putting an item in their brown bin incorrectly was being in a hurry (38%), with lack of knowledge about what is accepted in the brown bin being the second most common reason (26%).

"It's fantastic to see so many households embracing the brown bin system," said Pauline McDonogh, Resource Efficiency Officer at MyWaste.

"However, contamination remains a challenge. This National Food Waste Recycling Week we want to empower everyone to become brown bin champions in their homes, at work or at play. We understand that sometimes it can be confusing, which is why we're providing clear and accessible information to help everyone use their brown bin correctly. Putting the wrong items in the brown bin can compromise the recycling process and reduce the level of compost produced.

Let's all remember: 'No Metal, No Glass, No Plastic Makes Our Brown Bin Fantastic!' By keeping contaminants out of our brown bins, we can protect our soil and contribute to a circular economy."

What can go into the brown bin?

The brown bin service accepts all types of food including raw and cooked meat and fish, plate scrapings, along with fruit and vegetable peelings. Other items that can go into the brown bin include food-soiled paper napkins, paper towels, greasy pizza boxes as well as grass clippings and light garden waste, including hedge clippings, spent compost and dead plants.

What cannot go into the brown bin?

To avoid contamination, remember to remove all packaging from food waste and avoid adding large branches, stones, rubble, plastic plant pots, barbeque coals or other non-compostable materials from your brown bin.

...