2024 in Action
This year has been monumental in the journey toward a circular economy and waste reduction—not just for VOICE but for Ireland and beyond. With the publication of Ireland's Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy in March, the Circularity Gap Report in September, and the European revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations, the groundwork for transformative change has been laid.
Yet, the challenges remain. Ireland’s per capita waste is still on the rise, tightly linked to economic activity, a trend we all notice in our ever overflowing bins!
Amid these highs and hurdles, VOICE has been hard at work, making impactful strides supported by you; our incredible supporters, communities, and partners across Ireland.
Here’s a look back at the incredible achievements we’ve accomplished together in 2024. 🌟
Ireland's First Online Fast Fashion Knowledge Hub
GOAL: END FAST FASHION
VOICE launched our user-friendly website that is a hub of knowledge, offering practical tools and inspiring examples to empower individuals to move towards a more sustainable and fair fashion future.
Fabric of Change is a project to raise awareness about the negative impacts of fast fashion, but not only that.
We want to provide a space to envision what sustainable fashion could look like and how we can transition to an industry that is more sustainable, healthier, and better, both for people and the planet.
Pop over to to our Fabric of Change Website to learn, start your sustainable fashion journey and imagine a new world where textiles are kept in use and resources are used wisely.
Waste Not, Want Not Project in Clonakilty
GOAL: REDUCE FOOD WASTE
Waste Not, Want Not involves two local partners, Clonakilty Tidy Towns and Clonakilty Community Resource Centre (a hub of Cork Mental Health Foundation), both of whom are actively engaged in the project and help to root our project in the local community.
The goal of the project is to support a community to work together to reduce food waste and create toolkits for community action, that can be used by other communities nationwide and circulated through the Tidy Towns network.
This has been a vibrant and dynamic project with plenty of community engagement!
It was important to the Waste Not, Want Not team to ensure that fun and community connection were central to the food waste reduction project, we achieved this in so many ways. Head over to our campaign page to learn more about our leftover-food workshops, our apple harvest festival and leftovers recipe book (to name a few!)
Empowering Communities with Circular Economy Action Plans
GOAL: DRIVE COMMUNITY CHANGE
This project, funded by Community Foundation Ireland and led by VOICE, aims to mentor 27 communities across Ireland in developing their own Circular Economy Action Plans (CCEAP).
Over the past year, we have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of community groups across Ireland, from Tipperary to Donegal, and Kerry to Dublin. The objective of the Circular Economy Action Plan (CCEAP) program is not to impose predetermined actions on these communities, but rather to collaborate with them to identify the environmental and economic challenges that are most relevant to their local context.
Throughout our engagement, it has been clear that there is no shortage of ideas or enthusiasm for circular economy initiatives. From fruit planting and community gardens focused on regenerating nature, to the wide spread adoption of reusable cups, communities have been quick to embrace practical solutions to reduce waste and keep materials in use for as long as possible.
Our work with these communities has been both inspiring and energizing for the entire VOICE team and mentors.
ERAMSUS+ Pan European Sustainable Menstruation
GOAL: YOUTH LEADERSHIP
In January 2024 VOICE began a new 2-year project in collaboration with seven other environmental charities across Europe.
The project is coordinated by VOICE and our project partners are the Women’s Environmental Network in the UK, Zero in Portugal, Rezero in Spain, Women Engaged for a Common Future in the Netherlands, Friends of the Earth Croatia, Green Zone in Hungary, and Zero Waste Lviv in Ukraine.
Through the Mensy project we are developing training materials on menstruation for use by youth leaders in youth settings.
These materials will build upon work undertaken across the consortium and best practice case studies internationally and will support the aim of encouraging the use of reusable menstrual items in place of disposable menstrual items.
Our goal is to break the taboos and promote sustainable periods across Europe through youth leadership.
Picker Pals Programme
GOAL: To give young children the chance to take the lead as environmentalists at home and in their communities.
It has been an exciting year for Picker Pals.
This year we not only grew our existing litter-picking programme by expanding beyond our 4,200th classroom, but we also revised our offering in response to growing demand from schools!
As we continue to expand, we’ve been keenly aware of our responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment and behave sustainably, so the present school year has seen the introduction of our new Booster Boxes that allow dedicated schools to remain in the programme while still using their pre-love Picker Packs.
Please join VOICE, donate, or participate in future campaigns. Thank you for all of your support, as we work hard to achieve our vision of a world that uses its resources wisely and continuously.
