Kerry continues to strengthen its reputation as a sustainable destination, with businesses, communities and organisations across the county working together to protect what makes the Kingdom such a special place to visit, live and work.
This commitment was highlighted at the recent Sustainable Kerry: Sustainability in Practice – Business Cases event at Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa, which brought together more than 50 representatives from across Kerry’s tourism, business, manufacturing and environmental sectors to share success stories, practical initiatives and ideas for further progress.
Bringing Kerry’s Sustainability Success Stories to the Forefront
The event showcased successful sustainability projects and practical initiatives across Kerry’s business, tourism and environmental sectors, while providing opportunities to share knowledge, build partnerships and encourage further action.
Organised by Kerry County Council in collaboration with industry stakeholders and hosted by Ballygarry Estate, Hotel & Spa. The event brought together representatives from tourism, manufacturing, business, environmental and public sector organisations to share practical examples of sustainability initiatives and their impact.
The level of interest exceeded expectations, and the strong turnout demonstrated the appetite among businesses and organisations to learn from one another, share experiences and identify further opportunities to embed sustainable practices in their operations.
Kerry County Council Chief Executive, Fearghal Reidy, highlighted the importance of continued collaboration and partnership in building on the county’s sustainability achievements.
In his opening remarks, he noted: “Kerry has made significant progress in sustainability, and this is down to the commitment and efforts of businesses, communities and organisations working together across the county. Our position of 16th in the 2026 Global Destination Sustainability Index is an important achievement, but it is also an opportunity to build further momentum. Events like this demonstrate the value of sharing knowledge, learning from practical experience and working in partnership to deliver continued progress.”
Pat O’Leary, Chair of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation - emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge and encouraging further action across all sectors.
“It was very encouraging to see such a strong turnout and such a wide range of organisations represented. Sustainability is not something that any one business or sector can address in isolation. There is great value in hearing directly from those who are putting initiatives into practice, understanding what has worked for them and learning from the challenges they have encountered. By collaborating and sharing our experiences, we can encourage more businesses to take action and build on the excellent work already taking place across Kerry.”
Moderated by Alan Cantwell of Kerry County Council, the event featured presentations from a diverse range of organisations, including Liebherr, Ballygarry Estate Hotel & Spa, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Astellas, Parknasilla Resort & Spa, KTIF, the Maharees Conservation Project, Killarney Chamber, Tricel and Golf Ireland.
The presentations provided valuable insights into sustainability projects across different industries, demonstrating how organisations are putting practical measures in place, the benefits being achieved and the opportunities for further progress.
The event reinforced the importance of continued collaboration, partnership and knowledge-sharing, with attendees encouraged to take ideas and learnings back to their own organisations and continue the work of making sustainability part of everyday business practice.
