Create Green: Cultivating a Sustainable Future for Rural Offaly

In 2025, the Create Green Business Training Programme, led by Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC) and supported through the 2023–2027 LEADER Programme, delivered practical guidance and hands-on support to Offaly-based businesses seeking to reduce their environmental footprint and embed sustainable practices into their operations.

Developed in response to the realities of a Just Transition in Ireland’s midlands, Create Green positions Offaly’s creative and food/ farming sectors at the forefront of sustainable rural development. Most businesses in these sectors in Offaly are SMEs with limited access to tailored green supports - a gap made more pressing by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require SMEs to report on sustainability performance, including carbon footprint data from 2027. Create Green was designed to meet this challenge head-on.

Following the successful completion of a pilot delivered under the previous LEADER programme, OLDC commissioned a scoping paper to explore how Create Green could be expanded and future proofed. The outcome was a bespoke training and mentoring programme that placed participants at its centre.

Launched in 2025 with LEADER funding under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, Create Green supported five SMEs from Offaly’s creative and food/farming sectors. The programme combined in-person workshops, site visits, and online sessions, blending technical expertise with storytelling, branding, and peer learning.

Participants received targeted business supports including practical guidance on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The programme also built understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), green-focused financial planning, and digital marketing strategies to help businesses communicate their sustainable value.

Crucially, Create Green went beyond regulatory compliance. It empowered participants to understand why sustainability matters to customers, communities, and long-term viability - and how to communicate that value clearly and confidently.

At the outset, participants were uncertain about their readiness for the programme, viewing sustainability as complex and technical. By the end, all reported a deeper understanding of the subject and the direct implications for their businesses. Each enterprise developed a tailored Sustainability Strategy, learned how to track progress and embed sustainability into everyday decision-making.

As programme tutor Rebekah Keaveny of Sunflower Consultancy noted:

Following the training, two participants secured significant new retail contracts, including a wholesale agreement with international retailer Harvey Norman and new listings with Irish health food chains.

A distinctive feature of Create Green was its emphasis on storytelling. Each participant worked with professional filmmakers to produce a short video showcasing their sustainability journey. These videos form part of Offaly’s emerging “Green Champions” recognition programme, helping businesses reach new audiences while contributing to a shared narrative of sustainable rural enterprise.

As Create Green participant Kevin Dooley of Dooley Wool explained:

Create Green is Ireland’s first sustainability programme designed specifically for creative, craft, and artisan food/ farming SMEs. Its strength lies in recognising these sectors not as peripheral, but as central to climate action, circular economy practices, and regional branding.

The programme’s innovative and collaborative approach has earned European recognition. Create Green was a finalist in the Environmental Protection category of the EU CAP Network’s Agricultural and Rural Inspiration Awards (ARIA) 2025, held at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in Brussels. Nominated by CAP Network Ireland and selected from over 120 entries across Europe, it was one of just 24 projects to reach the final shortlist — highlighting its impact as a model for sustainable rural development in Ireland.

As Roisin Lennon, CEO of OLDC, reflects: “Developing a bespoke and practical Green Business programme for SMEs in rural Ireland is about more than creating a positive local impact. It’s about developing a blueprint for sustainable rural development that aligns with the SDGs and can resonate across Ireland and Europe.”

Create Green's journey offers insights for other communities considering similar initiatives:

- Pilot, Learn and Scale: Create Green built on the learnings from a pilot previously funded through LEADER which strengthened the design and impact of the training programme.

- Make Sustainability Clear and Actionable: Simplifying the SDGs and green practices helped participants engage with confidence and see sustainability as a tangible business asset.

- The Importance of Collaboration: Led by OLDC, the programme brought together a diverse partnership including The Just Transition Academy (Technological University of the Shannon, Laois/Offaly ETB & Offaly Co Co.) who each brought their own unique perspectives and expertise to the programme.

This project was supported as part of the 2023-2027 LEADER Programme under the theme of Economic Development and Job Creation, and the sub-theme of the Green Economy. The Local Action Group is Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC).