The National Library of Ireland recognised a growing need to better embed sustainability across their organisation. While sustainability was already on the agenda, they wanted to go further, and build a clearer, shared understanding of what it meant for their specific context, identifying practical ways to integrate sustainability into existing frameworks and ways of working.

To support this ambition, NLI partnered with Mortice to help explore four key questions:

• What sustainability means for them as an organisation?
• What is already happening across the wider sector?
• What meaningful actions can they take to drive progress?
• How to make sustainable change happen?

The goal was to create a more informed, engaged organisation, one that is equipped to support and sustain long-term change.

Our Approach

Mortice were appointed to design and deliver a series of engagement sessions with the NLI team. We created four bespoke workshop packages for distinct groups across the organisation, including all-staff sessions, the estates team, senior leadership, and peer institutions.

Across these sessions, we facilitated discussions around aligning existing strategies with recognised sustainability frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We explored governance structures, reviewed progress across the European cultural sector, and helped identify where NLI could both learn from others and lead.

These sessions were developed to reflect NLI’s alignment with the Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Department, ensuring their actions supported the overall governmental direction. A representative from the Department joined the peer session, enabling their inclusion in the discussion and final actions.

Final outputs included practical resources, a detailed outcomes report, and a clear action plan, giving NLI a strong foundation to embed sustainability across its operations and future strategy.

Find out more:

National Library of Ireland

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals