Sustainability

There is a growing global awareness of environmental and social issues. We understand the challenges of addressing these issues and the challenge of meeting clients' requirements.  A decade ago, it was all about the environment. 

As the building industry has grown and developed, we have seen the focus shift to social responsibility.

We understand this can be complex and tricky to navigate. We have been working with product manufacturers and retailers for over 14 years, developing sustainability strategies to help meet clients’ expectations and industry requirements.

It’s likely your clients expect that product manufacturers and retailers will be operating ethically, both in terms of your environmental footprint and social responsibility.

At the very minimum, organisations should be addressing their environmental impacts and ensuring compliance with Australian labour laws.

But true sustainability goes beyond doing the bare minimum.

For us, it’s about doing the BEST we can to eliminate worker exploitation in supply chains and implementing environmental initiatives that demonstrate best practice.

That’s why Sustainability Strategy is for the Leaders in Sustainability. 

This is for companies who want to be the BEST. It’s for the early adopters and the industry leaders. (Not for the companies who just want to tick boxes).

First we seek to understand:

• your company's motivation – What’s your WHY?

• what are you passionate about changing

• your purpose and values

• your stakeholders' expectations

• what company and product initiatives are already in place

We take the next step together by:

• making recommendations for improvements

• setting a framework to guide your company to work towards its sustainability goals

• setting environmental and social objectives

• helping with implementation, i.e. policy and procedure development and training

• Mentoring - to answer your questions or provide you with feedback.

The final step is to ask: how do you plan to capitalise on your sustainability credentials? Because if you’re committing to this transformative work, you might as well shout it from the rooftops. 

See Communicating Sustainability to learn more.

Benefits of developing a Sustainability Strategy

Determining your actions and mapping out your strategy means your company is not constantly trying to play catch-up.

Your stakeholders expect a lot from your business, and we often see the stress this causes in trying to keep up with expectations. 

A sustainability strategy empowers you to:

• determine what’s most important to you AND your stakeholders

• get it mapped out 

• allocate the resources and responsibilities

• work to your own time frame

This means YOU are in control. 

A strategy helps your company stay ahead of the pack, so you’ll be known as an early adopter, not a laggard.

Sustainable supply chain management is about working with suppliers to:

• encourage safe working practices

• ensure no human or labour rights abuses

• comply with environmental management

In a nutshell, it’s about protecting people. If you’re here because you know it’s the right thing to do, we’d love to collaborate with you. 

Sustainable SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT is also known as:

• ethical purchasing

• responsible sourcing 

• ethical procurement

• ethical supply chain

• sustainable procurement

Australian companies are more frequently sourcing products from global suppliers, especially from suppliers in developing nations where there is the potential for human, labour and environmental risks.

Human and labour rights risks may include:

• unsafe work practices (no health and safety measures)

• forced, bonded or child labour

• discrimination, bullying and harassment

• no rights regarding freedom of association or collective bargaining

• unfair working hours and compensation

Other risks might be those associated with the lack of any environmental compliance and also concerns of corruption.

Being a participant to the UN Global Compact communicates to your stakeholders that you value the fundamental responsibilities and principles in the areas of human and labour rights, the environment and anti-corruption.

WHAT IS THE UN GLOBAL COMPACT?

The UN Global Compact (UNGC) is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative.  

It is a framework for companies that are committed to sustainability and responsible business practices.

At its core, a signatory/participant to the UNGC must ensure they are not implicit in any human or labour rights abuses and for this to be extended to their sphere of influence. 

For product manufacturers and retailers, this includes incorporating the 10 guiding principles into business strategy, initiating policies and procedures and then addressing potential human and labour rights issues in their supply chain, as well as environmental compliance and anti-corruption.

WHAT ARE THE 10 GUIDING PRINCIPLES?

We have created a quick guide to explain the 10 guiding principles from the UN Global Compact. 

WHAT DOES THE UN GLOBAL COMPACT BRING TO YOUR BUSINESS? 

It allows you to:

• meet Ecolabelling requirements

• set a framework to address human and labour rights, environmental compliance and anti-corruption

• demonstrate an ethical approach to business

• gain a distinct marketing and competitive advantage

• please your clients (Banks, Telcos, Insurance companies), as they’re also likely to be signatories to the UNGC.

If your business is a product manufacturer, it’s likely you have worked with environmental management for over 10 years, achieving Ecolabelling and ISO14001 EMS certification. 

You may also have policies and procedures around anti-discrimination, equal opportunity and workplace health and safety. 

Unfortunately, most policies are lacking when it comes to additional human and labour rights, particularly potential risks within the supply chain. Becoming a participant to the UNGC is the obvious next step for a company's commitment to sustainability.

How can we collaborate?

Getting started on any new initiative can be daunting and a little tricky. But it doesn't have to be.

We can guide you through the whole process or help you get started. 

We conduct risk assessments of your company and supply chain and co-create your company's commitment to addressing the 10 guiding principles. 

We can also help you write your Communication on Progress (CoP).

WORK TOWARDS YOUR SUSTAINABILITY GOALS WITH US

We've been working successfully with product manufacturers and retailers for over 14 years and understand the market and your clients' expectations. 

Working alongside you, we will collaborate with you to develop your company vision in line with the things that are important to you and your clients.

We have good ideas and initiatives. We know what works and we know what resources will get you to your sustainability goals.

And we get results. We have a proven track record in delivering good sustainable outcomes for our clients.

If you’re interested in becoming a leader in sustainability, let’s chat.