Businesses of all shapes and sizes are finding that the pressure is on for them to be walking the talk as far as sustainability is concerned.

The latest McKinsey Global Survey (Feb. 2010) found that "more than 50 percent of executives consider sustainability-the management of environmental, social, and governance issues-"very" or "extremely" important in a wide range of areas, including new-product development, reputation building, and overall corporate strategy".

This is not just an internal matter - a SIRF survey of medium to large businesses at the end of 2009 showed that over half of them had had clients, customers and suppliers wanting information about their environmental credentials. It is folly to try to "green-wash' the savvy stakeholders most companies have nowadays! This means that companies have to formulate, roll-out and sustain a strategy that will address the embedding of sustainability principles into all business activities and staff culture.

A few far-sighted organizations have already moved in this direction - for most, it is a matter of following when the pressures get too great. The postponement of one of the biggest drivers (the Federal Government's CPRS) has resulted in a partial vacuum in this area. However, the majority of companies that have started along the "Sustainability Journey" are not stopping just because the political winds are blowing the wrong way at the moment. They have started to see all the benefits that resource efficiency, committed staff, good reputation and continuous improvement can bring. The McKinsey Survey noted that seventy-six percent of executives believe that engaging in sustainability contributes positively to shareholder value in the long term.

What does all this mean for if you have an environmental or sustainability role in industry? Well - there are the internal and the external factors to consider:

Internal:
• Has my company embarked on its own sustainability journey?
• If, so - where are we and what can we do determine the drivers and barriers to moving forward?
• Are we capturing and reporting on what we are doing internally?
• Are we using this data to drive continuous improvement?
• Have we considered new products or services to address the growing consumer demand for "green"?
• Is it someone's job to oversee this activity and keep everyone engaged?

External:
• Have we done a "360 degree" review of the external areas of concern for our company?
• Are we capturing and reporting our sustainability achievements to our stakeholders and customers?
• Do we network and keep up to date with the trends?
• Have we marketed ourselves as a provider of environmentally friendly services?
• Does my company belong to a professional association that provides information on sustainability?

One of the primary ways to find out information on this subject is to attend a conference where practitioners share their experience and knowledge. A great opportunity coming up from the 7th - 9th September in Melbourne is the SIRF SustainAbility National Forum. This two day conference (plus third day of site tours) gives you the opportunity to hear what some of the top companies in Australia are doing and to take back practical and innovative ideas as to how to embed sustainability in your organisation. Top shelf speakers include:

• Prof. John Thwaites, ClimateWorks and Monash University: "Low Cost Carbon Roadmap for Australia"
• Bob Willard (via web), Sustainability Advantage: "The Sustainability Champion's Guidebook"
• Juergen Schneider, SIEMENS Aust: "Picture the Future"
Plus: Olivia Tyler - Fosters Group, Jon Ward - Toyota, Dan Atkins - Shaper Group, David Wait - IAG, Hugh Wareham - EcoBuy, Bjoern Wilhelms - Australian Arrow and more!

For more information and to register for the Conference, contact Anna Civiti, National Forums manager at SIRF Roundtables.
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