Steps the Logistics Industry Needs To Take To Be More Sustainable

There are a lot of global challenges involved in fighting climate change and making our environment more sustainable. We have written about the dire state of the environment before, and it’s easy to read such discussions as having to do solely with specific habitats or ecosystems. That’s fair enough, and it’s those ecosystems that, in some cases, are going to need the most direct rehabilitation. But it’s also important to maintain some global perspective and focus on some of the larger causes that can help to slow, and hopefully stop climate change worldwide. Sustainability in the logistics industry is one such cause. Gary …

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5 Ways to Make Your Business Sustainable

A business can either fail or succeed. Its outcome greatly depends on the consistency of the business in social, financial and environmental aspects. The ability to make your business sustainable comes from the effort of these three elements. In addition, we place the focus on the environmental aspects as your business’ sustainability depends on how eco-friendly it really is. What is Sustainability in Business? In order for a business to be consistent, it needs to assemble traction right from the start. With steady traction going forward you can make your business sustainable. A setback here and there is completely normal, …

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Success in Sustainability Combines These 3 Ingredients

Commit. Collaborate. Communicate. That seems to be the mantra these days when it comes to tackling the complexity of sustainability challenges. Whether the topic is carbon removal, renewable energy procurement, transforming supply chains or creating a circular economy, inevitably the road to success is paved with these three ingredients … The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, organised by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and U.N. Environment, sets forth a set of broad targets, including eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging, increasing reusable packaging and making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable. It’s a bold and audacious set of commitments, and the …

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Sense in Sustainability: the Changing Focus for Boards

Sustainability has become more than a trendy buzzword in business in the past few years as an increasing number of companies are putting it at the centre of their strategies. Boards are waking up to the fact that there is more to a sustainably run business than eco-friendly behaviour. They are seeing the broader picture and shifting to a business model that takes more responsibility for all stakeholders—including employees and supply chains—and focuses on efficient, cost-effective operational strategies that can help boost the bottom line. In the UN Global Compact–Accenture Strategy CEO Study carried out last year, 87% of global chief executives …

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The SME’s Guide To Benefitting From Sustainability

Recognising that sustainability is a key business driver, a growing number of SMEs are keen to get certified sustainable, but are confronted with complex processes and high costs. Sustainability experts advise on what SMEs can do. As big corporations move forward with sustainability initiatives to save energy, improve efficiency and build sustainable supply chains, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are following suit. They no longer dismiss sustainability as merely good intentions, but as a key business driver and strategic differentiator for brands. Increasingly SMEs are trying to establish stronger standards surrounding their sustainability practices with many being keen to work with …

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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES: SHIFTING THE SILOS

In changing times, the pressure on community organisations to respond and adapt to the needs of families, children and communities is high. With traditional funding streams concurrently being reviewed, many agencies are feeling caught between the high demands of grass roots work with their client group and the need to spend more quality time developing partnerships and planning alternative models to accommodate the changing service system landscape. The Canopy, a growing multi-focus community organisation based in Lake Macquarie NSW, had existed for 23 years as a small family support agency with 4 staff.  Where agencies had traditionally collaborated with a …

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The dairy farmers committed to sustainability

It was a soil bacteria course in New Zealand that convinced Reggie Davis to change his farming methods. The fourth-generation Victorian dairy farmer had become increasingly concerned by the costs, chemicals and time involved in the use of nitrate fertilisers to maintain – what was considered to be – high-quality pasture for his dairy herd. So when his dairy herd nutritionist mentioned that the US biological farming advocate Dr Arden Andersen was running a soil management course in New Zealand, Davis decided to go. He asked around to see if any neighbours might be interested. Within weeks, 40 other dairy …

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Sustainability reporting 101: eight steps to driving business growth

When it comes to sustainability reporting, companies may feel like they’re in an increasingly uncomfortable public-private vice. On one side, consumers and shareholders are pressuring organizations to be better corporate citizens and increase transparency. Governments are establishing more reporting requirements as well, which will inevitably multiply through initiatives such as the recent Sustainable Innovation Forum at COP21. Sustainability makes companies more profitable and more attractive to all stakeholders. In fact, more than 50 percent of consumers prefer purpose-driven brands. Additionally, 86 percent of consumers said they would be more likely to trust a company that reports corporate social responsibility results. …

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Why Buy Locally Owned?

There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to each of us to choosing local, independently owned businesses. We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and so merely ask you to Think Local FIRST! This is a concise article from Sustainable Connections in the USA…  read it here https://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why

100 Speakers at Joint Sustainability and Liveable Cities Conference Melbourne, June 2013

Over 100 Presenters over the 3 days – 17th to the  19th  of June 2013 at the Novotel Melbourne St Kilda. Confirmed keynotes presenters include; Dr Nick Fleming, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sinclair Knight Merz and Chairman of the Sustainability Taskforce of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, and a Director of the Board of the Australian Green Infrastructure Council. NSW Jason Roberts, Co-Founder, Better Block,  USA Melissa Houghton, Director, Sustainability at Work, VIC Professor Anthony Capon, Head, Discipline of Public Health, Faculty of Health University of Canberra ACT Tony Wood, Energy Program Director, Grattan Institute, VIC Simon Lockrey, Research Fellow, Sustainable Products and Packaging, …

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