Our Purpose
At the Association for Sustainability in Business, our ambition is to develop a vision of designing and planning urban, regional and remote Australia while being aware of one planet living, one world resources and ongoing community and business sustainability.
Through ongoing discussion and knowledge sharing we hope to contribute to a vision of how cities and communities operate when considering issues such as environment, governance, health, liveability, design, resource and food security.
We promote continuing professional development through conferences, the publication of conference material and e-news and the ongoing development of an online resource centre. The Association is also active on all social media platforms.
Vision Mission Values
Our Vision
We envision a world where Australian enterprises contribute to prosperous economies, healthy ecosystems and strong communities.
Our Mission
To foster collaboration between research and practice.
Our Activity
Recent activity of the Association for Sustainability in Business has been focused on supporting high quality annual industry events including:
- Liveable Cities Conference
- Australian Regional Development Conference
- International Urban Design Conference
- Developing Northern Australia Conference
The Association’s Advisory Committee:
- Kerryn Wilmot, Architect, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney
- Paula Drayton, Director of Resource Advisory
- Jim McDonald, Statutory Independent Expert Scientific Committee for Coal Seam Gas and Large Scale Coal Mining
- Tania Crosbie, Marketing, Communications and Training specialist and Co-owner of Sustainability at Work
- Cr Chris Thompson, Deputy Mayor and Division 4 Councillor of Sunshine Coast
- Michael Neustein, Director, Neustein Urban, NSW
- Beau B. Beza, Course Director, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University, VIC
- Tony Lake, International Chair, International CPTED Association
- Mark Glover, Director, Renewed Carbon Pty Ltd
- Kelvin Walsh, Director City Sustainability, Hume City Council, VIC
Read more about the Advisory Committee
What is Business Sustainability?
Written by Professor of Management, Dr. Tima Bansal, this primer provides a foundational introduction to business sustainability.
Business sustainability is often defined as managing the triple bottom line – a process by which firms manage their financial, social, and environmental risks, obligations and opportunities. These three impacts are sometimes referred to as profits, people and planet. We extend this definition to capture more than just accounting for environmental and social impacts. We believe that sustainable businesses are resilient and that they create economic value, healthy ecosystems and strong communities.
Sustainable businesses survive external shocks because they are intimately connected to healthy economic, social and environmental systems.
Sustainable Development
Business sustainability requires that firms adhere to the principles of sustainable development. According to the World Council for Economic Development (WCED), sustainable development is development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
So, sustainable development is achieved when industrial development subscribes to the three principles of economic efficiency, social equity and environmental accountability.
Major Issues in Sustainable Development
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Principles |
Issues |
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Economic efficiency |
Innovation |
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Social equity |
Poverty |
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Environmental accountability |
Climate change |
Business SustainabilityBusinesses have an important role to play in fostering sustainability. For businesses to be sustainable, they must respond to issues at the micro level. These issues relate to the triple bottom line, which includes the financial, social and environmental considerations relating to their operations. For example, when a business is making a major decision they may want to consider the following issues: |
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Financial |
Societal |
Environmental |
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Revenues |
Employee health and safety |
Resource use |
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Costs |
Ethical sourcing |
Waste and emissions |
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Share price |
Governance (e.g. diversity, accountability, transparency) |
Noise, smells, congestion |
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Community support and social legitimacy |
Product stewardship |
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Employee compensation |
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Philanthropy |
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What Can Organisations Do?A number of best practices exist to help firms become more sustainable, moving them from laggards to leaders. Stakeholder Engagement:Organizations can learn from customers, employees, and their surrounding community. Engagement is not only about pushing out messages, but understanding opposition, finding common ground and involving stakeholders in joint decision-making. Environmental Management Systems:These systems provide the structures and processes that help embed environmental efficiency into a firm’s culture and mitigate risks. The most widely recognized standard worldwide is ISO 14001, but numerous other industry-specific (e.g. responsible care for the chemical industry) and country-specific. |
Connect with the Association Education Manager Angela Greene on Linkedin here.
The Association for Sustainability in Business Inc is a non-government, member based, not-for-profit organisation.
ABN: 15361564102 | IA: 38885
All publications, podcasts and webinars are available at no charge to members.
