Development of a 'visioning' tool for business

Department of Environment and Climate Change (Parramatta Office)
Institute researchers developed, documented and delivered the Visioning module of the Sustainability Advantage program. The aim for this long-term perspective on sustainability is to fill a gap in current thinking for many organisations.  Workshops were used to provide businesses with tools to develop a vision and a set of broad strategic goals to set them on the path to sustainability. The workshops gave an overview of some of the issues and opportunities for business given the new pressures on organisations to become more sustainable. Group exercises were then undertaken to analyse the organisation's current environmental impacts up and down the supply chain and well-known frameworks were used to encourage managers to think broadly about the risks and possibilities for the company. Materials and processes used in the workshops were documented and passed on to the DECC in order for other facilitators to run future sessions.

The effectiveness of public/private partnerships in achieving sustainability outcomes

Australian Research Council

Given the rise of public/private partnerships and the issues that have stemmed from them, this research project was particularly topical and provided practical recommendations that will help to ensure their future success. It aims to model best practice governance of public/private partnerships, with particular reference to their capacity to drive organisational changes required to improve the environmental performance and productivity of Australian businesses. A case study approach was combined with face-to-face interviews, focus groups and survey analysis to deliver outcomes to advise policy makers and business on the successful design and implementation of such partnerships. This project was conducted in partnership with the UTS Faculty of Business and with assistance from the NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change. The project also gained financial support in the form of an Australian Research Council grant.

Enhancing the Adaptive Capacity of Small-to- Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to Climate Change and Variability

Funded by: National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF)

Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) comprise 96 per cent of all private businesses in Australia and are the largest employers and the largest contributors to GDP. Moreover, SMEs play a significant role within socio-economic systems; providing employment, goods and services and tax revenue for communities.  Given these linkages, the capacity of SMEs to adapt to expected climate change and variability will be vital to the overall adaptation efforts and thus the resilience of communities, government agencies and other sectors.  Climate change may result in adverse business outcomes: business interruptions, increased investment or insurance costs, declining financial measures such as value, return and growth. SMEs face greater short-term losses after natural disaster and may have lower adaptive capacity than larger enterprises for various reasons.  Research on understanding adaptation within the private sector in Australia and overseas in general, has been limited to date.  This research aims to contribute to filling this void.  This research aims to address the following:
1) to what extent have SMEs considered and integrated adaptation into business planning?
2) what are the key barriers and opportunities to adaptation in various SME sectors? and
3) what types of adaptation strategies can businesses adopt in anticipation of climate change? 

Green Chrysalis: Small and medium sized enterprises: innovation and transformation towards Australia’s low-carbon economy

Australian Business Foundation

Green Chrysalis explores the opportunities arising from the economic shift to producing lower carbon emissions, and the implications for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The report also details how this shift influences small businesses’ ability to transform and gain a competitive advantage, and what support and knowledge is available for SMEs facing these changes, including the role of universities as knowledge ‘suppliers’. The Institute undertook research with small and medium enterprises to contribute case studies that demonstrate the processes that drive innovative SME business activity in response to the new green economy. The Australian Business Foundation commissioned this research recognizing SMEs will be critical contributors to Australia’s transition to a greener and more productive economy as they generate 46% of economic output and 42% of employment in Australia.

Chong, J., Asker, S.A., O'Rourke, A. & White, S. 2012, 'Green Chrysalis - Small and medium-sized enterprises: innovation and transformation towards Australia's low-carbon economy', Australian Business Foundation Ltd, Sydney, pp. 1-91. View/Download

Making Queensland Industry Green? Evaluating the use and impact of Environmental Codes of Practice

ISF was engaged to help the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency to determine the utility to Queensland Industry of the existing Codes of Practice that cover eight industry sectors. We approached the research in terms of addressing the question of whether Codes of Practice (in their current form) are the most effective means of helping Queensland Industry improve their environmental practice and performance. If not, how could the Codes be improved or what alternative mechanisms would be more effective. This evaluative approach placed the 'audit and review' of the Codes in a broader policy 'change and improvement' framework and the information was used by the EPA in broader decision making on the future management of the Codes under the Environmental Protection Act 1994. We engaged industry stakeholders in a widespread survey and follow up interviews. Such a study had not been conducted before and we were able to make some significant recommendations on future direction in terms of industry management for the EPA in addition to creating a momentum for this change amongst those in the Industry sectors we worked with.

Paradigm shift to long-termism in the Australian finance sector

Total Environment Centre

We researched, through literature review and focus groups,

the key causes of, and solutions to, short-termism, particularly in relation to institutional investment were researched through a literature review and focus groups. The research led to a discussion paper on causes, a discussion paper on solutions and an Action Plan for implementation by members of the investment community and stakeholders. The project identified the need for further research and an in-depth finance sector-led review. It also outlined immediate steps that could be taken to begin to promote long-termism. This project was carried out jointly by ISF and the Faculty of Business at UTS.

Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) 

The Institute published the results of its survey "Mainstreaming Socially Responsible Investment (SRI): A role for Government?" in October 2005. The survey collected opinions across the business spectrum including SRI practitioners, institutional investors, related stakeholders, and interested government departments. These results provide a critical understanding of the instruments that key industry members believe are most likely to encourage the widespread uptake of SRI. Download Report (PDF 1.62MB) or go to summary of results. [will need to bring across from archived news]

 

George, A., Edgerton, N. & Berry, T. 2005, 'Mainstreaming Socially Responsible Investment (SRI): a role for government? Policy recommendations from the investment community', Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS, Sydney, Australia, pp. 1-25.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

State and Local Taxes in Australia: Towards Sustainability

In 2001 the Australian Tax Research Foundation (ATRF) published the results of an Institute project entitled 'State and Local Taxes in Australia: Towards Sustainability'. This project was carried out through a grant from the ATRF in order to determine possible changes to the type and extent of state and local taxes and charges in order to improve the compatibility of revenue raising with principles of sustainability. The taxes and charges focused on relate to resource use (e.g. water charges), waste generation (load based licensing, solid waste generation, landfill, effluent), sustainable transport and land use (e.g. land tax, betterment tax).

 

White, S., Bubna-Litic, K., Sansom, J., Riedy, C.J., Sarac, K. 2001, State and Local Taxes in Australia: Towards Sustainability. Research Study No 35, Australian Tax Research Foundation, Sydney.

Sustainability rating tool

Client: Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC)

Institute researchers contributed to an Australian first that will see a shift in how infrastructure is designed, delivered, built and operated in Australia by developing criteria for infrastructure projects seeking a sustainability rating under AGIC's IS rating scheme. The IS rating scheme provides indicators, a scorecard, technical manual and tools such as calculators to consider governance, social, economic, and environmental factors across the design, construction, operation and decommissioning stages of infrastructure assets. AGIC invited the Institute to author several of the tool's categories: energy and carbon, biodiversity, water use and knowledge management. The rating tool is designed to help designers and design teams, construction operations and maintenance and deconstruction teams consider best practice sustainability across the life of the infrastructure assets. The areas covered by the tool include project management and governance; economics; resources; emissions, pollution and waste; biodiversity; people and place and workforce. The researchers used a consultative approach to establish industry practice and set a 'baseline' from which projects can be benchmarked across key sustainability criteria. The tool aims to drive better industry practice and reward good sustainability practice. Productivity gains are expected to flow from a nationally consistent assessment framework for measuring sustainability in the delivery of infrastructure. Projects can earn points for a range of sustainability practices towards an overall score which indicates the project's sustainability rating as good, excellent or leading. This is independently verified and certified by AGIC.

Western Sydney Parklands sustainability action plan

Client: Western Sydney Parklands Trust

Western Sydney Parklands is a large area on the western metropolitan fringe of Sydney that contains diverse land uses including bushland, farming, recreation, waste management and trunk infrastructure. It has areas leased to commercial, industrial, residential and recreational interests as well as areas under its direct control. The Trust has published a Plan of Management to deliver its vision over the 10 years to 2020. Both the Vision and Principles in the Plan are explicit in the expectation that the Parklands be sustainable. In 2012, ISF worked with the Trust to document the first in a series of phases leading to implementation of sustainability. The project involved developing a Sustainability Framework and Action Plan for the Trust’s operations that will guide it towards achieving its vision for sustainability 2020. Over 100 actions were developed across a sustainability framework, utilising the One Planet Living program as a guide, tailored to the Trust’s unique governance structure as a landlord and steward (for parkland operations) as well as a lessee (for office operations). The plan is intended to be an operational manual, whose audience is the Trust staff, which can be practically used and updated to document and drive sustainability action.