In January 2004, the Department of Environment and Heritage commissioned a review of sustainability resources available for the business and industry sector. The review assessed 38 existing Australian products. It found that the majority of products are aimed at businesses in general, although some do target small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or particular industry sectors. They are mainly aimed at senior managers and focus on short-term rather than long-term outcomes. Interestingly, few of the organisations funding or developing these products appear to be putting them into practice themselves. Cost savings seem to be the key drawcard for organisations, although less quantifiable benefits such as staff commitment may also encourage the uptake of sustainability. Organisations with a long-term outlook are more likely to adopt sustainability strategies than those with a short-term outlook, while a top-down approach to implementation is the norm. External influences on businesses include industry associations and investors, but lack of resources and time are the main barriers to engagement.
There are divergent approaches to sustainability with some products adopting a broader approach while others focused on Triple Bottom Line (TBL) reporting. Cleaner production/eco-efficiency is usually covered by products followed by eco-design. Over a third of the products only focus on environ-mental factors. There is a high degree of overlap and even conflict between the many sustainability products, covering hundreds of sustainability issues. The majority of Australian products reviewed do not tell businesses how to approach sustainability and are largely descriptive. The review also notes that while TBL reporting can promote transparency, it distracts companies from the harder challenges and organisational change which sustainability requires. The products usually provide a one-way communication about sustainability which lack information on capacity building, developing ownership and motivating change towards sustainability. None of the products are highly interactive.
The review recommends a further action research project to engage participants from selected companies in managing change towards sustainability. Participants will plan, implement and reflect on steps to improve TBL and other processes, as drivers for developing an internal sustainability culture, and influence external suppliers to address sustainability in their own management and operations.
