9. Capacity building

9.1 Sustainability Advantage

The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water is supporting business sustainability through its Sustainability Advantage program. This program works with the commercial property and other sectors to help medium- to large organisations to identify and respond to sustainability risks and opportunities. Sustainability Advantage makes sense of all the noise about sustainability, pinpoints how businesses can benefit and provides a clear path for action. Rather than creating extra work, the program helps focus efforts to deliver the best results for organisations and the environment.

A sustainability management diagnostic is used to assess opportunities for improvement in key areas such as: vision, commitment and planning; resource efficiency; supply chain; staff engagement; and carbon management. Support is provided to participating organisations through direct access to expertise and resources, training and opportunities to share ideas and learn from program participants and industry experts.

Over 530 organisations are currently working with the Sustainability Advantage program to:

• Manage environmental risk and ensure compliance
• Use resources more efficiently
• Integrate environmental strategies with business planning
• Measure their carbon footprint and manage their emissions
• Enhance customer, supplier and community relationships, and
• Engage and train staff to become an employer of choice.

Companies that sign up to Sustainability Advantage can also take part in the Energy Saver program, which subsidises audits of energy use, helping to reduce electricity costs.