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Sustainability Advantage

Good environmental performance reduces risk, lowers costs, improves productivity and enhances reputation.  The Office of Environment and Heritage NSW invites you to partner with us to boost your environmental performance.

Over 630 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.

Sustainability Advantage makes sense of all the noise about sustainability, pinpoints how your business can benefit and provides a clear path for action.  Rather than creating extra work, we can help you focus your efforts to deliver the best results for your company and for the environment.

When you sign up to Sustainability Advantage you can choose to take part in an exciting new initiative - Energy Saver. Energy Saver subsidises energy audits; and helps you reduce electricity costs.

A feature of Sustainability Advantage is that it brings together groups of businesses into clusters that share regional, industry or supply chain interests. Cluster meetings held 3-4 times a year provide an opportunity to draw on the ideas and experiences of like minded organisations.

An initial management diagnostic helps you evaluate your current environmental performance and ranks possible initiatives. Over 18 months, or longer if you choose, you work on tailored, flexible projects selected from Sustainability Advantage modules:

• Business Planning for Sustainability - develop a sustainability road map, including goals and the plans to deliver them
• Environmental Risk and Responsibility - undertake risk assessment, education and training to help ensure compliance with environmental law
• Resource Efficiency - reduce waste and use less raw materials, energy and water to improve your bottom line
• Supply Chain Management - work with key suppliers and customers to get the best environmental results from products and services
• Staff Engagement - engage and train your staff to implement your sustainability plans
• External Stakeholder Engagement - build stronger relationships with your community, government, shareholders, suppliers and customers
• Carbon Management - identify risks and opportunities, and develop a greenhouse gas inventory

Participating organisations commit to an 18 month involvement and a modest financial contribution.  While results will depend on a company's own efforts, Sustainability Advantage provides expertise, training, tools and a network of organisations working with you towards sustainability.

Case studies describe how Sustainability Advantage has helped participating companies improve their environmental and business performance.

The Sustainability Advantage recognition scheme also promotes its partners' work towards environmental performance and advocacy.

For more information on the Sustainability Advantage program, read the Sustainability Advantage brochure (110744SAbrchPT.pdf, 925kB)

To pursue the Sustainability Advantage for your organisation and contribute to the health of our environment and communities, please contact Business Partnerships on (02) 8837 6000 or sustainbus@environment.nsw.gov.au