SBC’s Belinda vanEyndhoven attended Sustainable Business Australia’s SD2015 CEO Forum on Friday 13th November. The mood of business in the room was one of cautious optimism.

SBC’s Belinda vanEyndhoven attended Sustainable Business Australia’s SD2015 CEO Forum on Friday 13th November. The mood of business in the room was one of cautious optimism. There were around 160 business leaders attending the forum, which included speakers Clive Stiff (CEO and Chairman, Unilever Australasia), Andy Vesey (CEO AGL), Peter White (COO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development) and Michael Meehan (CEO, Global Reporting Initiative).

Speakers and attendees agreed that there was change in the air and now it was time for businesses to step up. Mr White commented that globally we have never had the business inclusion level that we do now to influence policy – the time to act is now.

The focus of SD2015 was on sustainable business practice but, unsuprisingly, most of the discussion centred on COP21 in Paris and the role business had to play. There was the sense of a unified voice of business going into COP21, and a resolve that regardless of the outcome business would continue on its path to a low carbon society. A number of speakers including Mr Vesey said this pathway to a low carbon society is inevitable and the new ‘business as usual’. When asked why now is the time and why Paris would be different, Mr White said “Paris is different because there is less focus and pressure on the negotiators. Business is coming in with solutions that will be on the table even if negotiations fail.”

Australian business leaders want a price on carbon and a focus on both mitigation and resilience. They want certainty and they want the government to be thoughtful and clear in vision and policy to allow business to invest and make it happen.

Other key takeaways were:

• Business needs to put its name on the list – engage with your stakeholders, have a presence and make bold, public commitments to lead the change.
• Collaborate to achieve scale – partnerships are the way forward.
• Climate change is an ecosystem of complex environmental, social and financial issues – our response needs to consider all these factors.
• Business has a role to play in shifting consumer decision making and helping them adapt to a low-carbon future.

You can call Belinda on (04) 496 6283 or email her if you want to discuss further.

Contact: Belinda vanEyndhoven

Phone: (04) 496 6283

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