​Sustainability in business focuses on three main areas:

• ​Economic Sustainability

• ​Social Sustainability

• ​Environmental Sustainability

​

​Environmental sustainability promotes running a business in a way that preserves the environment for future generations.

​Identify resources used in order to use them more efficiently:

• ​Paper, electricity, gas, petrol petroleum products, water, aluminium, steel

​Adjust how you use these resources:

• ​Use power-save modes to reduce electricity

• ​Use dishwashers/washing machines on eco setting

• ​Use compact fluorescent light bulbs

• ​Encourage double-sided printing to reduce paper usage

• ​Turn off office equipment when not in use

• ​Adjust heating/cooling to reduce electricity usage

​Practices that support financial sustainability:

• ​Maintain good relationships with suppliers

• ​Cut down on wastage

• ​Work towards long-term financial business goals

• ​Develop good relationships with customers

​

​Note the crossover or connection between financial and environmental sustainability in the above.

​A business that achieves the following markers is a socially sustainable business.

• ​Respect for human rights and human dignity

• ​Fair work-life balance for employees

• ​Positive community attitudes

• ​Safety and wellness

• ​Promotion of diversity

​Sustainability legislation

​Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

• Local council regulations

• Australian product safety system (codes and regulations)

• Fair Work Act 2009

• Competition and Consumer Act 2010

• Industry codes

• Codes of Practice on managing work environment/facilities

• Code of Practice on the control of workplace hazardous substances

​Measuring resource usage shows a business how well it is progressing towards meeting sustainability goals.

​Cost benefits of environmental initiatives:

• ​Introducing paper-saving initiatives will reduce the amount of paper required by the organisation.

• ​Installing more efficient lighting systems will reduce the amount of electricity required.

• ​Using items with less packaging will reduce the amount of waste that needs to be collected.

• ​Measuring changes in resource usage helps you to calculate cost savings.

​Measuring resource usage

• Find simple, practical measuring techniques​

• Measure consumption to determine how much of a resource is being used (e.g. printer toner cartridges or paper reams)

• Estimate waste production as an indication of business efficiency

• Calculate greenhouse gas emissions to see if your business is meeting environmental sustainability goals

• Measure resource use consistently to ensure accurate statistics

• Document resource usage to demonstrate the importance of environmental sustainability

​Gather data, then analyse it for trends and contributing factors

​Ask the following questions:

​

• ​Has the information been accurately gathered?

• ​Were there any special events that influenced the figures?

• ​Can these figures be replicated over a similar time period again?

• ​Which parts of the figures were predicted and which were not predicted?

​Why record and file documents?

• ​Compliance (e.g. workplace policies and procedures)

• ​Trend data (e.g. keeping records consistently)

• ​Audit purposes (e.g. in line with the International Organisation for Standards)

• ​Daily operations (e.g. invoices and other documents)

​Resource inefficiencies occur when a business:

• ​Runs out of a required resource

• ​Purchases a resource that it doesn’t use much of

• ​Purchases a resource that is too expensive

• ​Inadvertently purchases resources not needed for their operations

• ​Purchases resources that are harmful to the environment.

​

​• Running out of resources will slow productivity and impact on quality standards.