One of the main topics of discussion during the National Environment Conference, held yesterday at the Empire Hotel and Country Club, was "How Green Business can be Good Business". This issue was addressed by keynote speaker, Anita Roper, CEO of Sustainability Victoria (SV), Australia, a statutory authority of the Victorian Government that delivers sustainable programmes and practical advice to Victorian communities, households and businesses.

With over 30 years of experience in the field of sustainability, Roper believes that discussions about the improved outcomes of the environment and the improved outcomes for businesses, the community and the economy are inseparable. "We have to make sustainability relevant to your business and your decision-making process for it to have merit," she said.

Sustainability Victoria is neither a policy formulator or regulator, she said, but a government agency that is charged with delivering programmes and creating partnerships that translate government policies to practical actions.

It was formed in 2005 because the government recognised the reality of climate change and its need to be addressed.

"The (Australian) government also recognised that it had a responsibility to play to help the community to make the change that was needed. We couldn't just leave it to businesses so SV was created to help that cultural change and imbed sustainability behaviour throughout Victoria," she elaborated. "We are in the business of selling the benefits of sustainability and delivering tangible outcomes particularly in the areas of greenhouse gasses and waste."

A few of the projects that SV has undertaken as government body include supporting low income households to save energy and water with free retrofits, developing new curriculums in schools, building some new sustainable neighbourhoods, retrofit programmes with existing commercial buildings especially in Melbourne, working with local counsellors and developers and try to incubate and demonstrate our best practices through programmes like their 'Zero Emissions Neighbourhood Programme'.

According to Roper, partnerships are essential because "you can't do this on your own whether you're government or industry".

"Businesses sometimes need a financial incentive to try a new approach," she suggested with caution as "it's not a one-size-fits-all approach".

SV not only works with individual companies, industry associations, employer groups and property trusts as it allows them to not only maximise the potential for reach but also maximise the value of the money they spend in the community. "This creates a sense of shared responsibility between government and industry in building those partnerships," she remarked.

The question remains, however, how is my business going to be profitable and viable in the long term while still minimising the impact on the environment?

"Many small businesses are aware of the need to do something about their energy use but they quite rightly focus on their bottom line, profitability and cost control," admitted Roper.

Research on SMEs in terms of some of the barriers to initiating sustainability practices is that there is a lack of awareness of what to do, a perceived view of the cost it will take, and the lack of business imperative to act.

"They need to have information that is reliable from a trusted source, they need to be able to access that information in a way that suit their needs and it needs to be solutions that will save them money," Roper asserted.

SV is also running programmes such as Carbon Down and one of their projects is with the International Car Distribution Programme in Australia - working with car dealers to show them ways to improve their resource efficiency and they in turn are going to provide that advice to their customers about how to be more fuel efficient.

Sustainability Victoria also created opportunities for in excess of $2 million per year of savings to be generated for the automotive industry, the waste disposal sector and the cement industry.

"Although new infrastructure was required but it was commercially viable with a payback period of about two years," explained Roper.

By Narissa Noor