Leadership in Sustainability

Supporting members to be ambitious on sustainability and encouraging other businesses to go further.

Our vision

We inspire businesses to lead by creating a community of positive change, supporting members to go further, and celebrating their leadership and success. We are a catalyst for change, supporting members to align strategy with shared value creation for society. Our members lift the level of ambition for sustainable business practice in New Zealand and inspire more businesses to take action.

Our work is underpinned by member commitments, which set out minimum levels of sustainability activity required to be part of SBC. We also review our members’ sustainability performance and reporting to ensure they are taking action. We provide a range of leadership and professional capability-building opportunities to develop sustainability professionals and other professions and leaders that are required to integrate sustainability across organisations (such as Directors, CEOs, CFOs, and sustainability professionals.)

As New Zealand’s partner to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), we showcase member leadership on sustainability on the international stage, as well as highlight global trends and best practice for our members to learn from.

Upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi is an integral part of being a New Zealand business. We recognise we have much to learn from Māori knowledge, mātauranga, and a holistic approach to the guardianship of people and nature. We also have the opportunity to work in partnership with Māori and iwi business.

Work programme

CFO Climate & Sustainability Programme

Training CFOs to lead the charge on climate action and sustainability. Learn more here.

Sustainability Leadership Programme

Australasia’s most comprehensive sustainability leadership course. Learn more here.

Reviewing member performance

Setting member commitments and monitoring member sustainability performance and reporting.

WBCSD representation

Representing members on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Learn more here.

Member collaborations

Collaborating on key challenges to achieve maximum impact. Learn more here.

Better Futures Report

Providing insights into consumer perspectives on sustainability. Read the latest report here.

Sustainability fundamentals

Growing sustainability maturity within a business is a journey. Part of SBC’s role is supporting members as they embed sustainability fundamentals within their organisations and accelerate their sustainability journey. SBC has several member requirements, and one of the aims of our sustainability fundamentals is to provide guidance that supports members to meet these requirements.

By connecting with members at various stages on their sustainability journey, SBC has the fortunate position of being able to see the evolution of progress from sustainability strategy and materiality through to implementation and reporting. In partnership with members who are further along on their sustainability journey, we put together practical, actionable guidelines and tools designed to support members who are earlier on in their journey to get the fundamentals of sustainability in place and accelerate their journey by learning from the insights of others.

Fundamental Sustainability Resources

SBC supports members in meeting our requirements through case studies, templates, guides and more – this includes resources we’ve created, as well as resources created by other members that they’re willing to share.

Do you have templates and tools that could support other members? Share them with [email protected].

Outcomes

  • SBC members are all pursuing and meeting their member commitments by their deadlines, demonstrating their commitment to minimum standards.
  • SBC members have sustainability strategies in place and are reporting on their progress, demonstrating their leadership in sustainability.
  • Sustainability talent is being grown and developed in New Zealand, so SBC members are able to access the people they need to drive their sustainability commitments.
  • SBC communicates the success of its members to inspire other businesses to take meaningful sustainability action.

Jay Crangle champions businesses to be at the forefront of environmental and social sustainability by bringing them together to deliver results that no single company could achieve alone.

[email protected]

Jay Crangle

Manager, Leadership in Sustainability

Pages and resources

Sustainability Leadership Programme: Thoughts from Nicole Schlichting

Sustainability Leadership Programme: Thoughts from Nicole Schlichting

Nicole Schlichting, Senior Communications Advisor at SBC, participated in the 2023 Sustainability Leadership ...
SBC partners with MoT to deliver feasibility study focused on decarbonising heavy freight  

SBC partners with MoT to deliver feasibility study focused on decarbonising heavy freight  

The Sustainable Business Council (SBC) has partnered with Te Manatū Waka Ministry of Transport (MoT) to deliver a ...
Lack of capability training remains a significant barrier for sustainability professionals

Lack of capability training remains a significant barrier for sustainability professionals

New research into New Zealand’s sustainability profession has found most sustainability professionals are ...
Reporting Toolkit

Reporting Toolkit

A guide to sustainability reporting, including benefits, history, process and different reporting types, ...
Materiality Toolkit

Materiality Toolkit

A guide to determining what sustainability issues are material (significant) to your business and bringing ...
Better Futures 2023 Report

Better Futures 2023 Report

Kantar’s 2023 Better Futures Report, produced in conjunction with the Sustainable Business Council, surveyed 1,000 ...
Cost of living #1 concern for Kiwis – concern about climate remains stable but commitment to living sustainably drops

Cost of living #1 concern for Kiwis – concern about climate remains stable but commitment to living sustainably drops

New research confirms the rising cost of living is putting increasing pressure on New Zealanders, with commitment ...
2023 Insights on New Zealand Sustainability Professionals survey launches

2023 Insights on New Zealand Sustainability Professionals survey launches

Oxygen Consulting, in partnership with Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the Sustainable Business Council ...
Sustainability Leadership Programme Taster

Sustainability Leadership Programme Taster

Are you passionate about sustainability, but don’t yet feel like you have the knowledge or toolkit to push the ...
2022 CFO Sustainability Snapshot Survey

2022 CFO Sustainability Snapshot Survey

Deloitte, the Sustainable Business Council and Toitū Tahua: Centre for Sustainable Finance have today released the ...