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Many firms are looking at/reviewing their sustainability. Before you deal with a carbon consultant or review another program or platform to begin to manage your carbon - before you attempt to complete your SAP please look at the following first, and consider our Net Positive Program. Why? Here at 10 reasons which will save you time, money and effectiveness in implementing sustainabiliy for all the right reasons:
1.Practice sustainability is difficult - As you would know, there’s a lot of work, an entire body of knowledge that’s gone into building more sustainable buildings. What is less clear is what an architect firm should do to embed sustainability in its operations. And many of the firms we speak to still aren’t certain what to do. Should you calculate your carbon, is that even meaningful given the emissions intensity in your projects? What else do you do from there.
In fact, asking these kinds of questions is an indicator into a real lack of appreciation of what sustainability as a discipline is and how it impacts on your business.
2. Address sustainability as a business strategy - In 2024 sustainability is a subset of quality assurance for your business – because it connects your business with the realities our society and our economies are facing and that has financial, legal and governance impacts. It is also worth noting that businesses that are not across this, voluntarily accept increasing business risk, and with the pace of change and disruption, this inherent business risk increases, year on year.
But the flipside of risk is opportunity. There is a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to transform your business into a sustainability leader, authentically and holistically, in a low-carbon economy taking shape around us as we speak, and join the movement to enable climate-resilient, environment-accountable development.
That is where our program comes in, designed specifically for a professional practices - it addresses risk and opens the door to opportunity within the process outlined in the program.
Embedding sustainability as a business strategy, unlike ad hoc sustainability activities or indeed just focusing on project work, opens the door to competitive advantage, in increasing efficiencies and lowering cost, in engaging staff and enhancing workplace culture, in becoming an employer of choice and improving brand appeal in a burgeoning green economy upon us by addressing sustainability impacts in your clients’ businesses.
3. Address sustainability beyond just carbon - Getting your carbon footprint assessed by a carbon consultant/platform is quite transactional. You receive a piece of paper - then what?
Carbon is one of nine systems that govern the sustainability of our planet called the 9 planetary boundaries. Addressing sustainability holistically involves addressing them all. But how does a small practice address the 9 planetary boundaries - if you were to invest in the R&D it would be cost prohibitive.
4. Map to the SDGs. It turns out we only need to map to the Sustainable Deelopment Goals (SDGs) which not only maps very effectively to the 9 Planetary Boundaries but all the social and environmental objectives our business should be attempting to advance that contribute to global sustainable development.
The AIA now support addressing the SDGs in your operational sustainability.
5. Look to the green economy taking shape around us - If you are not already aware, there are new sustainability disclosure regulations impacting across the Australian landscape coming into effect by 2025. Yes, these will impact much of the larger players. And Yes, these regs may vicariously impact on your firm if you are a supplier to one of them.
Our program alows you to begin mitigating your sustainability risk which is increasingly significant for the larger players who will in course only deal with sustainable suppliers that inherently lower their value chain risk.
6. Access Expertise - In our experience most firms have the best of intentions but with the pressures of a busy practice most just don’t have the time to dedicate to the research of what needs to be done and then the implementation of sustainability within their firms.
Our program is been developed with a continuous improvement farmework over the last 3 years benchmarking best practice in the sector in terms of what the Australian Institute and the American Institute are suggesting, international standards and frameworks along with precedents and reviewing what the leaders in the sector are doing.
7. Address staff concerns - embeding sustainability is a change process. Some staff bodies can in fact be negatively impacted by embedding such changes. We survey staff at the beginning and end point of the program and develop strategies that will ensure engagement and buy-in.
8. Value Proposition - our Program costs are largely what others are charging for just carbon assessment (which is included within the program). Bang for buck there is little that compares, esp considering that we work with you to develop and implemtent your sustainability strategy. Other programs are either DIY or consultant-driven taking place within a silo betwen an executive team and a consulting scope of works. We develop strategies to take sustainability throughout your team so everyone becomes a sustainability leader.
9. Entrench your sustainability leadership status - But’s let’s not beat around the bush. Our clients are the sustainability leaders in the sector who want to go further in guarding against risk and opening up the door to competitive advantage. But this starts at a grass-roots level where your entire team appreicate what you are doing in your sustainability journey and why - so that they can competently talk to your clients about your policy and intent.
10. Inform your SAP with strategy - All of what we do informs your SAP so that it becomes a living document of record as to your sustainability implementation journey, based on validated sustainability strategy - for all your stakeholders.
If you can appreciate the significance of what is happening on the global level and the need for every business to account – you can find out more by contacting us for a strategic discussion about embedding sustainability as a business strategy in your firm, opening the door to competitive advantage and addressing our sustainable future.
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