Five conclusions from May’s UN Global Compact Network Australia event in Melbourne

May 2021 saw the UN Global Compact Network Australia’s inspiring event, ‘Making Global Goals Local Business’, with hundreds of people attending Victoria’s State Library in Melbourne in person and many more joining the conversation online. The main topic of conversation? How we integrate the objectives of the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals into the Australian context and implement them into our operations and supply chains across Australia, New Zealand and further afield. I travelled from Sydney to Melbourne (with zero emissions, thanks to my Electric Vehicle and renewable energy EV charging points along the way) to MC the event, and so had a unique perspective on the sessions, the discussions and the ‘sticky problems’ that participants considered.

Here are my five conclusions:

1) In every sector of Australian business, there are amazing people doing amazing work

In brief, the line-up of speakers was incredible. Not just inspiring, but thought-provoking, diverse and experienced. But added to that, the participants in the room and online were a cross-section of leaders and specialists from every sector and every size of business who wanted to see change, wanted to understand their role in that change, and were looking for guidance, insights, connections and resources. It was good to celebrate such amazing people; together, we can change Australia for the better.

Kylie Porter, GCNA Executive Director and host of the event, declared that “local businesses have the power to change the narrative, as the fuel for the Australian economy. Their actions and commitments are critical in influencing change.  Further, businesses must innovate their business models with circularity in mind, embrace technology and a vision for a sustainable future.” The event was an excellent opportunity for businesses and individuals to share their work, identify different perspectives, and inspire each other.

2) Diversity and Inclusion are no longer ‘HR buzz-words’, they are essential to the survival and long-term sustainability of your business

This was one of the first events I’ve attended at which both the diversity and inclusion were tangible; not just gender diversity in the speakers and participants, but diversity of culture, of age, of background. And this topic came up again and again through the sessions, through the themes discussed, linking back to the Sustainable Development Goals. The need for organisations to collaborate around Reconciliation Action Plans and more sustainable procurement was another strong topic, including across Indigenous Procurement, Social Procurement and Local Procurement.

What became evident from the session on ‘Overcoming the Inequality Virus: Leaving No One Behind’, let by President and CEO of Torrens University Australia, Linda Brown, was that there are many organisations starting to address issues of diversity, establishing metrics and a proper evidence base to measure change, but few organisations yet achieving, embracing or evaluating true inclusion. Measuring inclusion through your organisation and supply chains may seem difficult, but long-term survival will depend not just on understanding core objectives such as Indigenous Procurement but ensuring that the right people are in place to make it a success.

3) Transparency is key – organisations embracing transparency, rather than running from it, will lead the pack

A key theme that emerged in almost every session was the move towards greater transparency – of data and information, of diversity and inclusion, of emissions and materials, of impacts and metrics, of supply chains and engagement – and this is less an ‘option’ than a new ‘cost of doing business’. Stakeholders, staff, clients and suppliers are expecting more transparency across almost every sector, and new levels of accountability go with it.

Nicholas Bernhardt, the CEO of technology provider Informed 365 with whom I spoke the event, said that the number of organisations and sectors asking them how best to use technology to engage, assess and report on supply chains and their continuous improvements was increasing rapidly.

“We are now seeing entire industries adopt strategies of collaboration and transparency in order to enable accurate reporting on issues such as human rights and modern slavery risks, across clients, suppliers and sub-contractors, including organisations that might usually be seen as competitors,” said Bernhardt. “Today’s technologies don’t just offer more transparency but also game-changing solutions for leaders to hold companies accountable as well as the opportunity for other industries to follow suit,” he added.

4) Silos are great for storing bulk materials, but not so healthy when it comes to more innovative approaches within your organisation

One of the most notable observations is that many participants were trying to overcome decades of siloed thinking and management practices, particularly when sustainability strategies were kept in isolation in a way that hindered communication and collaboration. From social sustainability and human rights issues, to energy and resources initiatives, participants and speakers were reporting that integrated, connected thinking was seeing faster, deeper, more long-term change. Diversity (see point 2, above) and collaboration are key drivers for innovation success, and we heard from many speakers how an organisation’s ability to move fast, respond to changing conditions, capitalise on unexpected success and scale rapidly dictate the likelihood of future growth.

As Ed Cotter, Executive Manager of Better Building Finance, said to me at the event, the value of breaking down the silos within public and private sector organisations is that it helps you look at multiple solutions at the same time. “For example”, said Cotter, “we’re encouraging owners investigating Environmental Upgrade Finance for solar projects to look at supporting sustainability initiatives from batteries to EV charging points, and from LED and lighting upgrades to HVAC and systems improvements.” Innovation is not just about the single technologies, but about how they can all fit together to provide the full range of economic advantages, social benefits, and improved resilience.

5) Partnership really is the new Leadership

Perhaps inevitably, thanks to the participatory nature of the event, there was a strong sense of collaboration and an emphasis on partnerships in the ‘room’. Refreshingly, these weren’t just around the traditional ‘big business’ partnerships and joint ventures, but also across small business networks, sector coalitions and supply chain engagements. Some of these partnerships were carefully designed and implemented, but many were the outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, business restrictions and lockdowns.

In the session with Kate Carnell, the former Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, it was noted that, due to the pandemic, “many small and medium sized enterprises have achieved ten years of digitisation in just 8 months, with systems and technologies to actually support people and really different ways of communicating with customers”.

So many valuable messages, but so little time. As Kylie Porter concluded, “With less than 10 years to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, now is the time to act with bold, sharp ambition with strong leaders at the helm. Now is the decade to deliver.”

About the Global Compact Network Australia:

The United Nations Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, with its membership consisting of over 13,500 businesses and 3,500 non-business participants. In Australia, the GCNA brings together signatories to the UN Global Compact, including more than 35 ASX 100 companies and other major corporates, non-profits and universities, to advance corporate sustainability and the private sector’s contribution to sustainable development. The GCNA is mobilising the private sector to contribute to sustainable development through the universal framework provided by the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals and the Ten Principles of responsible business practice.

About Robin Mellon:

Robin Mellon is CEO of Better Sydney, Project Manager for the Property Council of Australia’s Modern Slavery Working Group and Supplier Platform, NSW Program Adviser for Better Building Finance, and International WELL Building Institute Community Advisory Member.