The primary purposes of Sustainability Matters are to improve the performance of New Zealand organisations from a sustainability, or "triple bottom" line perspective, and to advocate sustainability thinking and action.
Frequently this requires a change from "business as usual" to a different approach which not only reduces costs and improves financial performance but also results in much needed improved outcomes for people and our planet. We owe this to our children and to at least the next six generations i.e. seven generations.
The traditional measure of organisation success - financial outcomes - is an incomplete method of measurement and excludes key elements. These exclusions result in an "unbalanced scorecard".
Is this thinking new? No, far from it. Rachel Carson via her 1962 book "Silent Spring" was perhaps the person who more than any other alerted us to the need for changed thinking.
The thinking can be applied to entities of any size, in any sector, located anywhere.
Newsletters
As part of what we do a newsletter is published (usually) once very two weeks. It is four pages and is intended especially for chartered accountants** and those who use their services. It is distributed to subscribers by opt-in eMail. There is no ($) charge; donations are always welcome! By coincidence the newsletter is called Sustainability Matters.
** Because they have immense potential to influence others and to make huge positive differences to our world.
Sustainability Matters 6th June 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards: Updated Guide for Considering Integrated Reporting Framework
• Carbon Emissions – To Cut or Offset?
• In Defence of the Not-So-Creepy Critters
• Climate Court Cases Which Could Set Precedents Around the World
• Elevate Your Sustainability Skills
• From War Machine to Supermarket Staple: A History of the Plastic Bag
• The Sustainable Business Handbook: A Guide to Becoming More Innovative, Resilient and Successful
• Seaweed and Mussel Farming Increases Wild Fish Populations
• Revolutionary World-first NZ Electric Hydrofoiling Passenger Boat
• SBC Guide: Adapting to Climate Change (including disclosures)
• Two New Standards Issued
• Ethical Infrastructure: UK Experiences and Australian Developments
• Ecological Grief: How Can Those at Risk be Helped?
• Self-dusting Solar Panels
• Duende: From Scream to Song at the Edge of Insanity
• How an El Niño-Driven Drought Brought Hunger to Southern Africa
• Sustainability Reporting Standards and Landscape
• China Latest of 20+ Jurisdictions to Integrate ISSB Standards into Sustainability Disclosures
• Nature at a Tipping Point: How investors in Asia Pacific can Manage Nature-related Risks
• Taking the Heat Out of Harmful Coolants
• IFRS S1 and IFRS S2: Two Webcasts Outlining Their Financial Effects.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 23rd May 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• Reporting on Climate-related Commitments
• Closing the Gap: Hidden Emissions and Untapped Potential of Buildings to Reduce Costs and Deliver for Carbon Budgets
• A Powerful, Articulate, Lucid Statement by Activist to BIG Oil and Gas
• UN Expert Attacks ‘Exploitative’ World Economy in Fight to Save Planet
• The Mass Timber Revolution and its Hidden Impact on Our Carbon Footprint
• Key Results from CA ANZ’s 2024 Climate and Nature Member Survey
• Escaping Capitalism: How to Replace the ‘Logic’ of Psychopaths, Pharma Bros, and Private Prisons
• Global Accounting Alliance Commissioned Report on Corporate Natural Capital Accounting
• Corporate Climate Watchdog Document Deems Carbon Offsets Largely Ineffective
• Fossil-Free Fashion Scorecard 2024
• A Fast Track to Environmental Degradation
• Mindful Money Conference & Awards 2024
• Adverse Impacts of WW1 Could Last Up To 10,000 Years
• Tucson is Planting a Million Trees with Pinpoint Accuracy
• XRB Establishes Sustainability Reporting Board
• World Economy Already Committed to Income Reduction of 19% Due to Climate Change
• THE FUTURE IS NOW: Biodiversity, Climate and Us
• Navigating the Impacts of Climate Change on Occupational Health and Safety
• Creating a Sustainability Literate Workforce
• Tracking Illicit Brazilian Beef from the Amazon to Your Burger
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 9th May 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters which marks its 23rd anniversary. In it you can read about;
• Significant Climate Change Reporting Debate
• How to Fix the Finance Flows Pushing Our Planet to the Brink
• SBC Guide – The Business Case for Sustainability
• James Shaw’s Valedictory Speech
• SBC Guide – Sustainability Strategy and Plans
• Unlocking Capital for Sustainability: Six Countries Across Asia in 2024
• Catching the Wave – Seizing the Opportunities of Sustainability Transformation
• Got Broken Stuff? The Tool Library Has a Fix
• Communicating Our Availability
• Meet the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners
• Plastics Treaty Talks in Ottawa Sacrifice Ambition for Compromise
• What NZ Can Learn from the First ESRS-Aligned Sustainability Statements
• Protecting New Zealand’s Competitive Advantage
• Climate Change Commission Consultation
• For Home Energy, It Pays to Go Electric
• In Passing – A 23rd Birthday.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 25th April 2024
Welcome to this ANZAC Day edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• Will COP’s Ever Deliver the Climate Outcomes Needed?
• Integrating Nature Disclosures: A Strategic Imperative for CFO’s and Finance teams
• AI Energy Use Soars — and Mostly Secret
• Building of NZ’s Largest Solar Farm Started
• The Role of Industry Associations
• High Tide Don’t Hide
• New NZ Government Blocks Efforts to Protect Deep Sea Life from Bottom Trawling
• The Recloaking Papatūānuku Infographic
• Measuring Through Metering
• Rwanda is on Track to Light Up Every Household
• How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
• Nepal Unprecedented Decline in Poverty
• Environment Court Shuts Down Pākiri Sand Mining Appeal
• The Biggest Electric Excavator in NZ Unveiled
• Defeated Bill Not the End of Fight for Right to Sustainable Environment – Shaw
• Solomon Islands Tribes Sell Carbon Credits, Not Their Trees
• Global Life Expectancy has Increased, Especially in Africa
• Human Rights, Environment Obligations, and Ethical Investment: New Zealand is Going Down the Wrong Path
• Our Land 2024
• Inside the UK’s First Open-Access, Pay-As-You-Go Factory
• Portable Energy Storage System Made with Used EV Batteries
• GLAD Bags Manufacturer in Court for ‘50% Ocean Plastic’ Claims.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 11th April 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• An Optimist’s Guide to the Planet
• Sustainability Reporting – The Guide to Preparation
• An Outline of Some of the Government’s Retrograde Action Since Elected
• SBN is Literally on the Move
• Rod Oram Memorial Service
• Climate Scientist Dr Jim Salinger Named New Zealander of the Year
• Business Decision Template
• Call on Investors to Divest from Advertising Agencies Working for Polluting Clients
• Ours is the Most Wasteful Civilisation in History. Here’s How to Stop It
• Net Zero Economy Authority Bill Is a Step Towards a Fair and Well Planned Transition
• Housing Summit 2024
• Nepali Engineer’s Mission to Recycle All Hospital Waste
• What You Need to Know About Modern Slavery
• Nature in Responsible Investments
• Plastic-Free Clothing – Handbook
• We Must Not Neglect Our Fundamental Infrastructure – Biodiversity
• Emissions from International Shipping and Aviation – Include in 2050 Target?
• World’s Biggest Economies Pumping Billions into Fossil Fuels in Poor Nations
• Court Verdict on Climate Action Could Ripple Across Europe
• The Social Cost of Carbon is Now US$225 per tonne – What This Means for Asia
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 28th March 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• Rod Oram – A Remarkable and Highly Esteemed Journalist – Tributes
• Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk
• Tackling the Challenge of Ethical Sourcing
• Landmark Legal Opinion Paves Way for Nature to Enter the Boardroom
• Transitioning Your Business to a Social Enterprise
• How Do We Assure Sustainability Reporting?
• Belgian Farmer Takes TotalEnergies to Court, Seeking Climate Damages
• A People’s Review of Kāinga Ora: In Defence of Public Housing
• Liverpool is Building the World’s largest Tidal Power Project – A Million Homes
• Reporting Emissions – Getting the Right Data is Critical: Here’s How to Fill the Gaps
• Britain Is the Best Place in Europe To Be An Immigrant
• Airborne Microplastics Found in Southern Alps
• What’s Missing from Your Bank Statement
• A Degrowth Approach to Climate Change
• Global E-waste Monitor 2024
• Life Under Water Podcast – Series
• The Impact of Offshore Wind Energy
• Climate Policy Improves Investment Confidence in Institutional Capital Market
• Electric ‘Flying’ Ferry for Lake Manapouri.
To see the newsletter click here.
Sustainability Matters 14th March 2024
Welcome to this edition of Sustainability Matters. In it you can read about;
• Fast-track Approvals Bill
• Carbon Emissions – To Cut or To Offset?
• Sports Group Putting Environmental Goals into Action
• Shield Your Drinking Water from Microplastics via Boiling
• To Accelerate Climate Action, More Women Must Run the World
• GPS on Land Transport and Fast Track Consents – Bad News for the Climate
• The Butterfly Redemption
• SEC Drops Some Emissions Disclosure Requirements from Draft Climate Rules
• Closing Statement from Dr Ganesh Nana
• Reframing Sustainability Initiatives in Higher Education
• Excess Units in NZ ETS Pose a Risk to NZ Meeting Climate Goals
• Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter
• Australia’s Financial Stability Confirmed as Being at Risk
• Webinar to Discuss Climate Commission’s Latest NZ ETS Advice
• Can Cities Drive SUVs Off Their Streets?
• Flying Blind: In a Holding Pattern
• US Excise Taxes Advance Wildlife Conservation and Outdoor Recreational Access
• How Should Businesses Measure and Maximise Social Impact?
• Young Activists Lobby for Australian Law on Climate Harm
• Medellín’s Green Corridors Are a Breath of Fresh, Cool Air.
To see the newsletter click here.