The first day of the Sustainable Brands Sydney conference has brought together over 200 of Australia’s sustainability industry professionals to analyse the environmental and social impact of brands. Local and international thought leaders discussed how Australia can be part of a sustainable world, creating business models that deliver both purpose and profit, at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 27 June 2016.
Day 1 kicked off with the first session led by Dr Sally Uren, CEO, Forum for the Future, who flew in from the UK to highlight key opportunities for Australian brands, such as system innovation, the circular economy, pre-competitive collaboration and closing the circle between government, business and the consumer/community.
“The role of business in delivering solutions to society’s current set of significant and complex sustainability challenges has never before attracted so much attention. It’s critical to transform the key systems we rely on and to involve everyone in the value chain, from the producers and manufacturers right through to the end-user, all working together towards a common aim,” said Dr Uren.
Tom Szaky, Founder and Chief Executive of TerraCycle – a leader in eco-capitalism and upcycling, shared insights into how his brand has grown by engaging consumers in recycling post-consumer products and packaging.
“Recycling something that isn’t recyclable, like many other key sustainability functions, requires an investment of money, so what we really have to unlock is that we can learn to create value from sustainability investments.
“At TerraCycle we repurpose hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, ranging from used cosmetics to coffee capsules and cigarette butts. The waste is collected through free, brand-funded recycling programs, as well as various consumer and government-funded models. The collected waste is recycled, reused or upcycled into a variety of sustainable consumer and industrial products,” said Mr Szaky.
Ben Peacock, Founder and Partner at Republic of Everyone together with Mark Chapman, Director of Tax Communications at H&R Block discussed how brands are attracting millennials as another view on brand sustainability.
“Millennials think differently. Brands need to consider ‘purpose’ as a driver, for people for whom financial rewards are no long top of the motivation tree. There’s oodles of research to show that millennials – and indeed Gen Y – will go out of their way to work for a company who shows a genuine commitment to CSR, environment and sustainability. And that current workers are more engaged and stay longer in a company that shows real purpose and commitment to reducing its impact on the world,” said Mr Peacock.
Closing Day 1 of the Sustainable Brands conference, Andrew Petersen, CEO of Sustainable Business Australia congratulated brands who worked to align their business strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Australian business is becoming very aware of the opportunities that are opened up by the newly adopted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and many are planning strategic partnerships to pursue and implement the Goals. I’d like to congratulate my members, Abergeldie, KPMG and NAB, who were listed in the Top Ten of the 8th Annual Review of the State of CSR in Australia and New Zealand, released today.
“Businesses are powerful actors to help resolve the big challenges of sustainability, and the collaboration of businesses to deliver transformational solutions cannot be underestimated.
“Our members, as well as others in the business community, are taking steps to create a more sustainable future,” concluded Mr Petersen.
Day 2 of the conference continues tomorrow, 28 June 2016 and Day 3 on 29 June 2016. Day 2 speakers include Simon Mainwaring, Founder, We First and Author; Venerable Phra Anil Sakya, Buddhist Monk and Deputy Rector for Foreign Affairs and Lecturer on Religious and Cultural Studies at Mahamakut Buddhist University; Sandra Chipchase, CEO, Destination NSW & Executive Producer, Vivid Sydney; Malcolm Rands, Founder and CEO, Ecostore; Emma Welsh, Co Founder and CEO, Emma & Tom’s; Bert van Son, CEO, MUD Jeans; Marie Perriard, Director of Global Brand and Corporate Communications, Sustainable Brands; Siobhan Toohill, Group Head of Sustainability, Westpac; Robbert Rietbroek, CEO, PepsiCo; Henry Churchill, Senior Manager, WWF Australia; Tim O’Leary, CSO, Telstra; Grazyna van Egmond, CEO, Banksia Foundation and many more.
SB16 Sydney is organised by MCI Australia and supported by host partners Banksia Foundation and Sustainable Business Australia and Strategic Partner Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.
Register to attend: http://www.sb16sydney.com/register
Services
Stakeholder mapping, analysis, engagement and communication needs to be detailed to avoid business losses or even worse, a crisis. How can you do this effectively to prevent failure? ...
Data-driven business decisions have never been as crucial, especially in this era. MGBF leverages off, technology, experience and market presence to aid businesses in making accurate decisions. ...
MGBF provides comprehensive strategic advice and results-focused solutions to solve clients' problems in business-government relations so they can focus on their core business. ...
A critical business challenge is meeting the right decision-makers and potential buyers through the best channel and platform. How will you improve your business competency? ...
Upcoming Events
The threat matrix has evolved to include information warfare, cyberspace incursions, big data and behavioural communications. Business leaders need to be aware of these threats to survive. What are you doing as a key stakeholder?
Companies can now live or die based on their ability to generate and manage data. Effectively managing existential challenges is the opportunity that business leaders need to grasp for a sustainable future. Calling for speakers!
Corporations and their leadership often face weaponised information attacks in the media. Understanding these advanced business threats is crucial. Recently completed. View proceedings online.
Special session: Cyberwarfare Waged on the Corporate Sector - Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine Crisis. Corporations are in a digital arms race that many don't realise. How does this relate to your organisation?
MGBF In The News
More than 1,100 years ago, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was developing the mathematical formulas that we know today as algorithms which now have become so intertwined with the business fortunes of global media giants and the very fabric of geopolitics. A series of recent high level international reports have revealed […]
KSK Land has been recognised by the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) for its role in attracting high net-worth individuals to Malaysia post-pandemic. The first challenge in investor attraction is “selling” the country. In the context of Asia, Malaysia is competing with some very established investment destinations. The second […]
Malaysia, in particular Kuala Lumpur, continues to position itself as a regional centre to do business, educate a family and enjoy a global lifestyle. One company, KSK Land, has taken the lead in positioning itself and the city of Kuala Lumpur as a property investment destination for the global citizen […]
The upcoming budget represents an opportunity to build resilience in the critical sectors that will form the backbone of the country’s future-facing economic ambitions. This however needs to be achieved in the context of managing the community sectors most impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years. The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) […]
Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has moved to support the creative economy as the overall economy moves into a recovery phase following the COVID19 pandemic. As a step in the direction of normalcy, the MGBF has agreed to host the art exhibition “I Know You’re Somewhere So Far” by one […]
Congratulations to Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for taking up the mantle of the ninth prime minister of Malaysia. There is nothing normal about the situation; it could not have been scripted but it has kept the spectrum of media, mainstream and social, gripped. The first order of business for […]
In a stirring speech to the nation, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. stamped his brand of leadership on the presidency, in his first act as the 46th president of the United State of America, it signaled several shifts. Perhaps the weather was foreboding with snow falling before the ceremony that […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2022 – As the global economy continues to deal with unprecedented levels of disruption caused by the pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the convergence of energy security and food security issues has become a front-of-mind issue faced by policy makers and consumers alike. […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2022 — Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) ties up with scoutAsia to ensure that businesses are equipped with deeper regional insights. The past two years has seen a massive shift in the way businesses are conducted with digitisation, digitalisation and automation continuously being adopted to improve […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Security Concerns in Critical Value Chains’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The guest of honour was Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, former minister of […]
We live in the age of crisis. At the heart of any crisis is the threat of rapid change. Change too deep or too wide that the current coping mechanisms for an individual, corporation or government are unable to remain resilient. An unwelcome paradigm shift, like the proverbial spider, that […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has released a report following the roundtable on ‘Digital Resilience in the Corporate Sector’, which was recently held in Kuala Lumpur. In attendance as guest of honour was Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin. The report recommended several critical development […]
Trade and investment delegations will trickle back over the next few months, but the second half of the year should see considerable return of business travellers. It was learnt that over 50 per cent of international business chambers and industry associations surveyed will consider sending exploratory teams to Malaysia during […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 March 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Digital Resilience in the Corporate Sector’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Element by Westin Kuala Lumpur. The discussion focused on what business leaders need to understand, to ensure business resilience and […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Addressing Weaponised Information in the Media’ was held in a hybrid setting today at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The discussion focused on addressing one of the most relevant threats to businesses in the digital economy – cyber threats causing physical and […]
The current floods that have impacted various parts of the country have given rise to an extensive commentary on the response cycles of various stakeholders. It has in turn led to continued crisis communications and statements in the media by agencies and ministries alike. This binary approach to the discussion […]
The formation of a special Cabinet committee to develop strategic measures to safeguard the economy amid the Covid-19 outbreak shows the Malaysian government is serious about creating a balance between the continued safety of the general population and the survival of the economy. In the global context, as many countries […]
Innovation, coupled with a radical departure from contemporary thinking, is required with a possible reality of a prolonged crisis becoming the new reality that people and companies must function through. Malaysia Global Business Forum founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said innovation and resilience from all stakeholders will be required to shape […]
The recent announcement that a committee jointly chaired by senior ministers in charge of security and economy clusters respectively demonstrates that the Malaysian government is serious about creating a balance between continued safety of the general population and the survival of the economy. In the global context, as many countries […]
Innovation, coupled with a radical departure from contemporary thinking, is required with a possible reality of a prolonged crisis becoming the new reality that people and companies must function through. Malaysia Global Business Forum founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said innovation and resilience from all stakeholders will be required to […]
