Sustainability knowledge has become fundamental to business success, according to new research from the Supply Chain Sustainability School of Australia.
The research revealed a significant jump in the importance of sustainability knowledge for property, construction and infrastructure businesses, with 63 per cent of respondents reporting that it has become more important over the past twelve months; up 11 percentage points from last year.
The school's CEO, Robin Mellon, said the findings confirm that sustainability across property and infrastructure supply chains is becoming a higher priority, with businesses recognising the need to upskill their workforce and suppliers in order to meet their own goals and align with the requirements of customers.
“The increased value of informed and skilled employees to organisations is reflected in the survey results, with over a third of organisations now having base-level knowledge requirements for employees and more than one in four embedding it into job descriptions,” Mellon said.
“Almost two in every five members have noticed an improvement in their supply chains since they’ve been a member of the School (37 per cent), and 46 per cent of members have seen economic, environmental or social benefits from improved supply chains."
Ainsley Simpson, CEO of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia and School Advisory Board member, said the Survey found that an understanding of key sustainability issues is fast becoming a requirement when assessing prospective employees. Similarly, expertise in sustainability is more of a consideration in project and tender assessments, with sustainable procurement now a key driver of innovation in materials, waste and energy.
“There is a growing call for enhancing sustainability skills across our built environment disciplines, across infrastructure projects, and across Australia’s extended infrastructure supply chains,” Simpson said.
“Better educated businesses mean more sustainable infrastructure projects, with reduced environmental impacts, improved social and workforce outcomes and wholesale efficiency gains.
"It’s particularly encouraging that 20 per cent of members have already seen improvements in the quality of Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating submissions.”
However, realising a higher level of sustainability knowledge across a workforce can prove challenging, with employees sometimes slow to engage with sustainability activities and reluctant to change behaviour.
Sustainability school members found one of the most effective ways to motivate employees in this space is good communication; ensuring clear links are made to project outcomes, organisational objectives, and career development.
Furthermore, they suggest that sustainability needs to be embedded within ‘business as usual’, and that this approach has helped boost engagement with the School’s sustainability learning resources.
Hollie Hynes, Head of Sustainability for Laing O’Rourke and Co-Chair of the School’s Advisory Board, said survey respondents also highlighted that senior management needs to be driving sustainability to ensure that it isn’t simply seen as an added cost.
“Laing O’Rourke has backed the School from the very beginning because we understand how our supply chains can help us achieve our sustainability goals," she said.
“Now that so many survey respondents have sustainability plans in place – 83 per cent, in fact – the vast majority of the School’s members feel that the most important factor for the success of sustainability programs is real commitment from management."
This year’s survey also revealed the areas of sustainability knowledge that are most sought-after, with social sustainability - and modern slavery in particular - being the most pressing need. This was highlighted as an issue across organisations and across the industry.
Energy was also identified as a key area (including renewables and battery storage, energy efficiency, literacy, efficient design, retrofitting) as well as waste (diverted from landfill, reduction, management, closed loop) and ‘the business case for sustainability’ needing strong educational support.
Research findings can be accessed online:
http://www.supplychainschool.org.au/about/news/132/Results-of-the-Schools-2018-Annual-Member-Survey