Sustainable Business Network
Encyclopedia
The Sustainable Business Network is a not for profit organisation in New Zealand
. Commonly known as the SBN, the network was created in October 2002 and is a forum for businesses who are interested in sustainable business practice and sustainable development
. The Sustainable Business Network grew out of the merger of three similar organisations, Environmental Business Network, Businesses for Social Responsibility and Triple B.
The SBN defines sustainable business as integrating economic growth, social equity and environmental management. The organisation has been a leading proponent of the business case for sustainable business practice and linking sustainability minded businesses in New Zealand.
The National office of the SBN is based in New Lynn, Waitakere City, Auckland. Regional offices are also located in each of the SBN regions.
Governance of the SBN exists in the form of a National Board and five Regional Advisory Boards. The National Board is made up of five nationally elected members and five regionally elected members. The network has a diverse range of member organisations, including small & medium sized enterprises, micro businesses, large businesses and corporations, consultants, tertiary and research institutes and central and local government agencies.
The SBN operates two major programmes, The Get Sustainable Challenge and GreenFleet. In past years, the SBN has also operated a Building Cluster (which spawned the Green Building Council of New Zealand)
and Organics Cluster.
The sustainability assessment covers the following areas:
Regional and National awards are also held annually to give recognition to businesses achieving in sustainability. The award categories are:
The programme has three steps for members.
Members currently plant 23 native New Zealand tress per members vehicle. This average figure is based on a petrol engine vehicle travelling 15,000km per year, with a fuel economy of 10 litres / 100 km. It also assumes that native NZ bush soaks up 125 tons carbon per hectare and restoration planting at 2,500 stems per hectare. In addition, the quantity of 23 trees per vehicle per year builds in a 10% mortality rate as a safety net for successful plantings.
GreenFleet is supported by Honda NZ
, LeasePlan NZ, Thrifty Car Rentals NZ
and Toyota NZ.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Commonly known as the SBN, the network was created in October 2002 and is a forum for businesses who are interested in sustainable business practice and sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
. The Sustainable Business Network grew out of the merger of three similar organisations, Environmental Business Network, Businesses for Social Responsibility and Triple B.
The SBN defines sustainable business as integrating economic growth, social equity and environmental management. The organisation has been a leading proponent of the business case for sustainable business practice and linking sustainability minded businesses in New Zealand.
The National office of the SBN is based in New Lynn, Waitakere City, Auckland. Regional offices are also located in each of the SBN regions.
- AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, SBN Northern Region. - HamiltonHamilton, New ZealandHamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, SBN WaikatoWaikatoThe Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
Region. - TaurangaTaurangaTauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
, SBN Bay of PlentyBay of PlentyThe Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
Region. - WellingtonWellingtonWellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, SBN Central Region. - ChristchurchChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, SBN SouthernSouth IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
Region.
Governance of the SBN exists in the form of a National Board and five Regional Advisory Boards. The National Board is made up of five nationally elected members and five regionally elected members. The network has a diverse range of member organisations, including small & medium sized enterprises, micro businesses, large businesses and corporations, consultants, tertiary and research institutes and central and local government agencies.
The SBN operates two major programmes, The Get Sustainable Challenge and GreenFleet. In past years, the SBN has also operated a Building Cluster (which spawned the Green Building Council of New Zealand)
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
and Organics Cluster.
The Get Sustainable Challenge
The Get Sustainable Challenge is a tool to help businesses establish where they stand in terms of sustainability and define action sustainability action. Business undertake an assessment and are provided with a detailed written report, identifying areas of sustainability being well served in the business and outlining aspects of the business where potential improvement can be made. The programme is backed up by written resources and workshops held in regional centres.The sustainability assessment covers the following areas:
- Top level commitment, culture and decision making
- Future thinking
- What resources are going into your business
- Staff
- Operational systems and processes
- What resources are being generated by your business
- Relationships and influence
- Communication
Regional and National awards are also held annually to give recognition to businesses achieving in sustainability. The award categories are:
- Sustainable Business of the Year
- Trailblazer – Large (and Corporate)
- Trailblazer – Small and Medium
- Trailblazer – Not for profit
- Emerging – Large (and Corporate)
- Emerging – Small and Medium
- Sustainable Design and Innovation
GreenFleet
GreenFleet is a sustainable transport program set up to help businesses reduce the impacts of it’s vehicles on the environment. This 3-step program provides a range of practical resources and advice that enable businesses to develop a more efficient fleet, save money, engage with the local community and do something to reduce the contribution transport makes to wider environmental problems.The programme has three steps for members.
- Transport efficiency in the business.
- Being aware of developments in vehicle and fuel technology.
- Planting trees to offset carbon dioxide emissions.
Members currently plant 23 native New Zealand tress per members vehicle. This average figure is based on a petrol engine vehicle travelling 15,000km per year, with a fuel economy of 10 litres / 100 km. It also assumes that native NZ bush soaks up 125 tons carbon per hectare and restoration planting at 2,500 stems per hectare. In addition, the quantity of 23 trees per vehicle per year builds in a 10% mortality rate as a safety net for successful plantings.
GreenFleet is supported by Honda NZ
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, LeasePlan NZ, Thrifty Car Rentals NZ
Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group is a holding company for Thrifty Car Rental and Dollar Rent A Car, formed in 1990 by Chrysler and spun off in 1997....
and Toyota NZ.
See also
- Sustainability in New ZealandSustainability in New ZealandSustainability in New Zealand is being increasingly recognised as being good practice and the government has made some moves toward this goal.-History:...
- Forum for the FutureForum for the FutureForum for the Future is a British non-profit organisation with a mission to promote sustainable development. Its vision is of "businesses and communities thriving in a future that’s environmentally sustainable and socially just". It runs partnerships with more than 90 organisations across business...
- The Natural StepThe Natural StepThe Natural Step is a non-profit organization founded in Sweden in 1989 by scientist Karl-Henrik Robèrt. Following publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, Robèrt developed The Natural Step framework, setting out the system conditions for the sustainability of human activities on Earth;...
- World Business Council for Sustainable DevelopmentWorld Business Council for Sustainable DevelopmentThe World Business Council for Sustainable Development is a CEO-led, global association of some 200 international companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development....