Sustainable Practice Planning Workshops

Media release February 2009

A series of training workshops are being held around New Zealand to show businesses and local authorities that reducing costs, improving performance and increasing profit does not need to come at the expense of sustainability. It's simply a question of smart strategic planning for a successful future.

The workshops are two day events that will showcase a practical framework, already tried and tested by world-leading corporates and far-sighted local authorities, the latest being Dublin city in Ireland. These training workshops, which are being supported by the Sustainable Business Network and Otago Polytechnic, will offer Kiwi companies the opportunity to learn about the approach adopted by the likes of Nike, Electrolux, Panasonic and of others that have built their competitive advantage through a focus on design for sustainability.

Backed by almost 20 years of scientific research and hands-on experience in Europe and North America, the Natural Step (TNS) Framework provides the most universally adopted framework for organisations seeking a strategic response to environmental, social and financial sustainability needs. The Framework provides a simple, scientifically robust definition of sustainability that facilitates innovative decision-making by matching opportunities for reducing costs and improving performance with strategies for long-term sustainability.

As Simon Harvey, a Senior Advisor for TNS in New Zealand, explains, "These courses are available just at the right time. As business and government sectors look to reduce costs and build resilience during these difficult economic times, you need a new approach that marries immediate requirements with the strategic need to improve the way we treat our environment. The environmental and resource availability crisis has not gone away. Both the market and regulatory bodies are continuing to demand more sustainable products, services and corporate behaviour, so these courses show you how to do that successfully as a company or public organisation."

The TNS Framework has been used by many of the world's leading companies including Panasonic, Electrolux, Nike, McDonalds, BHP Billiton, Dow Chemical and IKEA. In New Zealand the framework has been used by Les Mills, Otago Polytechnic, Bizzone, Macpac, Tait Electronics and Phoenix Organics amongst a host of others. A growing number of local authorities are also recognising the benefits, with two high profile examples being Dublin city in Ireland and Vancouver's Whistler Resort in Canada, which will host the Winter Olympics in 2010. In New Zealand, Christchurch City, Central Otago District and Hastings District Councils have all embedded TNS into their decision-making processes as an effective means of working towards sustainability.

The TNS Framework gained significant profile following the 2008 CEO Summit hosted by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Better by Design team. Two of the keynote companies at that event, Nike and Interface, have both made wide use of the TNS Framework as a key decision-making platform for their growth strategies. In Nike's case, it used the Framework for the concepts and development of its new "considered design" range of footwear, launched last year.

Simon Harvey stresses that the courses will give participants the full picture about sustainability, showing where issues and tools such as carbon accounting, triple bottom line reporting, eco-labels and environmental management systems fit into the bigger, strategic picture. "With limited places at each training event to ensure a high quality learning environment, the March courses in Christchurch and Auckland are filling fast. The Christchurch booking deadline is 20th February."

"If we see enough demand, we can arrange more courses fairly quickly. This is about getting New Zealand up to speed with the rest of the world. If we can't get our heads around how to build an economic base that really understands the opportunities of sustainability, we're going to fall further and further behind our trading competitors. TNS is ready to help." Simon added.

ENDS

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