Tuesday November 5, 2013

Sustainability conference aims to separate fact from fiction

Since the global financial crisis there has been a question mark over the commitment of New Zealand companies to their sustainability initiatives and programmes.

That’s why Associate Professor Gabriel Eweje chose the theme ‘Sustainability Rhetoric: Facts and Fictions’ for this year’s Sustainability Conference at Massey University.

“It’s very difficult in New Zealand to know which companies are committed to a holistic approach to sustainability or corporate social responsibility because most don’t report on what they are doing,” Dr Eweje says.

“Compared to other developed economies, in particular in European Union countries, New Zealand companies get very little pressure from their stakeholders to prove their credentials. I think most New Zealanders assume corporations act in a sustainable way and just want them to get on with it. They tend to believe the claims without asking questions.”

Dr Eweje says his own research shows New Zealand companies fall into two categories: ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’. And the number of leaders is actually quite small.

“The leaders are companies that continued to invest in sustainable initiatives even after the global financial crisis. The followers, on the other hand, stopped investing but still use their brand to promote themselves as companies that act sustainably.

“When you look closer at these claims, they often refer to activity from a few years ago or to activity that is being undertaken by their parent company overseas.”

Dr Eweje says the aim of the Sustainability Conference 2013 is to provide a forum for academics, practitioners, entrepreneurs and policymakers to discuss what is happening in the area of corporate sustainability.

He hopes the discussion will inform his current research into developing what he calls a “greenprint” – a blueprint for planning, determining, communicating, measuring and reporting on ‘green’ or sustainable corporate activity. His aim is to create a framework and tools that will help improve sustainable development outcomes.

“If a company is committing to sustainability it should be a continuous process – it’s not a two-year initiative – and people need a way of interpreting the quality and commitment of companies’ activities.”

The Sustainability Conference 2013 consists of two days of presentations and panel discussions from academics, industry and policymakers across a broad range of topic areas. There is also a PhD Colloquium the day before the conference to allow PhD students to gain feedback on their research.

Keynote speakers include Professor Peter Dauvergne from the University of British Columbia, who will discuss the rhetoric and realities of big-brand sustainability, and Ministry for the Environment chief executive Dr Paul Reynolds, whose topic is ‘Environmental stewardship for a prosperous New Zealand’.

Panel discussions will also be held on poverty and sustainability (‘What does the green agenda offer low income communities in high income economies?’) and corporate community development, where the experiences of communities that have engaged with corporate development initiatives will be evaluated.

The Sustainability Conference takes place at Massey’s Albany campus from November 13-15 and the full programme can be viewed at the conference website: http://sustainabilityconference2013.massey.ac.nz/
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