Sustainable Business Challenge

Sustainable Business Challenge

This is a business awards programme with a difference.  It assesses and recognises sustainable business performance under economic, social and environmental criteria. 

The programme was developed in the Bay of Plenty and after four successful years it has become the biggest business awards event in the region. 

Businesses taking part for the first time are assessed using an interview process. Their entry is prepared for them by a trained consultant. This way they are introduced to the criteria in an informative and time effective manner. Sign off for the content and submission of the entry is in the hands of the business. 

Categories for the awards are based on the level of sustainable development that a business has obtained. There is a clear focus on moving businesses through a sustainability progression. 

Businesses receive concise judging feedback in a report highlighting key opportunities to improve performance over the next 12 months.  Recommendations are accompanied by the range of programmes and resources provided by SBN that can help the business to implement sustainability improvements. 

The key focus of the programme is helping businesses to make progress and to create an awards system that moves beyond point-in-time recognition and focuses on the sustainability journey.

There are 3 categories that you can enter:

1. Sustainable business - for individual businesses who want to take the Sustainable Business Challenge.
2. Sustainability innovation - for businesses who have been innovative and done something special that contributes to sustainable business. 
3. Sustainable productivity - businesses or organisations that have improved productivity through sustainability initiatives. 

If you are interested in entering this year's Sustainable Business Challenge, visit the Sustainable Business Network website.

Environment Bay of Plenty Supreme Award
Winner: Comvita

Tauranga City Council Stage two Sustainable Business Award
Winner: Generation Developments
Finalists: Sun Media, LFC Flooring

Destination Rotorua District Council Stage three Sustainable Business Award
Winner: Fulton Hogan
Finalists: Comvita, Fulton Hogan BOP, Opus Tauranga

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Productivity Award
Winner: Design Mobel
Finalists: Toll Owens, Generation Developments

Ricoh Innovation Award
Winner: Opus Tauranga
Finalists: Fulton Hogan BOP, Design Mobel

The Sustainable Business Challenge is an interactive learning experience for businesses. Entrants find out where they are at in the sustainability progression and receive high quality feedback from a panel of expert judges with practical options for making progress.

The Challenge is free to enter, does not include the arduous task of completing an entry form and compares businesses against their peers based on their current stage in the sustainability progression. 

What is the sustainability progression? 
The Sustainable Business Network have realised a number of clearly defined stages that businesses go through to become more sustainable.  Starting from developing policies, through to undertaking actions and implementing systems, businesses progress in a relatively similar manner. 

Advanced businesses are at the stage where they monitor their sustainable performance and use this information to make decisions about changes in their systems and the way they operate.  Businesses that produce comprehensive Triple Bottom Line reports are a good example of this.  The social and environmental indicators that they use are meaningful and can be correlated with tangible economic benefits.

The Sustainable Business Network website has more information on the Challenge

Find out more about the Sustainable Business Network.