Ecobusiness

Combining Economic and Social Responsiveness to the 21st Century Business Our culture is changing to embrace a new sense of ecological responsibility. Enterprises which ignore this change - or respond inadequately to it - do so at their peril. Genuine regard for the environment is no longer the province of pressure groups. It has entered the hearts and minds of mainstream Australia. Almost 75 per cent of Australian adults cite environmental matters as their major concern for the future. Over 60 per cent want to use more goods and services which are environment friendly (and are prepared to pay a premium for them).

In the corporate area, a survey of the investment community by the Institute of Chartered Accountants showed that 63 per cent regarded the auditing of environmental disclosures by public companies as important to highly important, and 68 per cent of users of annual reports want more environmental disclosure (but only 24 per cent of the companies surveyed produce annual environmental reports). Governments of all political persuasions are reflecting this change. Increasingly, environmental criteria are becoming key determinants in both the direction of policy and the day-to-day operations of the public sector.

The same thinking is being extended outwards into the private sector by education and regulation. Clearly, the time is right for all organisations to understand and embrace their environmental obligations. Both public policy and public opinion demand it. Meeting these obligations can sometimes provoke fundamental change. Sometimes it requires considerable technical and scientific effort. But whatever the response, there is one constant - the need to apply sound management practices to environmental responsibilities. Ecobusiness Consultants was established to provide advice and assistance at the interface between enterprise and the environment. We provide a range of services in management, finance, marketing, research and technical areas.