Skip navigation

 
 

Symmetry Sustainable Business

Lessons from Symmetry – Project Manager’s reflections

Symmetry NewsLink has consistently espoused the view that sustainability is essentially making the future a priority in today's decision making. This is neither new nor a novel idea but the parlous state of the environment means that society can no longer afford to ignore the future. Indeed, an ancient proverb reminds us of this rather cogently: "We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors. We have borrowed it from our children".

The Symmetry Sustainable Business project is inspired by the need to shape a different future in which business builds a two way relationship with the environment. This behaviour modification program encourages business to take natures bounty to satisfy human needs and replenish it in ways that avoid damaging the environment. This relationship evokes a sense of balance and a duty of care and in the parlance of environment science this is often referred to as sustainable development.

Sustainable development is a journey to sustainability which may take a long time to attain, possibly decades. In light of this, my reflections on Symmetry that follow are necessarily myopic, dealing with the harvest of low hanging fruits since the inception of the project some two years ago. The observations are largely qualitative but a formal independent evaluation is being undertaken by the UWS which will provide some quantitative insights.

Since the roll out of the project in early 2008, 607 businesses have attended Symmetry information sessions, around 200 businesses were mentored, 84 businesses have attained Bronze accreditation and a further 30 have embarked on Silver accreditation. Ten important lessons have emerged from the project which are outlined below.

One, Symmetry was strategically aligned to the regional vision of making Macarthur a Centre of Excellence in Sustainability. This concept was propounded collectively by three organisations renowned for their leadership in the area of sustainability: the University of Western Sydney (UWS), the Macarthur Centre for Sustainable Living (MCSL) and MACROC. A strategic focus created a sense of purpose and a vision in respect of the sustainability journey that lay ahead and businesses own contribution to shaping the future.

Lesson 1: Nest sustainability initiatives within a strategic framework.


Two, a marketing strategy was devised to ‘sell’ the program to businesses. The main components of the strategy were:

  • Creating a brand. The project was branded Symmetry, differentiating it from the normal ‘run of the mill' initiatives conducted by councils, government environmental agencies and utilities. A logo was created with an attractive byline - 'A good environment is smart business'. Symmetry was marketed as a value maximising proposition rather than a compliance requirement. The brand reinforced this message with the result that the project resonated well with the intended audience.
  • A formal launch: It was formally launched with 'bells and whistles' fittingly at the business premises of Paul Wakeling Motors, a respected car dealership in the region. It was attended by opinion leaders in the community as well as all the project partners. The launch created a certain excitement and built a strong momentum for the project.
  • Enlisting media support: Media partners were recruited to support the campaign with the result that activities associated with Symmetry received pro bono publicity in all the three Fairfax community newspapers in the Macarthur region to the value of $10,419. Moreover C91.3 generously promoted the project through the local radio which was valued at $20,080.
  • Multi-channel publicity: Graduation ceremonies were publicised in the local newspapers and media releases issued. Advertisements were also prominently displayed on the external sides of a few buses to increase the visibility of the Symmetry brand. Symmetry was also publicised on the Internet at the www.makeitinmacarthur.nsw.gov.au., to the global audience.

MACROC President Cr Anoulack Chanthivong presenting
certificate to Bronze graduate Debbie Roberts.

Advertisement on Buses helped profile Symmetry

There is never sufficient money for marketing sustainability programs, but even then there is some scope for creativity and leveraging publicity. The moot point is that an effective marketing campaign is vital to raise the awareness of the program.

Lesson 2: Develop a marketing strategy and brand your product.


Three, a collaborative partnership enabled leveraging of resources and expertise with the result that a robust sustainability tool was created supported by an effective mentoring process. Core competency of participating organisations and their commitment to the project were the main criteria for partnership formation. For example, the UWS provided conceptual as well as practical input in the development of the workbooks, utilising their knowledge and experience in similar projects, notably the Manly Sea Change and the Campers and Caravan Gum Nut Award initiatives. Similarly, MACROC provided project management skills and managed the proprietary accreditation system. MBEC provided the mentoring service and the MCSL performed assessments.

Since no single organisation has all the answers for sustainability, it makes good sense to collaborate. Collaboration designed on the basis of core competencies and willingness and ability to make a clearly defined contribution to the project has a better chance of being more effective in terms of realising project outputs and outcomes.

Lesson 3: Build collaboration based on core competencies of partners and leverage from partnerships.


Four, in recognition of the time constraints faced by small businesses and their lack of financial capacity to deploy internationally recognised environmental management systems (EMS) such as ISO 14001, a 'watered down' version of EMS was developed in the form of three workbooks - Bronze, Silver and Gold. Although the workbooks embodied key principles of ISO 14001, the KISS (Keep it Simple and Stupid) principle was invoked to breakdown complexity and make the Symmetry tool easily accessible to businesses.

The key point is to customise the tool to the requirements of the clients, especially the small businesses, taking their particular circumstances into account. The workbook included three generic business segments which could cater for all types of businesses:

  • Manufacturing and materials
  • Service industries
  • Outdoor sports, recreation and open space

A number of learning pathways were deployed to empower participants to make necessary changes to their business practices. For example:

  • By being non-prescriptive, Symmetry encouraged businesses to set their own goals and work at their own pace in keeping with their individual circumstances.
  • The learning process was gradual, with participants able to incrementally staircase from Bronze to Silver and eventually to Gold having achieved required benchmarks.
  • Information sessions provided insights into global and national challenges facing the environment and possible mitigation and adaptive measures needed to deal with the impending problem.
  • The follow up workshops discussed details of the assessment process, including instructions to complete the workbook.
  • Additional mentoring through one-on-one meetings and communication through the electronic media were conducted as needed.
  • Feedback was continuously provided to business. More formally at the time of graduation, each business received a computer generated feedback in the form of a report card which made observations in respect of its practice based on information provided in the workbook.
  • Group learning sessions were held during the graduation ceremonies where achievements and success stories in respect to sustainability were shared by participants.

Group graduation ceremonies celebrated success

Lesson 4: Make the offerings relevant to the needs and convenience of the businesses.


Five, Symmetry espoused a holistic approach to sustainability. A triple bottomline approach ensured that sustainability was assessed not only on environmental performance but also on businesses’ contribution to the economy and society. The assessments were based on the following ten categories:

  • Site management
  • Water and waste water
  • Energy efficiency
  • Solid waste managemen
  • Air and noise pollution
  • Managing environmental impact
  • Work practice
  • Business strategy
  • Local community
  • Safety and emergency response planning

A holistic approach embodied in Symmetry encouraged participants to shape their business operations in such a way that that they could "live in the environment and not off the environment". It also reminded them of the opportunities for forming mutually beneficial relationship with their local communities.

Lesson 5: Pursue sustainability as a cross disciplinary endeavour that holistically enhances community, economic and environmental outcomes.


Six, an active communication strategy was designed to maintain high level interest throughout the duration of the project. Presentations were made at different forums both inside and outside the region, congratulatory letters were sent out to graduates and Symmetry logos were provided.

A newsletter called Symmetry NewsLink was published regularly containing business tips on how to improve environmental practices and topical issues on sustainability from Australia and the rest of the World. The NewsLink was circulated widely in the region with a view to creating awareness of the project and maintaining ongoing interest of the participants.

In conclusion, active communication profiled the product in the region, kept the interest of the participants alive and encouraged them to complete their workbooks.

Lesson 6: Communicate actively with all the stakeholders to keep the sustainability flame burning.


Seven, customer feedback is vital towards making further improvement for any service or program and the Symmetry project had an inbuilt feedback process. There was generally a positive response with:

  • 80% 'strongly agreed' that the information sessions were useful.
  • 80% 'strongly agreed' that they were satisfied with Bronze workshops.
  • 30% 'strongly agreed' that "they were satisfied with Bronze accreditation" and 70% 'agreed'.
  • 60% 'strongly agreed' that "they were satisfied with mentoring support".

These results will be independently scrutinised by the UWS research currently underway.

Feedback from the customers lead to the tweaking of process during the implementation phase.

Lesson 7: Obtain customer feedback to improve service.


Eight, the 'user pays' principle was invoked from the very outset of the Symmetry project. $50 was the cost of achieving Bronze accreditation, $150 for the Silver award and $300 for the Gold award. Although these costs did not fully reflect the true cost of the service, thanks to the grant received from the Australian Government, they ensured that only those who genuinely perceived value enrolled in the program. User pays may also assist the project attain financial viability once grant subsidies are removed at some time in future.

Symmetry was registered as a trade mark, providing a unique eco-label for marketing.

Symmetry was viewed as an intellectual property and MACROC duly trade marked it to obtain exclusive property rights. An arrangement was reached with UWS to share this intellectual property on mutually beneficial terms in future should an opportunity so arise. The lesson is to protect the intellectual property generated from projects such as Symmetry with the view to deriving financial benefits in future.

Lesson 8: Be entrepreneurial, create property rights and commercialise.


Nine, Symmetry resonated well with small businesses mainly because of a strong sense of belonging to Macarthur. This regional affinity contributed to a sense of common purpose and a determination to participate in a cause that would provide positive benefits to the businesses in the region.

Symmetry helped John Fairly who runs an innovative boutique dairy in Wollondilly
win the prestigious Royal Agricultural Show Society's 2008 President's Medal

The lesson is that sustainability projects are likely to be ‘owned’ by participants if there is a strong sense of belonging to a place.

Lesson 9: Use sustainability initiatives to reinforce the sense of belonging or affinity to a place.


Ten, Symmetry covered four local government areas and comprised four project partners and two media partners. A sound governance framework was needed to manage the project. Five critical elements of the framework adopted were:

  • Setting up a project control group to oversee the inception and implementation phases of the project. Regular meetings took place over the project duration.
  • A workflow diagram which outlined key processes and defined their 'owners'.
  • A project plan was developed and milestones were monitored.
  • A set of protocols were formally adopted which outlined administrative arrangements, including decision making processes.
  • A mentor with extensive business experience was recruited who in the event proved very skillful and adept in imparting knowledge and supporting businesses with enthusiasm and passion.

Lesson 10: Recruit a skilful mentor with commercial experience for business sustainability programs.


With the benefit of hindsight some aspects of the project could be improved.  These are:

  • Further simplification of the toolkit.
  • Inclusion of a green house gas calculator in the workbook.
  • Online and interactive learning media in place of hardcopy workbooks.
  • Compressed timeframe for stair casing.

*The writer is MACROC Economic Development Officer who project managed Symmetry. The views expressed here are entirely his and may not be shared by MACROC.

 

 

This project is proudly supported by AusIndustry, an Austrlian Government Initiative

Symmetry Sustainable Business Partners