UNiting Business LIVE Australia: Sustainability in Action
Shaping the future of sustainable business in Australia
- DATE: 30-31 October 2024
- VENUE: Jones Bay Wharf, Piers 19-21, 26/32 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009
About the event
The defining sustainability event of the year, giving leaders the opportunity to shape the future of business in Australia.
In a watershed moment for corporate accountability, UNiting Business LIVE Australia will equip businesses to navigate ongoing socio-environmental and regulatory changes.
This event from the UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA), the Country Network of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, presents insights from international sustainability leaders to solve the most pressing challenges faced by Australian organisations today.
The event’s program is tailored to the bespoke needs of Australia’s C-Suite and Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs), board members, and emerging and future sustainability leaders. It will equip them with technical and actionable solutions to challenges at the intersection of net zero, nature-positive, human rights and governance.
Attendees will leave armed with practical knowledge to implement in their organisation and drive positive change, for the future of business, Australia and the planet.
This year, UNiting Business LIVE Australia takes a deep dive into climate and nature and its intersections with social and governance issues (the E, S and G in ESG).
UNiting Business LIVE Australia: Sustainability in Action will unite global and local business leaders, changemakers and world-renowned sustainability champions to move beyond sustainability pledges to providing tangible, actionable solutions.
Topics include
- Actioning human rights across supply chains & business
- Advancing a nature-positive private sector
- Driving climate action through net zero business
- Innovation & the sustainability frontier
- Mandatory climate reporting
- Moral courage & self-care for sustainability professionals
- Sourcing, supply chains & scope 3 solutions
- Sustainability leadership & governance for impact
- Sustainable finance in action
UNiting Business LIVE Australia delivers sustainability in action — progressing the Australian sustainable business agenda via the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles.
Join us to learn what’s next in sustainability leadership and set your organisation up for success in 2025 and beyond.
Early bird tickets now on sale!
Speakers
Lead, Learn, Connect – our conference pillars
Through the three conference pillars – Lead, Learn and Connect – the 2024 UNiting Business LIVE Australia: Sustainability in Action conference and annual dinner provides specialised streams designed to support Australian business leaders as they drive sustainability action across sectors.
Lead: Position your business as a sustainability leader, setting benchmarks and inspiring a ripple effect of positive change across your sector.
Learn: Propel your career and your company’s sustainability agenda forward with cutting-edge knowledge, insights and technical guidance from those at the forefront of change.
Connect: Cultivate a vast network of like-minded professionals, thought leaders and changemakers dedicated to shaping the future of sustainable business.
Why attend:
- For technical and actionable solutions to challenges at the intersection of net zero, nature positive, human rights and governance from independent, international experts.
- Sessions are streamed by the event pillars (Lead, Learn, Connect) and job focus so you gain maximum value from attendance, whether you’re a sustainability leader, C-Suite, board member or future and emerging sustainability leader.
- Invite-only and exclusive events for C-Suite and board members arm them with the knowledge, connections and confidence to navigate current and upcoming socio-environmental and regulatory challenges.
- Hear UN Global Compact Assistant Secretary-General and CEO Sanda Ojiambo’s call to action for the Federal Government and Australian business on how to achieve its rapidly approaching 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Commitment.
- Candid conversations with industry leaders where they unpack their mistakes and outline the battles they fought to instil sustainable practices.
- An opportunity to gain global insights on COP16, COP29, and the Global Nature Positive Summit, with a uniquely Australian lens.
- Emerging and future leaders have the opportunity to foster relationships with peers and build knowledge around the UN Global Compact’s ESG workstreams: Environment and Climate Change; Business and Human Rights; and Sustainability Governance.
Who attends:
UNiting Business LIVE Australia attendees represent the diverse sustainability value chain. This includes senior business and sustainability decision-makers, sustainability teams, investors, government, civil society, and academic leaders, small and medium enterprise leaders, and teams with essential roles to play in sustainability operations and upcoming mandatory reporting requirements.
These are our changemakers.
- Corporates – corporations from various sectors will be present, exploring collaborative opportunities and sharing best practices, vital for driving sector-wide transformations.
- C-Suite and boards – dedicated sessions that capture emerging opportunities in sustainability; exclusive spaces to connect with fellow executive leaders; training and guidance on sustainable governance.
- Sustainability professionals – practical tools and provocative conversations that deliver impact and ensure that the event is grounded in the latest research and real-world applications; extensive time to connect, network and collaborate with cutting-edge sustainability changemakers; regenerative spaces for sustainability leaders fighting for change.
- Small and medium enterprise leaders – SMEs, making up 98% of businesses in Australia, will join the conversation to share their unique challenges and success stories, underscoring the importance of scalable and adaptable sustainability strategies that can benefit businesses of all sizes.
- Government, civil society and academic leaders
Why UNiting Business LIVE Australia matters
Join the defining sustainability event of the year, giving leaders the opportunity to shape the future of business in Australia.
As we pass the milestone of the halfway mark to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UNiting Business LIVE Australia: Sustainability in Action addresses the rapidly shifting landscape of sustainability.
Held just one month after the UN Summit of the Future, and in the same year as COP16, COP29, and the Global Nature Positive Summit, the event will be centred on mobilising the private sector, including driving action-oriented outcomes from the Pact for the Future.
Recent years have brought ample reasons for despair and optimism. Sustainability risks for corporates and investors continue to rise, as we simultaneously fall short on meeting the SDGs and observe increases in climate emergencies and humanitarian crises. However, there remains hope, empowerment and – perhaps most importantly – action.
We believe in the ability of Australia businesses to act and deliver impact for sustainability. This year’s UNiting Business LIVE Australia: Sustainability in Action conference – and annual dinner – moves beyond pledges and transforms business operations and investments, both in and for, the future of business, Australia and the planet.
Program
Day 1
30 October 2024
Time
Session name
Conference pillar
Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General and CEO, United Nations Global Compact
Developing credible and compelling ESG narratives
Placing traditional knowledge at the centre of the business response to protect the environment: let’s be honest about our eurocentric bias
Advanced actions for Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS) and mandatory climate reporting
Day 2
31 October 2024
Time
Session name
Conference pillar
The human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment: what in the 1.5C+ world does that mean?
Global movements in voluntary reporting for nature positive impact: trends, tips, timelines and strategies for success
Navigating sustainability partnerships: does competition law act as a barrier to collective business action on sustainability?
Circular actions and scope 3 solutions
Operationalising Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence: what works and what doesn’t?
Transformational Governance: transform your corporate governance for greater impact & resilience
Event Map
Partners
- All
- Networking function partners
- Event partners
- Program partners
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) partners
Networking function partner
Intrepid Travel
Leadership Dinner
Run by travellers, for travellers, we are the world’s largest provider of adventures travel experiences, carrying over 250,000 passengers a year. Our brands offer over 1,000 itineraries on every continent, cater for all ages, budgets and appetites for adventure. Our business is made of Intrepid Travel, Peregrine, Geckos Adventures, Adventure Tours Australia, Urban Adventures, Peak DMC, and the Family Adventure Company travel brands, along with our non-profit, The Intrepid Foundation.
Our Vision: To change the way people see the world.
Event partner
Talent Nation
Recruitment Agency Partner
Talent Nation, a Certified B Corporation, connects purpose-driven candidates with purpose-driven roles to help drive sustainability and environmental agendas within corporate and Not for Profit clients. Understanding that a real impact in sustainability initiatives can’t be made without the right people in place, our mission is to unearth these people and connect them with the roles and businesses in which they will thrive.
Based in Melbourne, Talent Nation is a specialist recruitment firm focusing on Sustainability, Environment, Energy, Not-for-Profit and Responsible Investment.
Program partner
Coles Group
Plenary Panel Partner
Coles is a leading Australian retailer and one of Australia’s largest private-sector employers, with more than 113,000 team members. We are also the largest private-sector employer of Indigenous Australians.
Our Sustainability Strategy has a key role in realising our vision and purpose by focusing on sustainable communities, sustainable products and sustainable environmental practices.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) partner
Better Sydney
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
Better Sydney provides training, enables collaboration, and supports best practice around sustainable supply chains, human rights and modern slavery solutions to help you work better. With years of experience and a network of experts we raise awareness, inspire action and develop solutions to move your organisation towards a more sustainable future.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) partner
15 Times Better
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
15 Times Better is a First Nations owned and led business that works with organisations to accelerate their First Nations impact and help to permanently close the gaps for First Nations people. We create the organisational knowledge and skills needed to go beyond action for enduring First Nations impact.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) partner
Horizon Communications Group
SDG 13: Climate action
Horizon Communication Group is an award-winning, independent strategic communications agency devoted to working on the work that matters. Beyond making a real difference for their clients and their community, Horizon wants to help make the world a better place.
Delegate Passes
2-Day Pass
1-Day Pass
Virtual Pass
2-Day Pass
1-Day Pass
Virtual Pass
Single
Table of 10
Partnership enquiries
For all partnership enquiries please contact: partnerships@unglobalcompact.org.au
Natasha: 0409 790 530
Abdul: 0433 159 345
