Sustainable Business Network

In January 2015, CEO Rachel Brown said there was strong demand for an ethical and sustainable KiwiSaver provider, which was not being met by the current market: "There's a mismatch between their criteria and the options that are being presented through ethical funds at the moment." A survey the SBN had conducted of 1,400 people in June 2014 indicated that 90 percent of people wanted a sustainable Kiwisaver option, while 97 percent would actually move to one if the rate of return was the same as conventional schemes.[1] Brown said she was in talks with a number of banks interested in setting up green KiwiSaver funds, which she hoped would launch in 2016.[1]

In January 2015, it was announced that the New Zealand Marketing Association, the SBN, and GoodSense Learning were to launch a world-leading online professional course in green marketing called "Sustainable Marketing Online".[2][3]

To achieve its vision of making New Zealand a model sustainable nation, SBN focuses its activity around four transformation areas it sees as critical for New Zealand:

• Renewables: enabling the use of renewable energy
• Community: building thriving communities
• Mega efficiency: maximising the use of all resources
• Restorative: enhancing New Zealand’s natural capital

All of the SBS's projects and activities are aligned with one or more of these transformation areas.

Members are given access to resources and knowledge that facilitates them becoming a more sustainable business. A membership fee is paid to the SBN based on the organisation’s turnover. Once a member, the company is introduced into the network of other SBN members where they can share each other’s knowledge and come to events to hear other members speak. Members are profiled on the SBN membership directory, receive discounts to national events, and are invited to participate in the NZI National Sustainable Business Network Awards as business transformation projects.

Members also have access to SBN tools such as the Get Sust Online assessment tool which allows companies to track progress, see where they could improve, how they stack against other companies and gives them access to resources. Other member benefits include participation in business transformation projects and access to the Carbon4Good Calculator, which allows companies to view their emissions and shows them how to offset these emissions.