Creating Value and Resilience: Insights from Sips & Sustainability

The demand for Australian businesses to operate more sustainably is ever-increasing and mandatory ESG reporting is just around the corner. As sustainability climbs the ranks of priorities for companies, consumers, and government agencies, businesses must not only assess their own practices, but the sustainability efforts of their suppliers.

So, why is sustainability so important? How can it create environmental, commercial and people value? And, most importantly, what can we do today to support sustainability in our organisations?

These critical questions were at the centre of an expert panel discussion at November’s Sips & Sustainability event hosted by the EFC Network and Platinum Partner, CHG-MERIDIAN. The gathering brought together business leaders and sustainability experts for an afternoon of insightful discussions, meaningful networking and tasty appetisers.

The esteemed panellists, Allard Pheifer, Global Lead – Sustainability at CHG-MERIDIAN, Ayala Domani, Vice President – Technology & Innovation at NEC Australia and Luigi Toda, Head of Climate Adaption at Marsh took to the stage to discuss how sustainability is reshaping the business landscape and shared actionable insights to help fellow members accelerate their sustainability journeys.

Luigi Toda kicked off the discussion with an overview of Australia’s ESG landscape, emphasising the importance of risk management in sustainability strategies. He explained how businesses must assess not only their own environmental and social impacts but also those within their supply chains to meet emerging regulatory and market expectations.

Allard Pheifer, shared how circularity – where the repair and reuse of materials is prioritised over recycling – promises not only to improve the environmental performance, but unlock commercial and people value too. In the context of technology, businesses that opt in for a usage model for their workplace IT, such as leasing or device as a service, see a reduction in ewaste production and their carbon footprint due to the repair and reuse of technology at the end of the use period. Through a technology usage model, businesses also see a reduction in their total cost of ownership and are able to seamlessly keep up to date with technological innovation.

Ayala Domani demonstrated how technology serves as a powerful enabler of sustainability. Ayala shared how NEC has leveraged cutting-edge tools to reduce its carbon footprint and was awarded #2 in Time Magazine’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2024. From AI-driven solutions to energy-efficient infrastructure, NEC’s initiatives illustrate the tangible benefits of innovation in addressing climate challenges.

Key takeaways:

• Governments and large corporates are prioritising sustainability and businesses without the minimum requirements will miss out on business opportunities
• The linear procurement mindset – take, use and throw away – is a key driver of environmental harm and businesses with this mindset are losing value in their investments,
• Circular business models, such as laptop leasing, are more efficient and can help businesses retain commercial value sustainably,
• The sustainability team is not solely responsible for sustainability performance; the entire leadership team needs to get employees on board
• Choosing the right business partners along the supply chain that prioritise performance and sustainability can help businesses on their own journeys
• Regularly assessing, tracking, and reporting on sustainability performance enables businesses to identify new opportunities and risks

Thank you to our EFC Network members who attended and CHG-MERIDIAN for hosting the event. CHG-MERIDIAN and the Essendon Football Club Business Network are proud to lead these critical conversations, helping businesses navigate the complexities of sustainability while unlocking opportunities for growth and resilience.

CHG-MERIDIAN supports EFC Network members maximise the value of their technology investments via customised leasing and device as a service solutions. If your business is planning a technology upgrade (such as your laptop fleet) or you would like to learn how you can manage your technology in a more cost-effective and sustainable way, please get in touch with Taj on the below:

Taj Aujla
Key Account Manager
taj.aujla@chg-meridian.com
+61 409130022

Who are CHG-MERIDIAN?

CHG-MERIDIAN is a leading technology leasing and financial solution partner for IT, industrial, and healthcare technology. CHG-MERIDIAN supports its customers along the entire technology lifecycle, from finance, procurement, and use to data erasure, refurbishing, and remarketing of used devices. Their customers benefit from a customised solution that helps them reduce their technology costs and improve asset management in line with the circular economy. All of this is underpinned by tesma, CHG-MERIDIAN’s asset management platform that helps businesses take control of their technology and associated costs.