Imagine the City of Melbourne (CoM) as a global showcase — a living example of how local government engages with business, drives actions towards sustainable development, circular practices, inclusivity, and prosperity.
That vision isn’t a distant dream. It happened on August 27th during the launch of the City of Melbourne SDG Align Business engagement program. And the message is clear: Melbourne is backing local businesses to step confidently into a future where Sustainability Delivers Growth with a Purpose.
A Clear Direction for Business
Across Australia, the momentum toward net zero is accelerating. The Federal Government’s legislated 43% emissions reduction target by 2030 — and tas set a national target to reduce emissions by 62–70% below 2005 levels by 2035 — gives businesses a clear direction of travel.
Melbourne is reporting progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals through its Voluntary Local Review, so the ambitions are visible on the global stage. It’s a competitive market with Brisbane preparing to host Olympic Games in 2032, fully aligned with the SDGs.
These milestones aren’t just policy signals — they show how climate action and business opportunity now go hand in hand.
From Linear to Circular – and Local
Nationally, the new Australian Circular Economy Framework sets targets out to 2035, recognising that shifting from a linear “take–make–waste” model to a circular one is essential if we’re serious about achieving climate goals, cutting waste, and strengthening regional economies.
Victoria is going even further. The state has committed to halving emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2045. It’s investing heavily in renewable energy, electrification, and circular initiatives — and Melbourne has declared a climate emergency, sourcing 100% renewable energy for its operations and rolling out business-led programs like Going Circular and now this one.
There’s a broader trend at play too. John Elkington’s 2025 Global Survey shows that while sustainability faces resistance in parts of the US and Europe, optimism is growing here in the Asia-Pacific — and especially in Victoria. Sustainability isn’t just policy anymore. It’s how business is done.
Let’s Be Honest About the Challenge
As a business owner myself with SDG Align, I understand the realities. It’s not easy to change how you operate while managing cash flow, rising material costs, increasing labour expenses, and the pressure to keep your best people.
That’s exactly why we built the SDG Align Toolkit — to make the process practical and achievable. It helps you understand your sustainability impacts, implement change step by step, and commit to local action with global impact.
Because global impact doesn’t start in parliaments or boardrooms. It starts right here — with you, your team, your customers, and your suppliers. That’s the heartbeat of change.
Sustainability is a Capability, Not a Cost
Here’s the simple but powerful idea behind the program the Council launched: sustainability is not a cost — it’s a capability. It’s a competitive advantage that builds:
- Resilience into your business and supply chain
- Relevance into your brand and customer relationships
- Commitment to your staff and community over the long term
It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about chasing buzzwords or ticking boxes. It’s about building momentum. It’s about knowing where you are today and taking meaningful, practical steps forward — with support available when you need it.
Taking the First Step
This program offers three key things to help your business move forward:
- the City of Melbourne Branded SDG Align Toolkit to assess and grow your sustainability impact
- Connections and peer support from people who’ve already walked this path.
- A framework to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals — not as theory, but as practical action in a Melbourne CBD context.
This isn’t about being inspired for one night and forgetting about it. It’s about taking the next step — and the one after that.
How the SDG Align Toolkit Supports the IP&R Framework
Embedding the SDG Align toolkit within the City’s Integrated Planning & Reporting (IPR) framework creates multiple benefits:
- Stakeholder mobilisation: By giving businesses a pathway to contribute, the CoM enhances its ability to meet the IP&R ambition of broad stakeholder engagement.
- Strategic coherence: Instead of multiple disparate programmes, there is one common language (the SDGs) linking Council, business and community.
- Operational clarity: Businesses receive structured support to understand their role, which means the Council can better rely on partners contributing to shared goals.
- Measurement-driven action: With data dashboards, localised targets, the business toolkit and maturity models, both the Council and its partner organisations can track, report and improve.
- Adaptive governance: The toolkit’s emphasis on maturity and continuous improvement supports Melbourne’s iterative planning cycle – planning, doing, monitoring, reviewing, adjusting.
A Movement for Sustainable Business
A heartfelt thanks goes to the City of Melbourne — especially Emma Forster and Kate Henderson — for backing this initiative and helping bring it to life.
The event was more then a launch. It was the start of a local movement — one that proves sustainable business can deliver growth with a purpose, in the heart of Melbourne.
Because real change doesn’t wait for tomorrow or the perfect plan.
It starts with the first step. And tomorrow starts today.
