Choosing the ‘Why’ in Sustainability Performance Measurement

AUSTRALIA / AGILITYPR.NEWS / May 04, 2021 / In Aurecon’s latest Thinking Paper, Senior Environment & Planning Consultant Ellen Worthington, argues that there should be a shift towards the measurement of sustainability performance on major projects, whatever the industry. Ellen believes the focus can often be too late or centred around ‘ticking the box’ compliance, missing the opportunity for true sustainability leadership with a project-specific strategy and objectives.

Thinking Paper excerpt:

Stories are everything – in sustainability as in life. By framing the context, setting meaningful targets, and measuring a project’s sustainability outcomes, they build a narrative that gives genuine meaning to the data and evidence. Engaging the project team, stakeholders and community early in a project’s development is part of the storytelling approach.

The sustainability narrative tells the story of a project’s outcomes, why they were pursued and their tangible measured benefits.

Sustainability leaders are wielding the power of narrative to engage project teams, stakeholders, and communities on the four pillars of sustainability and how these contextually relate to project performance management. Growing demands from project owners, governments, and communities, for transparency of sustainability performance and disclosure, means prioritising this storytelling as an imperative for success.

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This article was first published as an Aurecon Thinking Paper.