The Sustainability Agenda for Public Sector Bodies

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The Programme

To respond to pressing global issues and delivering on corresponding Governments policies, public sector entities and public benefit organisations are embracing and implementing a range of sustainability and climate initiatives. In addition, the manner, nature and extent of sustainability reporting is evolving which requires companies and organisations (be they public, private or non-profit) to report beyond the financials and product or service delivery performance. More is expected of organisations today than has been the case heretofore, including, how they interact with the environment, with the local community, how they treat their staff and stakeholders and other factors.

Sustainability reporting can incorporate environmental considerations (e.g. energy usage and savings, waste, carbon footprint), social considerations (e.g. gender pay metrics, Human Rights, support of staff development and well-being) and governance considerations (e.g. transparency, ethics, code and statutory compliance), and gives stakeholders a better picture of the health of the company or organisation  encapsulated in its triple bottom line (TBL).

Who is this for?

This course will aim at exploring the theme of sustainability, with a view to building knowledge and providing practical guidance and ideas for those charged with the governance of public bodies and public benefit entities. These include, but not limited to, Board and sub-Committees members, Internal Auditors, senior management and those in leadership positions.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this training, participants will: 

• Understand the key tenets of the sustainability agenda (policy framework)
• Appreciate the role of Board and senior management and others in driving and reporting on organisational sustainability performance
• Consider how to commence and embed sustainability initiatives in organisations 
• Be familiar with sustainability reporting terminology, frameworks and what it means in practical terms 
   

Course Content

The course will cover the following areas: 

• What is sustainability and sustainability reporting?
• What can the frameworks tell us about reporting?
• What are the norms and standards and how can these be adopted?
• Who leads on sustainability in an organisation?

Course Leader

This briefing will be delivered by members of our experienced Governance Team: Dr Deirdre Bane, Dr Nicolas Marcoux, Kate O’Donnell and Dr Tom Ward.