Global Goals - Good for the World and Good for Business
Honeywell is a Sydney Opera House Global Goals Partner. Our Global Goals Partners support our commitment to the Goals and enable us to inspire positive change.
Sustainability has fast become a major priority for corporations globally. Rising sea levels, extreme weather patterns, and an increase in global emissions regulations have shown businesses that climate action is vital to their long-term goals.
Environmentalism is no longer confined to the fringes of society. It’s become a social and financial imperative, and change must be driven in partnership with community and business.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are part of a global call for commitment to the betterment of humanity and the planet. The goals provide a holistic roadmap for positive social and environmental change, critically underpinned by the power of partnerships.
Specifically, the sustainability-focused goals can help guide businesses on a pathway to reduce their carbon impact. It also sends a message to stakeholders that you’re acting on your company’s values and making positive change.
Making these type of fundamental changes to an organisation – or our society as a whole – can’t be done in a silo. It takes collaboration and innovation from both the public and private sectors. Collaborative innovations are vital to the sustainable and continued reduction of emissions. They can also aim to elevate social sustainability and economic prosperity. Just like in the boardroom, it’s important to build on a range of skills to get the best outcomes.
As we’ve seen with successful international partnerships in Antarctica or onboard the International Space Station (ISS), scientific research and innovation is more valuable shared than hoarded.
These partnerships operate on a common goal, and an understanding that a collective mission is stronger than an individual one.
The quid pro quo isn’t just for material gains. Partnering for shared values and philosophies can have big impacts on community attitudes.
This is why it was important for us to work with the globally iconic Sydney Opera House as cultural institutions play an important role in inspiring change and building a more environmentally focused and more equitable future. The work we do with the Sydney Opera House as one of its UN Global Goals Partner for sustainability and diversity and inclusion is to support initiatives that encourage positive social and environmental change and reduce its energy consumption while creating an ideal experience for its nearly 11 million visitors every year.
“Honeywell is helping us demonstrate how technological and engineering is contributing to positive change through innovation and creativity. We have been working together to transform the way the Opera House operates. Smart technology helps us monitor and control the building to optimise guest and performer comfort while reducing energy consumption and our carbon footprint.
“This partnership is the perfect example of how arts organisations and businesses can work together to reduce carbon footprint and inspire our community to do the same,” said Emma Bombonato, environmental sustainability manager, Sydney Opera House.
This partnership isn’t just about installing new technologies, but about furthering our shared commitment to sustainability and to support our community by finding other valuable ways to make impact together, like the creation of a new Opera House graduate role for a First Nations student this year. The Sydney Opera House is uniquely positioned to help effectively spread the messages of environmental and social sustainability faster and wider due to its reach and worldwide renown.
It’s not just them. The Eiffel Tower upgraded its cooling system which uses an ultra-low-global warming potential refrigerant (GWP) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is more efficient than the prior system. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid upgraded its building systems to meet the EU’s 2020 climate and energy directives. These venues expose millions of people every year to examples of sustainability in action.
Collaborating with organisations that advocate for environmental and social change is simply good for business.
Governments around the world are catching up with environmental demands and setting ambitious climate goals, brought on in part by this collective voice and action. Culture, private-sector, and government are getting on the same page, but this takes work from everyone.
Creating a better, more sustainable future for all is possible through collaboration and value-aligned partnerships.
This article was first published on 14 February 2023 on ecovoice.com.au.