ALIGNING CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES TO CORE BUSINESS – A CASE STUDY

This paper explores why aligning corporate sustainability strategies with the core objectives of the business is crtitical to the success of a retail water utility. It describes the business case for sustainability in the context of a South East Water, a retail water utility in Victoria, Australia, together with how core sustainability drivers underpin South East Water's business. The paper describes South East Water's journey in operationalising sustainability through establishing management tools and using internal programs to raise employee awareness of sustainability issues. Finally, the paper discussesSouth East Water's successes and challenges of implementing these programs so that the organization can achieve its vision through sustainable decision-making.