The Common Good Project

The NSW State Chamber of Commerce has launched a new project aimed at bringing business and the community closer together.

It’s called ‘The Common Good – a Blueprint for Responsible Business’ and it’s described as the first of its kind in Australia.

The project focuses specifically on corporate social responsibility for the wider business community and the implications of the triple bottom line on business planning.

This project comes hard on the heels of the recent Federal Government report on Corporate Community Involvement.

The Chief Executive Officer of the State Chamber of Commerce in NSW, Katie Lahey says the chamber recognised the need for a business-based initiative that helps our members and the wider corporate world come to grips with their place in the community.

‘The project will support businesses in developing the triple bottom line – we will provide research and examples of best practice and show companies how they can measure their community involvement.

The program will also have a special interest in issues affecting regional communities.

‘The Common Good’ project will demonstrate the long-term financial benefits to businesses which adopt a more proactive approach to social issues. Research from the United Kingdom shows that companies are finding that developing a reputation for decency could become as important as being green.

Katie Lahey says the program will not just be focused on major corporations.

‘We want to work with small and medium-sized companies because we know they are the real powerhouse of our economy.’

The project has attracted initial sponsorship from Waste Service (NSW) and Energy Australia, which have become the corporate stakeholders in the project.

For more information contact the NSW State Chamber of Commerce on 02 9350 8100.