Resources for businesses

National Carbon Offset Standard (NCOS)

The Australian Government introduced the National Carbon Offset Standard to provide guidance on voluntary carbon emissions offsets. NCOS sets minimum requirements for calculating, auditing and offsetting the carbon footprint of an organisation, product or event, to voluntarily achieve 'carbon neutrality', which can be an important marketing advantage for business.

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA)

GECA certifies goods and services that are better environmental choices. It is also the only Australian member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN). Certified goods and services include building & interiors, cleaning products, stationery, personal care and flooring.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)

The GRI provides tools to help businesses, governments and other organisations understand and report on the environmental, social and economic impacts of their activities. It sets out international standards that can apply to organisations of all types around the world.

Business disaster resilience resources

The Tasmanian Climate Change Office has worked closely with a broad range of stakeholders to develop a suite of resources to help Tasmanian businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from, natural disasters such as bushfires and floods. The resources, including a Business Continuity Plan template, factsheets and checklists, are available on the Business Tasmania website.

Disaster recovery resources from CPA (Certified Practising Accountants) Australia

Any business can be affected by the impacts of a natural disaster, such as fire, flood or drought.
The CPA Disaster Recovery Toolkit has been prepared to help businesses take a considered, systematic approach to the many elements of recovery following a disaster.

National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF)

NCCARF has published a report, Climate Change Adaptation In Industry and Business, which provides guidance for boards and executive managers to incorporate climate change adaptation into their existing governance principles. It helps businesses to consider risk management and governance, as well as financial impact disclosure to investors and regulators, when taking steps to adapt to climate change

Enterprise Suitability Mapping

Enterprise suitability maps can help farmers to match local soil and climate information with the right crops for the conditions. The maps will show how different climate scenarios determine where a range of crops can be productively grown.

The maps are derived from a combination of digital soil mapping, localised climate data and crop rules. This process allows a farmer or investor to short-list potential crops or enterprises for further investigation. The likely risks or barriers to growing the crops can also be identified.

In 2014-15, the Tasmanian Climate Change Office supported a project showing how five crops (poppies, wheat, potatoes, wine grapes and barley)  could be productively grown in the future under different climate scenarios. More information is available on our Industry projects page.

Fert$mart

Fert$mart is a Dairy Australia program, which was developed to improve the effectiveness of fertiliser use, and to improve soil health on Australian dairy farms.

Fert$mart will help farmers respond to the impacts of climate change by enabling them to regulate their fertiliser and irrigation practices to suit variations in rainfall patterns and intensity. Fert$mart is based on the 4R principle: delivering the right product, at the right rate, at the right time, in the right place, which is particularly important in irrigated farming systems.

The Fert$mart video case study ‘Dairy cares for Derwent’ is now available to watch on the DairyTas YouTube channel.

Climate Kelpie

Climate Kelpie provides climate risk management information and tools to help farmers make decisions about their farm business.

Cool Cows

The Cool Cows program is a Dairy Australia initiative to help farmers adapt to climate variability. The trend toward higher temperatures means cows are more likely to suffer from heat stress. The Cool Cows program offers dairy farmers information and tools to help stay ahead of heat stress.

Climate Change and Agriculture

The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) website contains a number of information sheets which address the impacts of climate change on agriculture. They provide useful information on the opportunities and risks of a changing climate across a range of Tasmanian agricultural sectors, such as red meat, dairy, wool, wheat and crop production. They also provide information on soil carbon storage and how to improve on-farm emissions performance.

The National Banksia Foundation awards

The Banksia Awards raise the profile of the environmental issues facing Australia, and recognise those whose environmental excellence and sustainability initiatives are an example for others to follow.

The Australian Business Award for Sustainability

This Australian Business Award for Sustainability recognises businesses that show leadership and commitment to sustainable business practices.

Ecospecifier

Ecospecifier is a free online database that provides information and training to the building and construction sector on environmentally friendly products, materials and technologies.

Green Star rating system

The purpose of the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating system is to assist the property industry to:

• reduce the environmental impact of buildings
• improve productivity and the health of the people working and living in buildings
• save money, and
• demonstrate innovation in sustainable building practices.

The system includes Green Rating tools for a number of building sectors

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)

NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures the environmental performance of buildings, tenancies and homes. NABERS measures energy efficiency, indoor environment quality, waste management and water use. This information is then converted into a star rating scale. NABERS is managed by the NSW State Government on behalf of Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments.

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme

In 2007, Australia introduced a national framework for corporations to report on their greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and energy production. . Corporations that meet an NGER threshold must collect data and keep records about their greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use and production, so they can report each year.

Green Marketing and the Law

The Green Marketing and the Australian Consumer Law Guide helps manufacturers, suppliers and advertisers assess the strength of their environmental claims, and improve the accuracy and usefulness to consumers of labelling, packaging and advertising.

Energy Rating

Energy Rating is Australia's leading guide to choosing energy efficient appliances. It is also available as a mobile app.

ECO-Buy

This is a not-for-profit organisation that supports businesses in making sustainable purchasing choices. ECO-Buy provides a wide range of services and resources, including ECO-Find, which is a comprehensive online directory of independently assessed green products and suppliers.

Bulk food purchasing

Consider bulk purchasing of fruit and vegetables through orgnisations like the e-farmers market Fork to Fork, run by Sprout Tasmania.

Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES)

The SRES provides financial incentives to support the installation of small-scale systems, such as solar water heaters, solar panels, air source heat pumps, wind or hydro systems.

The level of subsidy depends on the size of the system and its location. Businesses considering installing small-scale renewable energy systems are encouraged to shop around for the best deal.

ClimateWorks Australia

ClimateWorks Australia is an independent, research-based, not-for-profit organisation, with a focus on reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions through partnerships with business and governments. ClimateWorks also provides a number of resources to help businesses implement energy efficiencies and increase their resilience to climate change.

In 2014, ClimateWorks released the Energy Management and Company Competitiveness report which demonstrated how companies can improve their financial performance and limit their exposure to future energy price rises by improving their energy management practices.

Clean Energy Council

In 2015, the Clean Energy Council released the Guide to Improving Electricity Use in Your Business. This guide is aimed at helping small- to medium-sized businesses improve the way they use energy and reduce operating costs.

Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP)

Increasing resource efficiency can help to reduce your business costs, improve resilience and protect the environment. In June 2020, TCCO completed the Business Resource Efficiency Program (BREP), to help Tasmanian businesses review their resource use and find ways to improve it. Program resources such as videos, case studies and fact sheets could help your business too.

Green Steps

Green Steps is a not-for-profit organisation that provides training courses to support sustainability in the workplace. The courses provide attendees with the necessary skills and tools to gather environmental data and understand the barriers to improving sustainability, including changing behaviours and implementing energy savings measures.

Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria provides information and tools for businesses, households, schools and communities, to help them reduce their impact on the environment.