2021 Impact Report
While environmental, social, economic and governance outcomes lie within organisational sightlines, impact is an additional perspective on change that explores how organisational activities are experienced in the long term by the planet, by people and through prosperity. Impacts are the changes that quadruple bottom line outcomes are designed to facilitate, such as contributing effectively to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Impacts lie some way ahead. We may not be able to see them clearly or quickly, or attribute them easily to specific actions. Yet, pathways to impact lie immediately before us. Through the pathway of creating ‘liveable communities’, for instance, we can build Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and forge Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3). Through the pathway of building a ‘circular economy’, we can develop sustainable Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9) and manage Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12). There are many such pathways to generating desirable impacts on planet, people, prosperity and the industry. Some others include ‘conserved ecosystems’, ‘adaptive capacity’, ‘sustainability-aligned governance’ and a ‘healthy, inclusive workforce’.
We explore numerous pathways through four impact themes – planet, people, prosperity and the industry – across 26 industry case studies.
Our 2021 Impact Report is split into three sections:
- The Infrastructure Sustainability Council – who we are and how we are governed
- Setting our ambitions – how we are progressing against our strategic goals
- Pathways to impact – how the industry is expanding its perspective beyond outcomes to longer term impacts
We thank all our partners who have contributed to this report; in particular, our report sponsor ANZ.
