ESG-whizz! The case for sustainable business has well and truly been made.

Master of Commerce student Lachlan Finch is a winner of the 2022 Natoli Student Ethics Competition for a postgraduate student.

“ESG-whizz!” – it’s a fair response to the overwhelming evidence stacked in favour of running businesses sustainably – not just for greater profit, but for security of funding, management of risk, consumer confidence… the list goes on.

But how do we frame “sustainability” in the practice of business, you ask? Great question. The almost universal answer you’ll receive is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals or “SDGs” - a list of 17 pursuits geared towards make our global society more… well, sustainable! ESG goal posts, United Nations style.

Not only is it possible for businesses to kick between these goal posts, it is downright better for them to do so: and the proof is in the pudding (a sustainably sourced pudding of course). Investment in sustainability is growing at an unrivalled pace, public companies making strides with ESG are avoiding massive investor headaches experienced by their peers, and even during market downturns ESG equity funds writ large are proving more resilient than the rest. Talk about sweet!

Want a home-grown example? Say no more. Introducing ASX-listed market darling Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX:VUL). Vulcan is becoming the world’s first lithium producer with net zero greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonising EV supply chains in the process: that’s profit + purpose from the get go. But it gets better: Vulcan is certified as carbon neutral under Australia’s climate active standard, it’s Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project has been deemed not just carbon neutral but carbon negative (!), and the firm’s entire sustainability framework is specifically underpinned by 10 of the 17 UN SDGs. The results are astounding: a project NPV of €2.256B, enormous success raising cash from investors, and a share price appreciation of over 1,600% in less than 2 years.

Case closed.