A sustainable business isn’t just about being eco-friendly, it’s future-proofing your business, reducing costs, staying competitive and rising to customer demands for responsible business practices.

City of Melbourne is hosting a special event designed to help small and medium businesses thrive and lead the way in sustainability.

In this inspiring and practical two-hour event, we explore ways to grow your business with purpose and make a meaningful impact through Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices. These practices align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global call to action - for people, planet and prosperity by 2030.

🔍 What to expect:

Lightning talks from local business leaders and experts on reducing waste, inclusive hiring, ethical leadership and more.
Interactive breakouts to explore ESG actions and their SDG connections.
Innovation spotlights featuring sustainable solutions from local businesses.
Tools and resources to support your sustainability action plan going forward.
Networking and lasting connections for your business to commit and collaborate towards a sustainable future.

This event also marks the launch of the SDG Align toolkit, a free and bespoke, digital education and enablement platform to promote the SDGs and encourage awareness and action for businesses in the city of Melbourne.

Whether you're just starting your sustainability journey or looking to deepen your impact, this event offers tools, inspiration, and community.

🔍 The details:

📅 Date: Wednesday 27 August

🕒 Time: 6pm - 8pm

📍 Location: For Purpose Impact Accelerator Hub at Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation (Level 4, 454 Queen Street, Melbourne)

🎟️ Tickets: Free – Registration required and please advise us of any dietary requirements for catering purposes.

Let’s build a thriving, sustainable Melbourne making a global impact—one business at a time.

Guest speakers:

Luke Philips, Into Carry and Into Coffee

Luke is an Industrial Designer turned circular innovator with a passion for connecting and educating communities. In 2019 he started design studio, Into Carry, to help rebuild product life cycles for circular economies. Today Into Carry has evolved into an upcycling platform empowering individuals to create value from the 'waste' materials they interact with every day. Luke also owns and runs zero-waste cafe Into Coffee, a community-driven cafe focused on bridging the gap between interest and action for climate solutions.

Llawella Forrest, Purpose Precinct and STREAT

Llawela Forrest is the General Manager of the Purpose Precinct at Queen Victoria Market, an Australia-first initiative led by social enterprise STREAT to grow Victoria’s social enterprise sector, and home to the City of Melbourne’s second Circular Economy Precinct. Formerly Chief Marketing & Philanthropy Officer at Engineers Without Borders Australia, she has also almost completed a Master of Social Impact at Swinburne University.

Harris Ryan, Meals with Impact

Harris is the co-founder and managing director at Meals with Impact, a work integrated social enterprise based in Melbourne's CBD. He is a social entrepreneur at heart and qualified chef by trade. has strong experience leading teams of CALD women, applying his extensive hospitality management to develop the responsive work-integrated training model.

This event is delivered in partnership with SDG Align

Drinks provided by No Offence Wines

More than just a drink - wine has the power to bring people together, spark conversation and inspire action. Impress guests and inspire employees with unique pop-up wine bars and tasting experiences showcasing sustainability and circularity in action. Featuring high quality wines from independent Victorian wine makers, served fresh on tap from stainless steel kegs. Wine for people who give a damn about the planet!