Sustainability Assessment Report for Timberwell Constructions

This report assesses sustainability at Timberwell Constructions company with close reference to the Consolidated Set of GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards 2016 on areas of economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and social sustainability.

Civil Engineering: Unit Mba402
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A sustainability assessment report for Timberwell Constructions.
1. Introduction
GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards) since its formation in the late 1990s
have been the chief global pioneer on sustainability reporting to businesses governments as well
as organizations. The impact of business on critical sustainability continues to be well
understood and communicated through the GRI standards. This has earned the GRI reporting
framework an astounding reputation as the most widely used and trusted sustainability reporting
globally. The notable distinctive elements of this framework include but not limited to: multi-
stakeholder input, shared development costs, a record of use and endorsement, government
references and activities, and most importantly, independence. Timberwell Constructions, a
residential development company based at Stanwell council district seems to experience serious
competition with issues of fair work commission, anticompetitive conduct, corruption, disregard
to environment and energy regulations from its rivals (Thangavel, 2016). At least 17 of his
employees have shifted to competitive organization and multiple complaints lodged against
Timberwell constructions. To restore and correct its reputation in the market, the company
continues to intensify its public relations campaigns. This report specifically assesses
sustainability at Timberwell Constructions company with close reference to the Consolidated Set
of GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards 2016 on areas of economic sustainability,
environmental sustainability, and social sustainability.
Sustainability centers around gathering the necessities of the present without trading off the
capacity of future ages to address their issues ("Environmental Sustainability and Environmental
Values", 2019). The idea of sustainability is made out of three columns economic,
environmental, and social—additionally referred to casually as benefits, planet, and people
(Demosthenous, et al., 2011).
2. Sustainability assessment areas
2.1 Economic sustainability.
This includes Monetary implications and other risks besides prospects due to climate change
("Pillar: Economic Sustainability", 2017), established episodes of corruption and actions
engaged, and Lawful arrangements for anti-competitive conduct, anti-trust, and monopoly
practices (Esmaeel & Sukati, 2015). These aspects upon considerations should basis a fair
understanding of the Timberwell Constructions company economic sustainability performance.

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2.1.1 Financial consequences and further risks and prospects owing to climate
change
Competition from rival firms have made it difficult to retain staff especially when financial
incentives and renumerations appear more appealing in rival organizations or private business
enterprises (Decker, 2017). Individual complaints registered against the company appear to soak
the company in expenses through legal settlement and compensations. For instance,
unsatisfactory and discrimination policy saw $4,400 in compensation being awarded to former
employee as directed by the fair work commission. Moreover, terminations of existing contracts
with its suppliers and consultants as well as suspension of five key employees of Timberwell
constructions found culpable in corruption appears to worsen financial drain as such instances
only account as liabilities and risks to the company.
In regards to opportunities to climate change, Timberwell indicates its vigorous exercise and
spending in realizing impact assessments, local community participation and establishments of
societal development plans for all projected built-up developments (Idowu & Schmidpeter,
2015). In liaison with the Stanwell council, Timberwell continues to register compliance the
council’s planned modifications to its Local Environmental Plan (LEP). This includes proposals
to rezone certain areas considered as bushfire prone in answer to warming resulting from climate
change effects and amplified instances of bush fires (Leemans & Solecki, 2013). This proposed
modification could charge the company at least $4 million as one of its development sites occurs
within the rezoned area. The company also cleared 0.45 ha of censoriously threatened ecological
municipal coastal grasslands attracting costs of not less than $440,000 in rehabilitation costs.
2.1.2 Established occasions of corruption and actions engaged
To ensure success of the company development applications, 2 of its corporate associates and
five of its employees offered kickbacks to council’s development officers during the council’s
endorsement procedure hence interfering with the council’s independence and free
determinations. The corruption commissions charged individually all the 5 staffs and an external
consultant with corruption. Timberwell company suspended the five workers with no pay then
concluded its corporation with the 2 associate consultants charged with bribery.
2.1.3 Legal proceedings for hostile to anti-competitive conduct, against trust,
and imposing business model practices

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) founded procedures in the
Central Court of law against the company for anticompetitive conduct including abuse of market
influence and selective transactions. The ACCC claimed that Timberwell ended up aware that an
assembly of region constructors was proposing to build up a competing development association.
In light of this aggressive risk, the ACCC stated senior Timberwell officers instructed dealers
and contractual workforces that in the event that they were included with the new development
association they would have their association with Timberwell substantially moderated or fully
deferred. The ACCC stated that the company had with this lead to stop or averting another
contestant in the development showcase within the district locale, or generously weakening
challenge in the market.
Like environmental sustainability, economic sustainability consists of making monetary
incentive out of whatever undertaking or choice you are endeavored. Economic sustainability
infers that adoptions are made in the most impartial and economically stable way conceivable
while thinking about dissimilar parts of sustainability. As a principle, activities and adoptions
must be provided in view of the long-haul profits (as an alternative of merely the momentary
rewards).
3. Environmental sustainability
3.1 Energy consumption
Among the key parameters of sustainable development include efficiency in energy use with
minimal pollution or emissions to the environment (Moody-Stuart, 2014). This includes
intensification on environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources (Nulman & Özkula,
2016). The Australian Department of Industry and science prescribes energy utilitiesperiodically
to check on energy efficiency and utility. Based on such prescriptions, the company energy
utility board is as shown in figure-1.
Figure-1. Timberwell energy consumption table.
3.2 Significant impacts on biodiversity

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Environment Impact Assessment at the Timberwell’s Otford Park development reveals that site
is habitation to the endangered wallum sedge frog. This renders development on the site
ecologically unsuitable as it endangers the habitat hence has negative implications on the wallum
sedge frog species. This clearly is a threat to the local site biodiversity. Warming effects of
climate change and augmented risks of bush fires in the district compounds to the growing
indicative features of impacts of uncontrolled development and non-compliance to land zoning
systems to cushion or safeguard against such risks. Timberwell construction company is noted to
have occupied a considerable area within the rezoned area as bush fire prone as per the latest
Local Environmental Plan. These activities arguable poses growing concerns on environment
biodiversity and sustainability (Rockwood, Stewart, & Dietz, 2016).
3.3 Environmental laws and guidelines non-compliance
The company’s cooperation with the Local Environment Plan remain to be termed successful as
the company is reported to be acting in acquiescence with district council’s amendments on
environment. Once specific areas in the Stanwell district within the Timberwell constructions’
development areas are marked as prone to bushfire, the company is required to comply to
complex standards, and guidelines of bushfire protection in the rezoned parts. Such standards
shall consist of greater reserves between structures and land borders in addition to the usage of
fire-retardant construction material. This amendment is expected to be on course in the next 6
weeks.
In a genuinely sustainable environment, a biological structure would look after populaces,
biodiversity, and commonly speaking practicality over an all-encompassing timeframe.
Preferably, adoptions that are made should advance balance within our characteristic outlines
and look to provision constructive development. Pointless disconcerting effects to nature should
be kept away from at whatever point possible. In the event that there is an aggravation, it ought
to be relieved to the most extreme feasible step. At the point when adoptions are finished, one
piece of the talk must consistently be the natural impacts of the planned outcome or result.
There are a few things that are legitimately identified with ecological maintainability. One of the
ideas that is absolutely critical is the correct administration of our regular assets. Utilizing the Z-
squared way to deal with sustainability, we can limit our effects to nature. Now and again we can

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even advance living space reclamation and safeguarding as intends to arrange a fruitful answer
for an issue.
4. Social sustainability
Social sustainability is a practice for creating practical effective locales that development
success, by being thoughtful of what persons need from the environment they inhabit. Social
sustainability joins structure of the corporeal sphere with plan of the communal ecosphere – basis
to help communal and community life, societal courtesies, outlines for native commitment, and
space for individuals and places to develop (Ohmer, 2019). The following aspects of social
sustainability at Timberwell Construction company are explored.
4.1 New employee hires and employee turnover
The company has a staff of fifty-eight males from the district having specific professions and
trades in the field of construction. Locally, the market has grown competitive hence issues of
employee turnover and hires are notably on the rise. Specifically, at Timberwell the employee
turnover appears voluntary with no cases of involuntary employee turnover being reported. 17
employees for the reporting period have since left the organization for competing firm or to their
own trades. This has prompted the company to hire twelve new trainees for the same passé. As
of the tie of this writing, five of Timberwell employees are serving suspension with no pay upon
being found guilty for corruption by the State Corruption Commission. Two reasons of employee
turnover are:
 Voluntary turnover is when a member of staff quits. This can be for the reason of finding
a greater spot at a different organization, a disagreement with a chief or a personal
motive, or better pay elsewhere (Rogers, Gardner, & Carlson, 2013).
 Involuntary turnover is the point at which a staff is laid off or terminated, by and large
because of lessening staff due to a business downturn or change in business center or in
light of a worker making some move that is cause for termination, for example, burglary
(Yoo & Lee, 2016).
4.2 Occurrences of discrimination and corrective actions taken
Dennis McCabe is reported to have tendered his resignation siting workplace harassment among
other non-employee discrimination complaints. Dennis argues his discrimination was age-based
given that of all the employees, he was the only one older than fifty years of age. Majority of the

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staff are between thirty to fifty years of age. The Fair Work Commission upheld the employee
claim and recommended the following corrective actions taken; -employee compensation fee for
discrimination by the company to costs of four thousand four hundred dollars; Timberwell
construction to apprise its ant-discrimination policy, and provision of anti-discrimination
exercise to the entire staff (Stewart, 2011).
4.3 Actions with local municipal engagement, impact valuations, and development
plans.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found Timberwell constructions
company culpable for anti-competitive conduct through exclusive and abuse of its marketing
power hence deterring fair competition in the greater Stanwell district. However, it should be
noted that the local community participation appears considerably inclusive for most of the
company’s proposed development programs. The company has initiates and continue to carry out
resident assemblies, and local municipal development plans founded on the local group’s needs
such as reasonably priced social housing.
Environmental impact assessments by the environmental groups identified one of the company’s
development site was a habitat to the endangered wallum sedge frog. The standard housing
development has been planned for this location. The company in liaison with the Stanwell
council and a team of environmentalists is working to come up with a strategy for handling the
planned development of the location and the preservation of the wallum sedge frog.
Independently, the company carries out a number of Impact assessment in all id development
programs.
Summary and recommendations
In accordance with this sustainability assessment, Timberwell Constructions company operations
and development programs sustainability fall into level of Good. Its social sustainability however
fall into level of Fair. In the aspect of economic sustainability, the company should check on the
issue of anti-competitive behavior and corruption and reconsider its principles in safeguarding
the organization against such cases. The organization performance on environmental
sustainability is admirable and can be improved further. On social sustainability, the company
should consider better manageable alternatives to control unfavorable employee turnover as well
as uphold its policies against any instances of environmentalist of employees among themselves
or by the organization (Tisdell, 2019).

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