Company Background and Issue:

Gorilla Health Bars is a Victorian company that produces health-oriented snack bars made of fruit, cereals and nuts. The business has been operating for four years, and has recently begun to make a small profit with the increased public focus on healthy eating.

The CEO of Gorilla Health Bars (GHB), Janet Jones, wants to improve the Corporate Sustainability focus of the company. She believes that a better sustainability profile will enhance the GHB company reputation, and hopes also that it might in the long run help the company finances.

You are a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultant from Deepgreen Enterprises, which advises clients on how best to implement CSR initiatives in their organisations. The GHB CEO has a limited budget but is prepared to spend whatever it takes to give the company an improved CSR profile and operating system.

The company operates in rural Victoria in an old 2-storey factory warehouse with attached office. The factory area is built with corrugated iron, so it is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Consequently, the electricity bills for heating and cooling the premises are very high. The building was constructed in the 1960s and has never been renovated.

Another problem which the CEO has reported is that production of the health bars consumes large amounts of water. As water rates have been increasing rapidly in the last 2 years, the CEO is keen to try and reduce water consumption where possible.

Finally, Janet Jones hopes to make some positive changes is in the supply chain arrangements for the raw food products. Currently, she sources dried tropical fruit from Darwin and grains from South Australia. Transport costs are therefore another significant drain on company finances.

Assessment:

Write a 1, 500 word Business Sustainability Report for Gorilla Health Bars CEO Janet Jones, in which you make specific recommendations, based on your research, about how the company can become more sustainable.

Purpose

• To analyse the current situation of Gorilla Health Bars pty ltd in terms of their approach to Sustainability.

• The aim of this report is to make some recommendations to the company on how to Incorporate more sustainable business practices which will benefit them in future.

Key findings(suggestions to reach sustainability in three areas)

o Look to invest in solar panels and generate electricity. To reach the sustainability in high electricity bills problem.

o Pass the cost onto suppliers and consumers, if possible. To reach the sustainability in high water consumption problem.

o Move closer to the supplier region. To reach the sustainability in transport costs problem.