Environment, Social & Governance
ESG isn’t just for big corporates. Pither Consulting is a one-person business, and I hold it to the same standards I recommend to clients — scaled sensibly, documented properly, and reported honestly.
Read further to see how we do this.
Environment
I measure and publish the business’s carbon footprint every month — not an annual estimate buried in a report, but a running public record. See our carbon footprint →
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The home office runs on rooftop solar with battery storage; grid electricity use is zero.
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Travel is planned to minimise emissions: regional site visits combined into single trips, remote delivery where it doesn’t compromise the work, hybrid hire cars and economy flights when travel is unavoidable.
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The business applies the same thinking ISO 14001 asks of my clients: know your impacts, set objectives, measure, improve.
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Pither Consulting supports:
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the Australian Marine Conservation Society, supporting the protection of the oceans that Queensland’s water ultimately flows to.
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Indigenous Literacy Foundation | Home
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Home - Orange Sky Australia | Homeless Charity | Positively Connecting Communities
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Rowley Goonan - Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast - Gold Coast based expert
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Social
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Our ESG Policy commits the business to upholding human rights, treating everyone with dignity and respect, and providing equal opportunity free from discrimination — and extends those expectations to our suppliers, including due diligence against modern slavery.
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Giving time, not just money: I volunteer on the Executive Committee of the Surfrider Foundation’s Gold Coast & Tweed branch, working to protect the beaches and breaks of our own backyard.
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Safety isn’t a paperwork exercise here. As an OH&S lead auditor I hold my own site work to the standards I audit against — inductions done properly, risks assessed, and safe work practices followed on every client site.
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Knowledge sharing over gatekeeping: clients get training and mentoring so their teams can run their own systems, rather than depending on a consultant forever.
Governance
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Pither Consulting Pty Ltd is a registered Australian company, with current professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
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The business runs on documented policies, reviewed annually — an ESG Policy covering human rights, equality and inclusion, modern slavery, anti-corruption and the environment, and a Code of Conduct built on integrity, respect, responsibility, transparency and compliance — including conflict-of-interest, confidentiality, fair competition and anti-bribery commitments. Both are available on request.
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As an Exemplar Global certified Lead Auditor I work to the scheme’s code of conduct: independence, impartiality and confidentiality. Conflicts of interest are declared before work begins, and client information is never shared.
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Honest reporting, in the footprint published on this site and in every audit finding: what the evidence shows, not what anyone hopes it shows.
ESG expectations are moving down the supply chain. Tenders, principal contractors and regulators increasingly ask small and medium businesses for evidence: an environmental policy, a carbon number, safety systems, documented governance. I help SMEs put that evidence in place — proportionate to your size, integrated with your ISO management systems, and reported without greenwash. Get in touch to talk about what your customers are about to ask you for.
frequently asked questions
We're a small business — does ESG really apply to us?
Increasingly, yes — not because a regulator requires it, but because your customers do. Large companies now have mandatory climate reporting obligations in Australia, and they're pushing those questions down their supply chains. If you tender for work or supply bigger businesses, expect to be asked for an environmental policy, a carbon number and evidence of safety and governance.
What's the difference between ESG and ISO 14001?
ISO 14001 is a certifiable standard for managing your environmental impacts — it's the E done rigorously. ESG is broader: environment plus social (people, safety, community, modern slavery) and governance (policies, conduct, transparency). If you already run ISO systems, you're further along on ESG than you think — much of the evidence already exists.
What will a tender or principal contractor actually ask for?
Commonly: an environmental or ESG policy, your carbon footprint, safety systems and performance, modern slavery due diligence, and evidence of documented governance like a code of conduct and current insurances. This page is a live example of that evidence set, scaled to a one-person business.
Where do we start?
With a gap check, not a glossy report. We look at what your customers are asking for (or about to), what evidence you already have, and what's missing — then close the gaps in proportion to your size. A policy, a measured footprint and documented systems cover most of what SMEs get asked for.
How do we avoid greenwashing?
Only claim what you can evidence. The ACCC is actively pursuing misleading environmental claims, so "carbon neutral" and "sustainable" need substance behind them. My rule for my own reporting is the same one I recommend to clients: publish what the evidence shows, warts and all — honest numbers build more trust than polished ones.