Reflections from new BCSDA Board Director Jessica Douglas

Member based organisations are vitally important for creating a powerful, united voice on issues, requiring members to contribute their expertise and time to make progress. Which is why I was excited to recently join the Board of the Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia, a position I want to utilise to drive the progress that BCSDA’s members need and value.

In my earlier years I thought governance was a block to action, just another layer of bureaucracy – I couldn’t have been more wrong and now I love learning about good governance and have seen firsthand how powerful it can be to support progress. In fact, it is part of SDG 16 – developing effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

I want to be able to bring my experience in governance, advocacy and strategy development to the BCSDA Board and the broader membership.

OneFortyOne, where I am the Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, is a relatively new member of BCSDA and our team is excited to work in partnership to contribute to supporting leadership, strategic direction and amplifying the voice of BCSDA.

OneFortyOne gravitated towards BCSDA because we hope to learn from the progress of others, and contribute our learnings where we can. 

The forest sector is a sustainable industry because we replant our trees after they have been harvested and turned into products like house frames and packaging. We grow and process timber responsibly, while making a positive contribution to the planet and the communities in which we operate. However, producing a truly renewable product is only the beginning.

We aspire to be a sustainability leader in our industry, seeking innovative ways to meet the needs of all our stakeholders and leave the world in a better place than we found it. This is why we joined BCSDA – so that we can learn from leaders in other sectors and have that insight into global progress. Our membership of BCSDA also helps us bring forestry into the broader sustainability conversation.

We also see the enormous potential of Australia’s business leaders and leading businesses working together on sustainability issues. I’d certainly welcome a discussion with business professionals who are curious about what BCSDA offers and whether their organisations may benefit from becoming a member of BCSDA.