Project Overview

The purpose of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) Project is to develop a business model for an organization which can effectively promote and support sustainable business practices in the Pittsburgh Region, particularly to the extent that these practices contribute to sustainable regional development overall.  To be effective, this new network will engage regional companies and their stakeholders. 

Developing the SBN will serve to build Sustainable Pittsburgh's capacity to promote and support sustainable business practice in the region - a necessary component of SP's mission to accelerate the Pittsburgh region's sustainable development.

The SBN planning project is made possible through the generous grant support of the Forbes Funds and the Pennsylvania Green Business Initiative of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, funded by The Heinz Endowments. 

Sustainable Business (SB) 

Sustainable Business practices are business activities that have been designed or redesigned, in order to achieve a more functional balance of workforces, communities and the environment, while still producing economic returns.  A popular SB term is the Triple Bottom Line, which refers to a balance of Economic, Environmental, and Social aspects. 

Methodologies and concepts related to SB: Systems analysis; life cycle design; closed-loop systems; product take-back systems; by-product exchanges; distributed energy systems; life cycle analysis; and frameworks for corporate social responsibility; 

Organizing Principles & Models 

The SBN will bring together companies, entrepreneurs, experts and stakeholders within the region.  The two underlying principles for the organization of the SBN are collaboration between regional parties, and access to information and resources related to sustainable business.  The following models will therefore be utilized: 

·         The Sustainable Development Model – which reveals the interconnections between economic, environmental, and social and aspects of human activities 

o      Related concepts: green design; eco-efficiency 

·         The Network Model – which transforms the relationships of actors toward greater information and resource sharing, collaboration and agility in problem-solving and innovation

o     Related concepts: systems theory and analysis; clusters; collaborative learning; learning organizations

·         The Regional Model – which recognizes a metropolitan region or a bio-region as the most efficient scale for resource and supply distribution, transportation and long-term and stable relationships among members of a community or other collaborative engagements 

o      Related concepts: local economies; by-product exchanges; public policy innovation and regulatory reform 

SBN Project – Main Components

Benchmarking Study – a two-pronged study of existing organizations directly or indirectly involved with promoting sustainable business practices: a Pittsburgh Regional Inventory and International Benchmarking Study of similar or related organization and firms.  The Study will be completed in two phases: a preliminary study, providing only a sketch of a sample of organizations and firms; and a final comprehensive study based on contact with and in-depth analysis of the organizations and firms.  

Pittsburgh Regional Inventory - a study and inventory of local organizations which either are actively promoting sustainable business practices or have the capacity to do so.  Examples include: 

• The Green Building Alliance
• The Pittsburgh Technology Council
• The Green Design Institute (CMU)
• The Mascaro Sustainability Institute (Pitt)

International Benchmarking Study - a comparative analysis of other well-known organizations and firms around the world (primarily US) providing services similar to those envisioned for the SBN.  Subject organizations and firms may fall into categories such as those listed below.

• Other sustainable business networks
• Traditional and high-technology business networks
• Other sustainable business organizations
• Other sustainable business consulting firms and think-tanks
• Consulting firms and think-tanks
• Sustainability and regional development organizations
• Social Enterprise organizations

Needs Analysis – a study of current Pittsburgh regional businesses with two components: 1) an assessment of the sustainable business services currently demanded by Pittsburgh regional companies which are not being met, and 2) an assessment of the sustainable business services of which Pittsburgh regional companies are not aware but which are appropriate for their implementation.  This analysis is critical to the SBN model so that services provided by the SBN are marketable and can generate sustaining revenue (fees) from SBN services.

Business Model – a detailed description of the structure, funding and operations of a new organization/firm/service that fits the mission of the SBN as well as the context of the Pittsburgh region. 

Implementation Plan – the steps and timeline for creating the actual organization/firm/service described in the Business Model.

Project Focus - Services

The SBN Project is primarily focused on services for sustainable business practices, both the services that various organizations and firms are providing, and the services that businesses utilize and desire, that the SBN will be able to directly provide or otherwise organize or facilitate.  This focus arose from the interest of the project developers in: 

·         engaging the business community in the project;

·         achieving measurable results; and

·         creating a sustaining revenue stream for the SBN once it is implemented.

Other considerations which have arisen in Phase 1 include: 

·         Economic Development / Sustainable Business Cluster Development

·         Sustainable Entrepreneurial Promotion/Incubation

·         Competitive Global Economic Strategy

·         Regional Branding