Making sustainability progress more visible for Australian businesses
by Sustainable Choice Group 11/05/2026
A Sustainability Journey, News
by Sustainable Choice Group 11/05/2026
A Sustainability Journey, News
This article was contributed by Sustainable Choice Group.
Australian businesses are investing in sustainability and Xero is backing a program to make it visible and credible.
From supply chain changes to certification, emissions tracking and product innovation, teams across the country are investing time and resources into doing things better. The challenge is that this work is rarely easy to find, compare or trust from the outside.
That visibility gap is exactly what the 2026 Sustainability Tracker Impact Awards are designed to address.
The program recognises businesses that can demonstrate clear, evidence-backed progress across environmental and social impact. Every entry is supported by a structured Sustainability Tracker profile, giving judges and the market a transparent view of what’s being accomplished.
It’s about recognising and rewarding the businesses not just planning for a more sustainable future, but actively taking steps toward it every day.
The decision by Xero to partner with the awards for a third year reflects a long-term focus on helping small businesses take practical steps on sustainability and to help them get recognised for it.
Through its broader initiatives and its Small Business Sustainability Hub, Xero has been working to make sustainability more accessible for businesses across the globe, providing tools, guidance and frameworks to help teams get started and build momentum.
Dr Tamara Somers, GM and Global Head of Sustainability and Impact at Xero says, “many small business owners are motivated to act but they don’t always know where to begin or how to communicate progress once they have.”
As expectations around sustainability increase, businesses are under more pressure to show credible progress to customers, to partners and increasingly, to procurement teams making supplier decisions.
Being able to point to independently assessed, evidence-backed recognition cuts through that noise. It signals that the work has been done and that it can stand up when consumers are demanding sustainable action from the businesses they spend their money in.
For brands, that has real implications. It can strengthen trust, support sales conversations, and differentiate in crowded categories where many brands are making similar claims.
Just as importantly, it gives internal teams something concrete to rally around.
The Sustainability Tracker Impact Awards have been designed to reflect how sustainability is actually being measured today. The program celebrates progress, effort and transparency from all sizes of brands and businesses.
Entries are assessed by independent experts from across Australia and measured against clear criteria, with a focus on what businesses can demonstrate.
Because submissions are tied to Sustainability Tracker profiles, the information doesn’t disappear after the awards cycle. It remains visible, structured and accessible to consumers beyond the judging process.
The Sustainability Tracker Impact Awards are built on a clear premise: credible sustainability progress should be visible, measurable and independently recognised.
The partnership with Xero strengthens this ambition for a third year running, bringing together Sustainability Tracker’s structured, evidence-led approach with Xero’s global work supporting small businesses to take action.
Xero has focused on making sustainability practical and accessible, recognising that for most businesses it sits alongside day-to-day pressures like cash flow, operations and growth. Through its sustainability commitments and initiatives such as the Small Business Sustainability Hub, the company continues to invest in helping businesses understand where to start and how to move forward.
That same principle is reflected in how the awards are designed.
The program is independently judged, with clear criteria and a structured scoring system applied across every entry. Submissions are assessed on evidence, drawing on Sustainability Tracker profiles that include certifications, initiatives and supporting documentation.
This structure allows the program to recognise progress across a wide spectrum of businesses.
From smaller teams focused on a specific issue such as materials, packaging or sourcing, to established brands embedding sustainability across operations, to organisations influencing change at an industry level through stewardship and collaboration.
Rather than favouring scale or polish, the awards recognise credible progress within context.
Somers says the reason Xero continues to support the program is closely tied to the work it sees across its customer base.
“Small businesses are doing a huge amount of work in this space, often without recognition. We see sustainability as a real opportunity for growth and resilience, and we want to support businesses in taking action while still delivering a return.”
“Recognising that progress helps build momentum and shows others what is possible.”
Together, the partnership reflects a shared focus: helping businesses move from action to visibility, and ensuring that work and progress are recognised.
Entries are now open for the 2026 Sustainability Tracker Impact Awards.
For businesses already investing in sustainability, it’s an opportunity to turn that work into credible, independent recognition and make it visible to your customers, the community and your team.
Explore the categories and submit your nomination to have your progress recognised.