Anthesis at Sustainability Business Live 2026
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Date: 3-4 June 2026
Insights
Sustainability Business Live 2026 is Australia’s biggest ever corporate sustainability event. It’s the only full-scale trade show designed to help businesses find sustainability solutions that are also good for their bottom line. This cross-sector event connects climate-conscious businesses with solution providers, consultants, climate tech innovators, funders, and policymakers to accelerate a just transition to a low-carbon economy.
Let’s connect
If you’re planning to attend Sustainability Business Live, we’d love to meet with you. You can find a line-up of our sessions below for both Wednesday the 3rd, and Thursday, the 4th of June. Please reach out, or connect with one of our delegates directly to schedule time with our team. You can also drop by the Anthesis Lounge at any time for a coffee and a chat.
Sustainability Business Live
Date: 3-4 June 2026
Events schedule
- Day 1. Megatrends. Understanding the forces shaping the next era of business strategy
- Day 1. What breaks, what adapts, and what holds in this new era
- Day 2. Communication in an Era of Polarisation and Scrutiny
- Day 2. Nature is not material to my business.” Let’s debate.
- Day 1. ASRS Insights | Executive Workshop
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Wednesday 3rd June, 2026
Headline keynote: Megatrends. Understanding the forces shaping the next era of business strategy
Date: Wednesday 3rd June, 2026
Session time: 9:50am-10.10am
Dr Matthew Bell will examine the forces rapidly reshaping the operating environment for organisations, from artificial intelligence and geopolitical instability to the investment landscape, nature and biodiversity, and supply chain pressure. He will explore why these forces are converging, why traditional planning horizons are under strain, and what this means for decarbonisation, resilience, and long‑term value creation. The keynote sets the context for action beyond theory, and frames the decisions leaders are being pushed to make now and what leaders should focus on in the years ahead.
Panel: What breaks, what adapts, and what holds in this new era
Host and Moderator
Date: Wednesday 3rd June, 2026
Session time: 10:10am-10.40am
This post‑keynote panel responds to a clear shift in decision‑making conditions for senior leaders. Building on Dr Matthew Bell’s address, the discussion will examine how developments in artificial intelligence, geopolitics, investment pressure, expectations around nature and biodiversity, and supply chain disruption are converging and placing new demands on business strategy. Panellists will explore how leaders are responding as these forces compress planning horizons and challenge long‑held assumptions about risk, resilience, and value creation. The session focuses on what is changing in practice, what remains fit for purpose, and what leadership needs to recalibrate now.
Hosted by Dr Matthew Bell the panel will focus on what this moment demands from leaders now, where pressure points are emerging, and how organisations are and need to adapt in practice.
Thursday 4th June, 2026
Keynote: Communication in an Era of Polarisation and Scrutiny
Date: Thursday 4th June, 2026
Session time: 09:45am-10:15am
Learn more about The Cost of Silence and Hugging the Bear
In this keynote, Freya explores the value of communicating sustainability clearly and confidently, and how organisations can avoid greenwashing and greenhushing in an increasingly polarised and scrutinised environment. Drawing on insights from Anthesis’ The Cost of Silence and Hugging the Bear reports, she examines why sustainability narratives can trigger backlash, where reputational risk is increasing, and how missteps occur even when intent is sound.
The session will unpack the trade-offs organisations face when deciding what to say, when to stay silent, and how to navigate contested issues. It will introduce practical communication frameworks to help sustainability claims withstand public and political scrutiny, align internal and external messaging, and support confident, timely engagement on high‑stakes issues.
As sustainability becomes more embedded across the business, this session will resonate not only with sustainability teams, but also with leadership, finance, communications and risk functions expected to communicate clearly and consistently.
Stop by the Anthesis Lounge on your way to see Freya’s keynote or our nature debate below – and get a coffee on us!
Panel: “Nature is not material to my business.” Let’s debate.
Host and Moderator
Date: Thursday 4th June, 2026
Session time: 11:00am-11:30am
“There’s no nature in my P&L.” “We don’t have the budget.” “What’s the return to shareholders?” “There’s no compliance requirement.”
These are arguments still heard in boardrooms, and this session puts them to the test. The Anthesis Nature Debate is a fast‑paced, moderated discussion where panellists take opposing positions to examine when nature stops being abstract and starts affecting cash flow, asset values, supply continuity, and access to capital. The discussion is grounded in commercial logic rather than advocacy, testing which assumptions about nature still hold under scrutiny and which are breaking down as business environments become more interconnected. The session focuses on what senior leaders need to reconsider as nature‑related pressures move from the margins into material considerations on the risk register and, increasingly, the balance sheet. Which arguments are still defensible today?
ASRS Insights | Executive Workshop
Wednesday 3rd June 12.15 pm – 2.30 pm
- This executive‑level, focused two‑hour session brings together insights from Group 1 preparers, data‑led analysis of first‑year ASRS reports, regulatory perspective, and a facilitated working session. Participants will apply a practical exercise to their own business context, testing assumptions and building clarity and confidence in how to approach reporting expectations.
- The session is designed for open discussion and peer learning, with a clear focus on what works in practice, grounded in first‑year reporting experience and expert guidance on ASRS compliance. Clients and experts will share insights on what future-focused companies are doing with all this new information, to increase resilience, manage risk and drive performance.
- Anthesis experts will host the session with special guest speakers
- Limited seats. Group 2 Reporters can apply to join this working session.
Reach out for more information – or register your interest.
Guest speakers
