Sydney has just been named Australia’s most sustainable city

Before this global pandemic rushed in and grabbed all of our attention, and Given that the severity of the climate crisis is abundantly clear, Sustainability was the number one priority for Sydney residents. Seriously, the last print issue of Time Out Sydney in August 2020 was dedicated to tackling climate change and our team wrote a lot about how to live sustainably in Sydney. And while the movement to save the cups has slowed a bit, the Harbor City is still doing well in terms of sustainability, with a recent report naming Sydney one of the most sustainable cities in the world. Ranked tenth in the recently released Global Destination Sustainability Index, we can now claim to live in the most sustainable city in the country.

An index released in Belgium last week ranked Sydney tenth out of more than 100 cities – its highest ranking to date. The next Australian city in the ranking was Melbourne, coming in 24th place, while Brisbane was ranked as the 33rd most sustainable city in the world. Sydney also came in second in the metropolitan category, while Singapore took first place.

“Taking decisive action on climate change is one of our top priorities, and with 75 per cent of global emissions produced in cities, our action is critical,” said Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore AO.

So how did they get into this ranking? Well, the GDS Index evaluates cities’ sustainability efforts in tourism and events by measuring a city’s performance in four key areas: environmental responsibility, social progress, supplier engagement and destination management. Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a benchmark, the index compares cities across 77 criteria to measure the sustainability performance of environmental and social policies and performance, as well as tourism and business destinations. Of all the Australian cities assessed, the Harbor City came out on top, earning Sydney the title of “the country’s leading sustainable destination” as described by our own Lord Mayor.

Sydney’s sustainability practice is based on the Sustainable Destination Partnership, which supports the events and hospitality sector to operate more sustainably.

You can see the full list of the world’s greenest cities here and learn more about Sydney. The Sustainability Partnership is here.

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