Sustainability Business Live 2026

Over two packed days, we connected with a remarkable cohort of Victorian-based cleantech companies tackling some of the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time, across clean energy, circular economy, agricultural technology, and nature-based solutions. Victoria's cleantech sector is deep, diverse, and moving fast.

Key themes from the seminars resonated strongly with our community:

→ Nature as business infrastructure, not an externality, but the foundation of every supply chain, every workforce, and every economy. The case for nature-positive business has never been more compelling.

→ The food systems transition, exponential technologies including precision fermentation, alternative proteins, and distributed production are reshaping how and where food is made.

→ Scaling what works, the biggest barrier to climate solutions is rarely the technology itself. It's the system surrounding it: infrastructure access, contract structures, measurement frameworks, and social license. Transitions require coordination, not just innovation.

→ Councils as catalysts, local government is emerging as a powerful driver of circular economy activity, with place-based procurement and business networks creating real, measurable impact.

Our VCC Committee member, David Hauser, was on the panel of judges at the Climatech Startup Village Pitchfest. It was amazing to see some strong innovations to renewable energy, food systems and circular economy showcasing not only their solution but how it is financial sustainable for investment.

If you were at Sustainability Business Live and we didn't get the chance to connect, let's fix that. And if you're a Victorian cleantech company looking for a community of like-minded innovators, we'd love to hear from you.