Sustainability paralysis is holding SMEs back — here’s a practical way forward.

Rising costs and uncertainty have stalled action for many small businesses, but one Australian SME shows how incremental steps can deliver real results. 

For many Australian small and medium businesses, sustainability and corporate responsibility remain firmly in the “important but overwhelming” category. 

Rising costs, regulatory uncertainty and day-to-day operational pressure often push CSR initiatives down the priority list. Many SMEs assume meaningful change requires large budgets, specialist teams or a complete business overhaul. As a result, action is frequently delayed altogether. 

But one Australian uniform supplier is showing that sustainability does not need to start with big promises or expensive programs. 

Total Image Group (TIG), a family-owned uniform supplier founded in 2005, became the first leading uniform provider in Australia to achieve B Corp Certification last year. The business reached the milestone not by reinventing its operations, but by focusing on incremental, practical improvements embedded into everyday decision-making. As part of this approach, TIG now offers a sustainable alternative as standard across its quoting process and designs uniforms with circularity in mind, considering how garments can be reused, recycled or responsibly processed at the end of their lifecycle. 

“Becoming B Corp certified showed us that what can feel like a massive undertaking doesn’t have to be,” says founder and CEO Pamela Jabbour. “By taking small, incremental steps and embedding them into everyday business decisions, we were able to steadily build a better business.” 

B Corp Certification recognises businesses that meet verified standards across governance, workers, community and environmental impact. For TIG, the process involved formalising policies already in place, strengthening transparency and committing to continuous improvement rather than chasing one-off sustainability wins. 

One of the most significant decisions was committing to a Science-Based Target, making TIG the only Australian-owned uniform supplier to publicly commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent by 2030, using 2023 as a base year, a level of accountability typically associated with much larger organisations. 

To deliver practical outcomes, TIG eliminated unnecessary packaging, introduced compostable and recycled materials, reviewed waste management, and rolled out clothing recycling programs that allow customers to divert uniforms from landfill based on fabric type and condition. Since launching its circular initiatives, the business has helped divert over 3 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. 

TIG’s experience offers a repeatable path for other Australian SMEs that want to strengthen their sustainability credentials without taking on undue risk. 

How SMEs can take a practical approach to CSR 

For businesses unsure where to begin, Jabbour says the key is to avoid trying to do everything at once. 

For many SMEs, Jabbour believes the biggest mistake is waiting for the “perfect” plan. 

“Sustainability doesn’t have to be perfect,” she says. “But it does have to be intentional. If businesses start with one responsible change and build from there, the impact adds up.”