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MSS015046 Current

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop a business case to support a significant sustainability improvement for an organisation or process within an organisation or value chain.
This unit applies to managers, operational or technical specialists or similar roles who are required to source and interpret data, define the improvement project and present a compelling case, including financial estimates, for the project.
This unit applies to any organisation that is implementing sustainability improvements.
No licensing or certification requirements exist at the time of publication. Relevant legislation, industry standards and codes of practice within Australia must be applied.

What You'll Learn

1.

  • 1.1 Review available data and information to determine purpose of project
  • 1.3 Read and interpret regulatory requirements to determine impact on project goals and activities
  • 1.4 Clarify and confirm critical success factors for project with key stakeholders
  • 1.5 Determine metrics that reflect sustainability goals and critical success factors
  • 1.6 Source and review data to quantify the current state relevant to sustainability goals and critical success factors

2.

  • 2.1 Calculate cost of any capital improvements from the project
  • 2.3 Determine any maintenance benefits
  • 2.4 Determine any product life cycle and/or circularity benefits
  • 2.5 Determine any regulatory health, safety and environment (HSE) benefits
  • 2.6 Determine potential intangible benefits
  • 2.7 Estimate total benefit of proposed project

3.

  • 3.1 Estimate fixed capital costs required
  • 3.3 Estimate financial costs required
  • 3.4 Estimate time required for project and time-related costs
  • 3.5 Estimate total costs of project

4.

  • 4.1 Estimate return on investment (ROI), sustainability and other project benefits
  • 4.3 Compare benefits to costs using financial modelling methods
  • 4.4 Write proposal for project and communicate with key stakeholders

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

There must be evidence the candidate has completed the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit, and demonstrated the ability to:
• develop at least one business case proposal for a project which aims to make a significant improvement to the sustainability performance of an organisation or process
• use financial indicators to quantify direct, indirect and intangible benefits expected from project.

Knowledge Evidence

There must be evidence the candidate has knowledge of:
• characteristics of good project purposes, goals, critical success factors and key performance indicators
• internal and external data sources relevant to sustainability improvements for the organisation or process
• current and emerging approaches to improving sustainability including:
• purpose-based and circular economy business models
• retaining and managing the value of resources
• systems thinking as applied to identifying, evaluating and prioritising sustainability improvements
• design thinking as applied to problem solving and innovation for sustainability
• impact of supply chain decisions
• digitalisation and dematerialisation
• current and emerging approaches to quantifying and evaluating direct, indirect and intangible costs, benefits, impacts and risks in relation to sustainability, including:
• impact weighted frameworks
• material flow accounting
• project costing methods for capital, personnel, financial and time related costs
• methods of financial modelling for sustainability business cases, including:
• return on investment (ROl) calculations
• cost-benefit analysis
• sustainability focused accounting methods relevant to project
• types of improvements, including:
• capital improvements:
• the purchase, installation, construction and commissioning of new equipment
• alterations to existing equipment designed to improve the sustainability of the organisation’s operations and which will be classed as capital in the organisation’s balance sheet
• improvements to process, product or services
• maintenance improvements
• AS/NZS ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems or its authorised replacement
• sustainability-related regulatory and reporting requirements relevant to the project
• sustainability-related voluntary standards, codes, certification and co-regulatory arrangements relevant to the project.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions and contingencies. The following conditions must be met for this unit:
• use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including:
• information on organisation’s sustainability goals and/or strategies
• data on current state of sustainability performance
• modelling of industry operating conditions.
Assessors must satisfy the NVR/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.

Foundation Skills

  • {'skill': 'Foundation Skills', 'description': 'This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance but not explicit in the performance criteria.\n• Reading skills to interpret organisational information and data\n• Writing skills to develop a rationale and supporting information\n• Oral communication skills to communicate with stakeholders\n• Numeracy skills to quantify and estimate costs and benefits.\nOther foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit.'}

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Last updated from training.gov.au: 07 April 2026