We are setting the table for conversations between businesses and local stakeholders, so that sustainability investments can be made right here in our state.
Connect & Collaborate
Through a peer-to-peer, multi-sector network, we are working to promote transformation and accelerate progress. We are hosting a series of regional and statewide events, facilitating conversations with global and local leaders, sharing goals and celebrating accomplishments.
The exclusive Sustainability Member Network will promote opportunities for senior level leaders to contribute to their company’s sustainability goals in South Carolina. The network provides a safe space for sharing challenges and solutions, and provides access to opportunities and research on sustainability leadership and trends.
Sustain SC will educate state leaders across sectors through the Sustainability Leadership Initiative, in partnership with the Shi Institute of Sustainability at Furman University.
Roadmap to Sustain SC
We work with our member companies to implement actions under our seven Accelerators to help businesses meet their sustainability goals at the local level.
Our History
Sustain SC was officially launched in the Spring of 2021 by Ethel Bunch, a visionary leader who saw the powerful potential of connecting commerce with conservation in South Carolina. With deep roots in cross-sector collaboration, Ethel brought a rare combination of spirit, resilience and tenacity to the challenge of aligning sustainability goals across business, government and environmental interests.
The seeds of Sustain SC were planted in 2019 with the creation of “Palmetto Green,” a pilot initiative developed to build a layered mapping tool that could help businesses and conservation partners prioritize where mitigation projects would have the greatest impact. Developed in collaboration with a cross section of statewide leaders, the tool integrated technical data like zoning and watersheds into a first-of-its-kind resource that brought the worlds of economic development and environmental planning together in meaningful, actionable ways.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Palmetto Green team recognized a critical need to evolve. As the world faced reduced human interaction and increased economic pressure, the value of scalable, collaborative solutions became more urgent. That pivot led to the launch of Sustain SC; a nonprofit built on the foundation of collaboration and committed to helping South Carolina thrive through a balanced approach to growth and stewardship. Sustain SC is a non-partisan, non-advocacy organization, designed to serve as a trusted connector among diverse stakeholders.
Under Ethel’s leadership, Sustain SC quickly became a statewide hub, uniting stakeholders from industry, government and conservation around shared sustainability goals. She brought people to the table to work together toward a better, more resilient future.
One of Sustain SC’s first major initiatives was commissioning a study with Ernst & Young (EY) after South Carolina ranked 37th nationally in sustainability. The findings helped shape Sustain SC’s unique strategic model of “Accelerators” designed to take big ideas and turn them into action across key sectors.
Today, Sustain SC continues to be a catalyst for collaboration, bringing together stakeholders from industry, government and conservation to align important issues.
