Consistently named in the top 10 of the world’s most liveable cities, Sydney is fast becoming one of the world’s, and APAC-region’s, leading ‘green cities’. Le-d by the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 vision, City of Sydney’s ultimate aim is to make Sydney Green, Global and Connected. City of Sydney has bold targets for Sydney that tackle key priorities including carbon emission reduction, energy efficiency, waste and water management and urban ecology. Sydney aims to source 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2035.The City of Sydney was Australia’s first carbon neutral local government. The "Making Sydney a Sustainable Destination Plan" is a subset of Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050. The plan sets out actions for both industry and government to work together on improving the environmental performance of the city's accommodation, entertainment and business event providers.

City of Sydney launched the Sustainable Destination Partnership in 2018. The partnership is a collaboration of leading hotels, cultural institutions, event venues and tourism bodies working together to improve the environmental performance of the City. The program directly supports the Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050 Vision and aims to work with the industry to improve energy, water and waste efficiency and the take up of renewable energy and engage with regulators on major environmental policy and regulatory issues. The City is actively working with accommodation providers to obtain a third party environmental certification rating in order to improve the environmental performance of buildings and event spaces. 100% of Sydney’s hotels room inventory is accessible by public transport and more than one third are within walking distance to the City’s 6 star green rated International Convention Centre Sydney . Both BESydney and Destination NSW are associate partners of the SDP.

Sydney strives to be a just and resilient city that understands that cities that make equality and social justice central to their growth are stronger and more resilient, creating opportunities for everyone to thrive. We believe that social sustainability is a framework that puts people at the heart of cities and recognises that our personal wellbeing impacts on, and is impacted by, our collective wellbeing. Improving our community’s wellbeing and resilience involves many aspects of our lives, such as our health, housing, education, work, income, transport, safety, relationships, creative expression, governance, and the quality of the environment. Building a strong inclusive society is a shared responsibility, not only for governments, but for business and the wider community and is integral to a strong economy and a healthy natural environment. In 2022, Sydney was voted among the 10 most accessible cities in the world by people with disability.