Finder recognises that it has a responsibility to grow in a way that betters the world.  They do this through sustainable action on both their platform and in their office.  This year, Finder launched its inaugural Green Awards to showcase leading sustainable providers to their 2.6 million monthly visitors.  This was supported with the Finder Green Hub which brings together the ethical, sustainable, and eco-friendly options available across the site.  Traffic to this part of the site nearly doubled over the year.  Finder also develop an emergency response hub to support visitors with insurance and financial information during the bushfires and COVID-19, with over 1 million views on pages helping Australian’s work their way through both crises.

Walking the walk, Finder also had several operational successes throughout the year including securing a 5.5 NABERS energy rating, carbon offsetting their energy usage, continual improvement in their office recycling and partnering with OzHarvest.

In 2020, a year of many challenges which have called for creative solutions, Steensen Varming have made some great strides with some seemingly small changes that will have lasting and significant impacts. 

This has included refining their office product procurement choosing local, biodegradable, eco-responsible;  switching the company superannuation fund to a sustainable fund; and trialling a Green Office Hero’s program to engage the team and showcase individual achievements in sustainable practice. 

This program has built on previous year’s achievements including implementing nine waste streams, achieving 6 Star NABERS energy rating and switching to 100% green power.

This year the team at dSquared Consulting have continued to actively improve their sustainability actions and credentials.

They have achieved a 35% decrease in billed energy by installing solar and implementing energy efficiency measures since 2015 whilst doubling staff, demonstrating effective decoupling of company growth and carbon impact.

They have also achieved an ISO 9001 certified Quality Management System and an ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System.

Their base building fit-out was updated to accommodate more staff, breakout space and plants, as well as replacing the last of our fluoro and halogen lights with LED and negotiating with the landlord for the base building AC to be replaced with a high efficiency, lower GWP system. This has seen dsquared achieve a 6 Star NABERS energy rating without Greenpower.

Base building changes also presented an opportunity for system reviews which included the introduction of a new waste management system. The introduction of new streams ensures more effective resource management whilst improving our understanding of waste generation to avoid materials where possible and collect data to track progress over time. This initiative has also supported the local circular economy as bins were sourced from a small start-up who works with local manufacturers to create custom made bins out of recycled and recyclable materials.

The changes to the base building waste management has also led to the development of a whole-of building engagement plan which dSquared have begun implementing. The aim is to share learnings, encourage more positive actions and improve relationships through shared initiatives.

This is the first year as a CitySwitch signatory and the JPE team have demonstrated that implementing small, simple, and yet tangible improvements can achieve some big goals, achieving  5 Star NABERS rating for the JPE Design Studio. The team have also implemented a waste from landfill diversion program including introducing battery, soft plastics, organics, and paper/ cardboard recycling. 

One of their key initiatives has been change the way the team talks about sustainability in the office. Educational emails are sent to all staff, encouraging them to think holistically about sustainability and to take responsibility for their own impact, within and outside the workplace.

As the workplace environment changed from a shared office to working separately due to Covid-19, the content shifted focus from office energy and waste savings to mental health support and home-based sustainability initiatives.  This has meant that the entire office is invested in the wider sustainability goal.

In 2020, Baenziger Coles moved forward with their Hydronic Heating project. The installation of the new heating system has replaced a roof mounted, reverse cycle package system and has significantly reduced energy consumption over the last six months, with an average reduction of 52%.  This was even whilst the office operated six out of seven days per week during stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions.  It has also supported zero sick days, even during the COVID-19 pandemic as staff felt very comfortable and safe in the new environment.

This project supports the organisation’s power of 3 initiative - a Happy, Healthy and Hygienic workplace. Happy for the reduction in electricity, the financial savings and to get closer to our target of becoming carbon neutral. Healthy indoor air quality for the general health and wellbeing of our key assets, our employees. Hygienic awareness and a COVID safe workplace.

Property NSW has had some big wins in 2020, saving over 1 million kWh of electricity and $300,000 annually with just a  small payback period of 4.8years from their LED lighting portfolio upgrade project;  significant NABERS energy and water improvements across the portfolio resulting in a total annual savings of 3.5million kWh; progressing Australia’s first large-scale battery roll out;  trialling a new rooftop solar technology called Solopod generating 1,370 MWh of renewable electricity and saving taxpayers more than $325,000 a year in energy bills and making a public commitment to achieving a 4 Star Green Star performance rating across 22 NABERS sites – which is the first of any federal, state or local government agency to do so in Australia.

All the initiatives have resulted in projects, jobs, and local economic benefits in regional town across NSW.

This year, CBA Group’s Energy and Sustainability team took great steps in improving the systems in place to manage their environmental and energy reporting. This has resulted in the Group achieving ISO 50001:2018,  14001:2015 and ISO 9001:2025 accreditation and has allowed the Group to streamline its processes, ensuring they take a more holistic approach to sustainability management.

The Group also realises it plays an important role in setting the example as an industry leader in fighting climate change and ensuring commitments outlined in the Paris agreement are adhered to. To ensure this the Group has released its Environmental and Social Framework and has collaborated with the Green Building Council of Australia to develop its best practice carbon positive roadmap.  In 2020, the Group has reduced its Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 7,362 tCO2, increased onsite solar PV capacity to 1,510kw generating 1.69 million kWh of renewable energy, reduced energy consumption by 5.13% or over 8million kWh and completed Green Star Raring for 31 retail branches, among other initiatives.

In addition, the Group commenced working on their 2025 Property Sustainability Strategy. Science Based Target mapping has been used to validate our emissions reduction and forecast our future trajectories to 2050.

To ensure the Group’s commitment to carbon reduction, CBA was the first major company in Australia to sign up to the global collective RE100 agreement to phase out fossil fuel consumption by 2030. In 2020,  CBA achieved a major milestone by commencing to procure 100% of their electricity needs from renewable sources. They achieved this using  their PPA and several bundled green electricity contracts directly with retailers, which helped them to achieve carbon neutrality for FY20 Australian operations.

The Globe International team, as skateboarders, surfers, and snowboarders, spend a lot of time doing what they love outdoors, so are conscious of the environment. Recognising they are far from perfect they have been quietly and purposefully working to implement energy efficiency and sustainability actions into its Port Melbourne office and across its global brand.

Some of their initiatives include LED lighting upgrades, implementing HVAC efficiency projects, installing solar PV, implementing waste reduction initiatives including worm farms, carboard crushers, partnerships with Redcycle and  ASGA SOS shoe recycling and various staff engagement activities.

In August 2020, the team revamped their clothing range to remove ‘fast fashion’ and bring in their ‘Low Velocity’ clothing program, representing a major change in the brand's approach to product by creating sustainable goods.  The program sees a downsizing of  the clothing range from five each year, to just one high quality, environmentally sound, long lasting range.  All factories have been audited to ensure good human practices are in place, no child or slave labour and fair wages are paid. More sustainable fibres are part of the range and Globe are testing for fit, function and durability.

This year, KPMG Australia held their inaugural firm-wide volunteering day to #ACT4SDGs, becoming the largest corporate in Australia to join a global day of action for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From hosting Hackathons and design-thinking workshops in their offices, constructing solar lights for children living in energy poverty, planting trees, or delivering meals to those in need, almost 3,500 staff members harnessed their time, skills, and expertise in support of 120 not-for-profit (NFP) across the country. By mobilising their people on this one day, KPMG sought to show how they can collectively act for the SDGs as a long-term vision, by aligning business strategy to people, planet, and prosperity in an integrated way.

This new, firmwide commitment acted as a catalyst to reshape their approach to addressing social and environmental issues through the lens of the SDGs. In June 2020, KPMG seized the ongoing momentum to refresh their Climate Action Plan (CAP), launching a carbon neutral commitment and new emissions targets, programs and increased accountability to FY22. At the close of the FY, they transitioned to 100% renewable energy in five offices nationally, which became their largest investment in energy reduction to date, accounting for 70% of our energy consumption. 

The Globe International team, as skateboarders, surfers, and snowboarders, spend a lot of time doing what they love outdoors, so are conscious of the environment. Recognising they are far from perfect they have been quietly and purposefully working to implement energy efficiency and sustainability actions into its Port Melbourne office and across its global brand.

Some of their initiatives include LED lighting upgrades, implementing HVAC efficiency projects, installing solar PV, implementing waste reduction initiatives including worm farms, carboard crushers, partnerships with Redcycle and  ASGA SOS shoe recycling and various staff engagement activities.

In August 2020, the team revamped their clothing range to remove ‘fast fashion’ and bring in their ‘Low Velocity’ clothing program, representing a major change in the brand's approach to product by creating sustainable goods.  The program sees a downsizing of  the clothing range from five each year, to just one high quality, environmentally sound, long lasting range.  All factories have been audited to ensure good human practices are in place, no child or slave labour and fair wages are paid. More sustainable fibres are part of the range and Globe are testing for fit, function and durability.