EML’s award-winning approach to gamified recycling, circular fitouts and ditching fluoro

A CitySwitch member for more than 10 years, EML has consistently won awards for sustainability. The company has a sustainability committee known as the STEM cell, consisting of 9 permanent members based in Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne. All members are current or former employees of EML’s building services team.

We spoke with Roger Stamford, EML’s General Manager Shared Services, about its sustainability work. Building a strong relationship with the company’s landlords and negotiating during lease renewals has been key to achieving a 30% reduction in energy use.

What actions did you introduce and how effective were they?

Renewables – we buy 100% renewable electricity through a few different arrangements. For our offices in NSW, we’re part of a power purchase agreement set up by the Australian Hoteliers Association. In Victoria and the ACT, we purchase GreenPower from our energy suppliers. And where we’re unable to purchase renewable energy directly, we purchase large generation certificates (LGCs) to offset the emissions.

Lighting – as part of a building-wide upgrade in 2022, the landlord of our 2-floor Parramatta office replaced all the fluorescent tubes with organic response LED panels. This reduced our energy use by around 30% from day one. And in the 3 years since, we’ve haven’t replaced or repaired a single fitting.

Inspired by this experience, we included organic response LEDs into our standard fit-out requirement. At the time of lease start or renewal, across all our offices, we negotiate lighting upgrades.

In August 2024, we partnered with our landlord at 345 George Street, Sydney and replaced all fluorescent fittings across the 5 floors of our tenancy: 1347 full-length fittings and 96 half-length fittings were removed, recycled and replaced by organic response LEDs. The lights were adjusted down to 80% brightness to reduce energy use and optimise comfort for employees. Since the change, we haven’t received any complaints from employees.

Recycling – we created a gamified training module all employees must complete. This improved recycling rates by at least 10% in every office. We’ve also introduced the Simply Cups program around the country.

Circular fitouts – we’ve started thinking more about reusing and repurposing equipment when we refurbish offices. In 2024, we had unused workstations in our George Street office. We used Winya to relocate and install them in our Gosford office. We heard about Winya through a CitySwitch and Better Buildings Partnership event. The outcome is more aesthetically pleasing and cost neutral.

What’s been unexpected or surprising on your quest to reduce emissions?

Just how hard it is to change employee behaviour has been surprising. Around 2023 and 2024, we focused on improving waste management and recycling. We expanded our waste streams and included training in our employee induction program. While I was surprised by the immediate positive impact, it’s very frustrating to see employees doing the wrong thing. We worked hard to get to a 56% recycling rate.

How has CitySwitch helped you? What have you found beneficial?

EML joined CitySwitch because we wanted to be good corporate citizens and do our part for the environment. We’ve also found more and more customers ask for sustainability credentials as part of tenders.

The main benefit we get from CitySwitch is the chance to meet other members and share stories. The 50% NABERS rating discount is also useful.

What are you working on now?

Designing a great circular fitout model. We’re planning our next phase of refurbishments. We want to repurpose as much as possible and minimise waste. The next fitout we do will become the model for the rest of our offices.

What tips do you have for other businesses?

Work with your landlords and building managers. Relationships built over time get impactful results.