We’re dipping our toe into solar energy at our Darnum site

We have a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions globally by 2050, and to do this we’re looking at alternative energy sources for all our factories. We’ve made solid progress in this space, already reducing our emissions by nearly 30% since 2018.

However, to achieve net zero carbon emissions we know that we need to invest in innovation and infrastructure to remove greenhouse gas emissions from our supply chain.

So, we’ve begun our journey into renewable energy and have commissioned a 66kw solar system on the admin building of our Darnum site in Gippsland – a very first for our business here in Australia.

Our Darnum Site Manager, Leigh Gourley, says that while the project is only small, it helps our business understand how it can do solar systems at a larger scale, which is important as we look at solar energy for our Stanhope site in northern Victoria.

“With the weather patterns in Gippsland, we expect to have a pay back on the investment in around six to seven years, and there are also some incredible sustainable impacts.

“In just one year, it’s estimated that we will avoid creating 83 tons of CO₂ emissions. To put that into perspective, over the lifetime of the system – 20 years – that’s like driving your car 2.4 million kilometres.

“Or, if we look at how we would remove that amount of CO₂, it would be akin to planting 16,000 trees,” says Leigh.

In fact, our Darnum team are planning on doing that as well. We’re in the process of organising a tree planting day for mid-September, where 20,000 native trees will be planted around the site.

We know that sustainability is our responsibility and that’s why we’ve been focussed on initiatives across our business that will help protect our environment and bring us closer to the commitments we have in place.