A big welcome to our newest Greenlister Planet Ark Power!

This company is doing amazing things, including what was previously thought highly unlikely. It’s developed award winning technology that unlocks the vast roof spaces on top of industrial and commercial buildings, for solar energy that can be pumped back into the grid. Previously the proceeds of big tranches of solar panels needed to be consumed on site because they caused voltage problems – like water flowing back upstream in a pipe designed to go one way. Now the excess can be sold.

• Read the fabulous Planet Ark Power story here.

Bring on the green revolution!

Bank Australia and Sustainable Melbourne Fund take EUAs national

Sustainable Melbourne Fund has partnered with Bank Australia to take its environmental upgrade agreement (EUAs) program for buildings national. 

The new iteration of the program, named the Sustainable Australia Fund, will be headed by Scott Bocskay, who headed SMF. 

It’s essentially taking money already being wasted on energy into upgrading their building

Customer-owned Bank Australia has committed $200 million in financing for a whole range of environmental upgrades for businesses, from onsite renewables to high-performance windows.

“It’s a unique form of finance that customers need to wrap their head around,” Mr Bocskay told The Fifth Estate. “It’s a loan you don’t need to repay if you sell your building.”

The program will make fixed-rate, long-term loans available to tenants to cover up to 100 per cent of necessary capital for up to 20 years in order to cover energy efficiency upgrades. The loans are then repaid quarterly through council rates, avoiding the financial burden passing to landlords as is often the barrier for these types of building upgrades. The payback for tenants is savings on energy costs and a loan. 

“It’s essentially taking money already being wasted on energy into upgrading their building,” said Bocskay. 

• Read the whole story on The Fifth Estate. 

thinkstep Australasia sets Science Based Targets

Greenlister thinkstep Australasia has had its sustainability targets approved by the Science Based Target initiative. One of the first 200 companies to be approved for this initiative, it indicates thinkstep’s targets are “in line with what the latest climate science says is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement” of to limiting global warming to limit warming to 1.5°C. Among these targets is a commitment to reducing carbon emissions created by business travel and employee commuting by 38 per cent for 2030. 

The SBTi was founded by the World Wide Fund for Nature, CDP, the World Resources Institute and the UN Global Compact. 

Are Adidas, Patagonia and Reebok fashion’s most transparent brands?

Not for profit organisation Fashion Revolution has released its 2019 report into the transparency of the world’s 200 largest fashion brands and retailers, finding Adidas, Patagonia and Reebok in the top spot. 

The Fashion Transparency Index, now in its third year, looks at how much information the biggest global fashion and apparel brands and retailers disclose about their suppliers, supply chain policies and practices, and social and environmental impacts. 

there is something to be said for a complete lack of public information

Each company is given a percentage score out of a possible 250 points based on five key areas: policy and commitments, governance, supply chain traceability, supplier assessment and remediation, and “spotlight issues” which covers things such as gender equality, climate action and responsible production.

This year, Adidas, Patagonia and Reebok scored equal highest on 64 per cent, with Esprit close behind on 62 per cent and H&M on 61 per cent.

higher scores reflect a commitment to disclosing detailed information

These higher scores reflect a commitment to disclosing detailed information about: policies, procedures, Spotlight Issues, social and environmental goals, as well as detailed supplier lists, assessments and remediation processes.

On the other end of the scale, over 70 brands scored lower than 10 per cent, including:

• Chanel
• Urban Outfitters
• Muji
• Forever 21

This means they have published very little or nothing at all about their social or environmental policies, supply chain practices or any of the five areas examined.

There were also 10 companies that scored no points at all:

Fashion Revolution have pointed out they do not evaluate the brands’ ethical or sustainability performance directly, however, there is something to be said for a complete lack of public information. 

The average score was 21 per cent, or 53 out of a possible 250 points, and while this may seem dishearteningly low there were a few positives to come out of the Index.

More brands than ever were found to be moving towards greater transparency.

Out of the 150 brands reviewed in 2018 there was a 5 per cent increase in transparency levels, and a 9 per cent increase compared to the 98 per cent reviewed in 2017.

it’s an uncomfortable process, but a necessary one if we are to see change

“We recognise that it is not easy for brands to become transparent,” says founder and director of Fashion Revolution, Carry Somers, “it’s an uncomfortable process, but a necessary one if we are to see change.”

Somers hopes that by encouraging companies to become more transparent we will see an increase in accountability and compassion for the impact they have on people and the environment. 

Read the full report on Fashion Revolution’s website.  

Events

Australian Window Association at AusFenEx2019 

The triennial fenestration industry conference and exhibition, AusFenEx2019, is taking place between Tuesday 27 – Thursday 29 August 2019.

Greenlster Australian Window Association will be joined by the Australian Glass and Glazing Association, the National Security Screen Association and the Skylight Industry Association at the ICC Sydney for three days of innovative fenestration showcasing and networking. 

The program includes a golf tournament, exhibitions of projects and research, a women in windows lunch and a number of talks by industry leaders. Get the full details on the AusFenEx2019 website. 

thinkstep webinar

Greenlister thinkstep will be hosting a webinar tomorrow (Thursday 23 May 2019) on the role of Environmental Product Declarations in the whole-building design and assessment.

Manager of environment and ethical assessment at Lendlease, Darryl Stuckey, will join thinkstep’s technical director, Jeff Vickers, to discuss how EPDs inform the design and procurement decisions throughout a build, as well as the latest developments and news in the sector. 

The webinar will commence at 1pm tomorrow and run for half an hour. To register for the event and find out more, visit their website. 

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