Holcim breaks ground on low carbon concrete plant in Sydney’s Aerotropolis
Holcim Australia has started work on a low-carbon ECOPact concrete plant at Badgery’s Creek in Western Sydney, a site strategically chosen for its 1.5 kilometres proximity to the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, supporting future developments of both the airport and the future Bradfield city centre.
The company states that the facility was designed to accommodate flexibility, enabling it to meet the evolving needs of the region and support more sustainable construction practices across the area. At full capacity, the plant can deliver up to 1000 cubic metres of concrete per day – and will become the “most productive plant in the region.”
ACCC v gas
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is taking Australian Gas Networks to court for greenwashing. This follows the advertising regulator Ad Standards ordering AGN’s MasterChef sponsorship ads to be taken down for the same reason.
The company, being one of the nation’s largest gas infrastructure networks, has in the past broadcast alleged false and misleading claims. The ads targeted by the ACCC signal that “renewable gas” will soon be available to consumers as an incentive for consumers to continue to use gas appliances.
The “Love Gas” ad was featured in advertisements that ran on free-to-air television, streaming services, and YouTube.
Comms Declare and its founder, Belinda Noble, have written multiple complaints about AGN’s greenwashing offences, including to Ad Standards and ACCC last year.
Carbon calculator for event furniture hire
Furniture hire company Valiant has launched a carbon calculator for event furniture hire – after finding that an average three-day event with 500 attendees could generate 2.8 tonnes of waste from disposables alone.
The tool offers comprehensive carbon tracking across all three scopes, encompassing four key stages: manufacturing, transportation from port to warehouse, delivery and collection, as well as the duration of hire.
The tool offers real-time emissions data in partnership with certified carbon offset provider Trace, along with every furniture hire order. Additionally, it automatically sets up carbon offsetting through certified Australian and international projects, such as biodiversity conservation in partnership with the traditional custodians of Coorong Lakes Australia and the protection and restoration of carbon-storing peat swamp forests in Indonesia.
Jobs
Scott Fisher steps down as the chief executive of OffsizeNZ, a non profit education and advocacy organisation for offsite design and construction in New Zealand.
Fisher has been in the role for more than six years, during which the organisation contributed to changes to the New Zealand Building Act (the BuiltReady Factory Certification Scheme) as well as to the Commerce Commission.
Prior to this, Fisher has also served as CEO of Retail NZ and national business development manager at Plunket New Zealand. Fisher will continue his role as advisor to the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.