Sustainability for suppliers

We're working towards net zero by 2040 for scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, zero operational waste to landfill by 2030 and a nature positive network by 2030.

We're working with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council to rate and identify opportunities for improvement for our major infrastructure projects.

We work with suppliers who:

• Use energy-efficient, low-waste or low-emissions products and practices
• Support fair work, diversity and community participation
• Demonstrate compliance with our environmental and ethical policies
• Disclose sustainability and/or ESG strategies and initiatives in proposals and provide evidence where required

In 2023, we implemented a streetlighting program to upgrade to new energy efficient LED heads, right across the network.

We soon discovered the only way to recycle the heads was for our field team to dismantle the less efficient lamps by hand, remove as much recyclable material as possible, then replace the globes. The decommissioned materials were partially recycled or sent to landfill.

Thankfully, we heard about Sircel, an Australian-owned and operated business focused on resource regeneration, with a custom-built, mechanical recycling process that shreds the whole head enabling them to separate all the raw materials.

Since partnering with Sircel, our recycling has increased from 35% to 99.7%. With some of the raw materials being reused by our streetlight manufacturer, not only helping us meet our sustainability targets, but also truly creating a circular economy.

Best of all, there were no additional costs. In fact, it reduced the number of hours spent dismantling heads, which increased efficiency and reduced risk. Sircel uses this case study today to promote their services to other companies and Distributed Network Service Providers.

We assess supplier performance based on sustainability, safety and ethical practices.

We offer guidance on meeting standards and encourage innovation that improves environmental and social outcomes. Continuous improvement is part of how we build a more resilient and future-ready energy network.