Mandatory climate reporting came into effect at the start of this year. It requires Australia’s largest corporations to disclose their Scope 1, 2 and, in the future, Scope 3 carbon emissions, as well as their future targets and plans for reduction of emissions, electricity, waste and water. Komatsu, a leading manufacturer and distributor of construction & mining equipment, is one such business now required to disclose these details.

Komatsu first started trading in Japan in 1921. Over the past century, it has grown to become the world’s second-largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. In Australia alone, it operates over 50 branches and employs more than 2,700 people.

As an industry-leading multinational, Komatsu is no stranger to scrutiny over its sustainability efforts. Over the years, it has set ambitious emission reduction targets, including reducing CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2030 and transitioning its facilities towards net-zero operations.

For over 75 years, Portsea Camp has provided a seaside escape and lifelong memories for the thousands of children who have spent their weekends and summer holidays there.

Operating as a social enterprise, all profits generated by the camp go toward subsidizing M.A.D. programs for over 1,000 socially and economically disadvantaged children, ensuring that kids from all backgrounds get to enjoy the invaluable camp experience.

As a not-for-profit organization, making large financial investments in infrastructure projects can be challenging. So, when Portsea Camp’s 30-year-old water system began to show signs of slowing down, securing funding to replace it made more sense than exhausting the camp’s own funds.

At the start of the millennium, roughly 900 dairy farms operated in the northern district area of Campaspe Shire in Victoria’s north. Unfortunately that number has now dwindled to just 40, as tough economic pressures and water scarcity have forced many multi-generational dairy farmers to close.

The Gordon family is one of the few that has managed to weather the storms.

Ross Gordon, along with his sons Drew and Glen, have been running their family’s dairy farm in Cohuna since 1995. Despite challenging times, they have not only kept the farm afloat but also expanded it – growing their herd from 200 to 750 cows and diversifying into crop farming.

Knowing that long-term success requires foresight and innovation, the Gordons recently decided to invest in modern farming methods to ensure the farm’s future.

The problem

The first step in their plan was to build a state-of-the-art mega dairy shed that would improve milk production and water efficiency.

The Gordons were also determined to incorporate energy-efficiency solutions to address one of the farm’s biggest challenges: soaring electricity costs.

“Electricity is one of our biggest costs. All the water we get is through irrigation, so we have to keep those pumps going 24/7. Then milk needs to be stored at 4°C, so we’re spending a lot on refrigeration.

“We’ve also now got banks, supermarkets and customers all wanting to know what our carbon footprint is. Bringing this down and doing our bit to get to Net Zero became more important.”

– Ross Gordon, Gordon Farms

In 2023, Brisbane-based Rino Recycling built a state-of-the-art commercial waste recycling facility, making them the world’s largest under-one-roof company of its kind.

In designing the new facility, the Rino Recycling leadership team was very focused on including clean energy sources in their energy mix. Breaking down construction materials like skip bins and concrete slabs is an extremely energy-intensive process and, as part of the carbon-capture industry, the Rino team wanted to find ways to efficiently decarbonise this process.

Rino’s Chief Financial Officer, Richard Jacobitz, reached out to Jack Hooper of GEM Energy, to explore the possibility of installing a solar system at their new facility.

A true rag-to-riches story, Shelim Hussain MBE founded Euro Foods Group back in 1991 with a £20 investment. Now worth an estimated £120million, the business is now one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributors of frozen and fresh foods. In the last 30+ years, Shelim has expanded the Euro Foods business offering, opened new subsidiary companies, and built six depots across the UK.

The latest feather in his cap of savvy business decisions is the installation of cost-saving decarbonisation equipment across Euro Foods depots and offices. Shelim opted to install solar panels because of escalating electricity prices, which he says have tripled in recent years. This surge in costs pushed his operational expenses to a level that was no longer sustainable, prompting his decision.

After initially planning to self-manage the funding and installation of the solar project, Shelim decided to call in the experts. Channel Partner Solarsense came to the conversation to provide the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solution.

Philter Brewing arrived on the craft beer scene in 2017 with a bang, winning the coveted Champion Pale Ale award within their first four months and with their very first beer. It wasn’t long before they became one of the most awarded craft breweries in Australia.

Soon came the need to expand. Within a few short years there was a Marrickville brewing facility capable of producing 1.5 million litres annually, a range of beers from stouts to ginger beers, and their very own onsite bar venue.

To help reduce the rising operational costs that came with Philter’s supercharged growth, Managing Director Mick Neil turned to solar.

“Brewing is a practice that takes up a lot of energy,” said Mick.