Four infrastructure projects have been included in the finalists for the 2023 Premier’s Sustainability Awards in Victoria.
2023 marks the 21st anniversary of the Premier’s Sustainability Awards, Victoria’s most prestigious annual sustainability awards program.
There are two winners for each of the six categories, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Community Champion Award celebrates individuals and small organisations, and the Industry Leader Award recognises medium and large organisations driving a sustainable future.
Straddling three of the six categories, the infrastructure finalists demonstrate the breadth of sustainability work taking place across Victoria.
Racking Supply Australia is an Industry Leader finalist in the Waste and Recycling Solutions category for its Revive and Reimagine Sustainable Warehouse Solutions.
Its project EcoRackRevive is repurposing commercial pallet racking and shelving to reduce landfill waste and promote responsible resource management.
In creating a market for repurposed racking and shelving, EcoRackRevive maximises resource utilisation and minimises the demand for new processing. The initiative is encouraging businesses and individuals to embrace sustainable waste management practices and promotes awareness and education about responsible resource utilisation.
Kinetic Melbourne is a finalist in the Future Energy – Industry Leader category for its Zero Bus Emissions Depot initiative.
The aim of the project was to deliver a cleaner, greener bus network for Victorians by upgrading electrical infrastructure at Kinetic’s Sunshine West and Heatherton depots to house and charge 36 new Battery Electric Buses (BEB) – the largest BEB fleet of any Victorian bus operator.
New undercover bays were built to provide weather protection and charging infrastructure installed for the buses along with 300 solar panels to reduce the depot’s carbon footprint. Electricity to power the buses is 100 per cent green via a carbon offset program.
A finalist in the Circular Economy Innovation – Industry Leader category, ecologiQ’s Purposely Greener Infrastructure program is inspiring change across Australia’s infrastructure sector and is playing an important role in the transition to a circular economy.
The ecologiQ program is providing wraparound support to government, regulators, projects and industry to help them meet the requirements of the Recycled First Policy.
Introduced in March 2020, this Australian-first policy requires contractors delivering Victorian major transport projects to use as much recycled and reused content as possible.
Since coming into effect, the demand for recycled and reused materials on major road projects in Victoria has more than doubled, with over 3.3 million tonnes committed across 51 projects.
Porous Lane is also championing recycled materials by taking waste tyres and transforming them into an engineered permeable pavement that combats the risk of flash floods in urban areas.
This innovation has earned Porous Lane a finalist spot in the Waste and Recycling Solutions – Community Champion category.
Sustainability Victoria’s Interim CEO, Matt Genever, said that he was inspired by the work being done in the infrastructure sector to create a more sustainable future for Victorians.
“These organisations are leading the way in sustainability and I look forward to recognising their achievements at the awards ceremony in November,” Mr Genever said.
The judging panel included a broad range of independent environmental experts selected for their sustainability and industry expertise.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 23 November in Melbourne.
For further information about the Premier’s Sustainability Awards finalists, visit https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/psa-2023-finalists.
Featured image: A garden. Image credit: Sustainability Victoria.
