A new Sustainability Strategy has been adopted by Perth’s Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC), with new sustainability goals and targets for its operations and projects from 2022/23 to 2026/27, including a below zero emission goal by 2040.
The Sustainability Strategy comes on the back of a holistic strategic review of the EMRC undertaken by independent consultants in 2020/2021. The EMRC Strategic Review was built on multi-pronged stakeholder engagement and an understanding of the evolving waste management and resource recovery markets in Western Australia.
The EMRC’s Sustainability Strategy tagline of ‘think forward, act now’ is consistent with the EMRC’s strategic vision to focus on delivering effective waste management, resource recovery and sustainability services to ensure that the EMRC can capitalise on its existing capabilities and infrastructure to act as an industry leader.
EMRC CEO, Marcus Geislet, said, “Sustainability is a core pillar in the EMRC’s operations and through this strategy we will continue to move forward as a leader in community change and action.”
Promoting sustainable waste management and a transition to a circular economy is the central vision of delivering the Sustainability Strategy’s goals and targets. It encompasses not only effective waste management and resource recovery but also responds to a climate emergency and to reduceCouncil’sr environmental impact, whilst demonstrating circular economy leadership and creating value in the community.
Twelve sustainability targets are identified in the Strategy including for the EMRC’s operations to achieve below zero emissions by 2040.
Aligning the Sustainability Strategy with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) means that there is a unified way of measuring those key areas of influence whether it is locally, nationally or globally. The UN SDGs are globally recognised and align with the EMRC’s leadership goals to transform Perth’seastern region through sustainable waste management, behaviour change, circularity and sustainable decision-making.
The Sustainability Strategy will assist the EMRC, as a guiding document, to reduce environmental impacts, drive circular economy-based initiatives, future-proof the business for market changes and improve company culture and the work environment.
The EMRC Sustainability Strategy is available on the EMRC’s website https://www.emrc.org.au
