51²è¹Ý

51²è¹Ýis a signatory to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we are committed to embedding and applying the SDGs across our operations, teaching and research. By aligning these principles with our strategy and planning, we are completing impactful research, driving operational improvements, shaping our future and our future leaders, and helping to advance sustainable development at a local and international level.

The SDGs address issues related to the promotion of global economic growth and development and are focused on sustainability for humanity and the planet.

Our commitment to the SDGs focuses on recognition and commitment to the following areas:

• addressing the social, economic and environmental challenges facing the world
• future development that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable
• the vital role universities can play in achieving a sustainable future through teaching, research and operations.
   

In line with our sustainability strategy, 51²è¹Ýremains on track to be carbon neutral in 2025.

Advancing action on the United Nations SDGs

The 51²è¹ÝActions for Sustainability Impact (SA4SI) is a strategic initiative designed to accelerate progress toward achieving the SDGs. Throughout 2024, the SA4SI team continued to deliver training programs and disseminate resources to inspire and empower the 51²è¹Ýcommunity to deepen its commitment to sustainability.

Key highlights include:

• A stall at Welcome Back Week at the launch of the academic year to encourage students to engage with sustainability and the SDGs through interactive activities. Students were invited to make an SDG pledge for the semester and share their commitments on a dedicated photo board.
• In September, SA4SI hosted a stall as part of Sustainability Week. This event provided an opportunity to engage students and staff with sustainability initiatives, alongside other interactive activities such as a clothes and book swap. The stall highlighted SA4SI’s sustainability practices, objectives and upcoming events, promoting greater awareness and participation in sustainability efforts within the 51²è¹Ýcommunity.
• The SA4SI Canvas site demonstrated robust growth, with over 1,135 self-enrolled participants and an average of 391 weekly page views—a 9 per cent increase compared to the previous year. This platform continues to serve as a hub for sustainabilityrelated discussions and resources. Weekly discussion boards, hosted by volunteers from the Principles for Responsible Management Education Community of Practice within the School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship, further enriched the platform.

Swinburne’s Responsible Investment Charter sets out the university’s overall philosophy, commitment and methodology for addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors through our investment practices. 

51²è¹Ýhas committed to:

• The integration of ESG factors throughout the investment process.
• Recognising climate change as an area which requires explicit consideration in the investment process given the systemic nature of the risks associated with it.
• Active ownership of our investments and using our investor voice to influence and create positive change at the companies in which we invest. Areas of focus where we aim to influence include: i) Climate Change ii) Human Rights & Modern Slavery and iii) Sustainable Development.
• Supporting innovation and sustainability within our investment portfolios where consistent with our risk and return objectives.
• Exclude companies that are inconsistent with a sustainable future (specifically tobacco companies, gambling companies, weapons manufacturers and carbon intensive fossil fuels).
• Transparency and disclosure, including annual reporting on progress implementing the Responsible Investment Charter as set out in our responsible investment implementation plan.
   

Through investments in public and private companies, we have an indirect impact on the environment and communities worldwide. We have an opportunity to influence those companies to create positive change.

In December 2019, 51²è¹Ýcommitted to achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, demonstrating our dedication to environmental sustainability. To guide this commitment, we developed a comprehensive Net Zero Pathway Plan, which was formally endorsed by the University Council in March 2020. This plan sets out specific goals and strategies to facilitate decarbonisation and promote energy transformation across Swinburne’s operations, research and teaching.

A multidisciplinary team was subsequently established to investigate, develop and prioritise initiatives to decarbonise our operations. The Net Zero 2025 Pathway encompasses key measures such as the procurement of 100 per cent renewable electricity, the adoption of a sustainable procurement framework and targeted actions in areas including travel, waste management and energy efficiency. The pathway seeks to identify opportunities to leverage sustainability-focused research and bolster partnerships to achieve the decarbonisation objectives.

Since July 2020, 51²è¹Ýhas procured 100 per cent renewable electricity, significantly reducing our carbon footprint. In 2024, this initiative avoided 23,277 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (t CO2-e) emissions through the consumption of 27,067 megawatthours (MWh) of renewable electricity. Cumulatively, from mid-2020 to 2024, 51²è¹Ýpurchased 119,464 MWh of renewable electricity, preventing 105,488 t CO2-e emissions.

In 2024, 51²è¹Ýadvanced our commitment to carbon neutrality by pursuing Climate Active certification, an Australian government program that ensures public accountability in achieving carbon-neutral status. As part of this process, 51²è¹Ýexpanded our carbon emissions boundary to include a greater span of indirect (Scope 3) emissions starting in 2025. This broader coverage will account for emissions generated from purchased goods and services, including construction materials and cleaning services, further enhancing our sustainability efforts.

Additionally, 51²è¹Ýhas addressed emissions from air travel by purchasing carbon offsets for all staff and student research-related flights since 2022. In 2024, staff and students collectively flew 23.2 million kilometres, resulting in 5,816 t CO2-e of emissions. These emissions were fully offset using a mix of Australian Carbon Credit Units (10 per cent allocated to the Savanna Burning: Northeast Arnhem Land Fire Abatement project and 40 per cent to Human-Induced Regeneration) and Gold Standard-certified credits (50 per cent supporting World Vision Cookstove projects in Ethiopia).

At Swinburne, we strive to reduce our environmental footprint and build a sustainable future. Our initiatives focus on cutting resource waste and improving infrastructure efficiency across campuses.

We also empower staff and students to adopt sustainable practices, reducing their environmental impact on and off campus. Through hands-on programs, we are fostering a community driven to create meaningful change.

By embedding sustainability into all we do, our impact extends beyond campus. Graduates and staff bring these values into their careers, spreading environmental awareness globally.

Initiatives to reduce environmental impact

In 2024, we advanced key initiatives to reduce our environmental impact, paving the way for carbon neutrality by 2025. Key actions include:

Advancing energy efficiency and sustainability

Throughout 2024, 51²è¹Ýcompleted a major LED lighting upgrade at the Croydon and Wantirna campuses, reinforcing our focus on sustainability and efficiency. Over 2,000 LED lights were installed in offices, classrooms and technical trade spaces.

This upgrade is projected to save 220,000 kWh of electricity annually, reducing emissions by 189 tCO2-e— equivalent to removing 75 cars from the road. The project emphasised lighting quality and energy efficiency, with classrooms calibrated to 320 LUX and technical spaces upgraded to 600–1,000 LUX, ensuring all environments meet or exceed lighting standards.

Sustainability was a key focus, with 69 per cent of materials from the old systems recycled, including over 10.6 tonnes of metal and nearly 1.8 tonnes of tubes, lamps and cardboard.

Sustainable design initiatives

The Latelab project represents a major step in Swinburne’s sustainability efforts, featuring environmentally responsible design for a 24/7 student study and gathering space. To meet continuous operation demands, lighting and air-conditioning systems rely solely on occupancy sensors, activating only when needed and reducing energy waste by switching off shortly after spaces are vacated.

As a fully electric facility, the Latelab eliminates natural gas use for heating, hot water or cooking, with all energy sourced from 100 per cent renewable electricity. This is achieved through an on-site solar PV system and additional purchased renewable energy.

Embodied carbon emissions from the Latelab’s construction have been calculated following the EN 15978 sustainability standard, ensuring a clear understanding of material impacts. These emissions will be fully offset by 2025, aligning both construction and operation with Swinburne’s carbon-neutral objectives.

Sustainability in asset management

Notable progress was made in 2024 toward integrating sustainability into life-cycle asset replacement for mechanical services. A key achievement was specifying a modular heat pump chiller for the EN Building, chosen for its energy-efficient chilled water supply and ability to support future electrification of heating systems. New Building Management System (BMS) electrical meters installed on chilled and heating water pumps, as well as Mechanical Services Switch Board projects, have enhanced visibility of electricity usage, enabling better energy management.

Another advancement was updating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) schedule for the GS Building. Improved BMS programming replaced the single building-wide schedule with customised schedules for individual floors, aligning operational hours with varied usage patterns. This includes the extended hours of the Multi Faith Centre on Level 3, standard hours for the medical centre on Level 4, and regular office hours for Levels 6 and 7. This change has reduced energy consumption, saving an estimated 150,000 kWh annually.

New energy-efficient laptops

51²è¹Ýtook a major step in our sustainability efforts with the introduction of new energy-efficient HP laptops for staff. These laptops meet the EPEAT Climate+ Gold Standard in that they incorporate 8 per cent post-consumer plastics and 50 per cent recycled metals, use minimal plastic packaging and are produced with significantly lower life-cycle embodied carbon emissions.

Through a recent IT procurement process that prioritised sustainability, the university achieved a remarkable reduction in embodied carbon emissions. The new laptops produce just 139 kilograms of CO2 per device compared to 306 kilograms for the previous models. This change is expected to lower Swinburne’s (Scope 3) emissions by several hundred tonnes over the next three years. This decision not only achieves lower carbon outcomes but also highlights the potential for responsible purchasing to influence positive change across supply chains.

Leadership in sustainability education

Swinburne’s School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship (SoBLE) has continued to deliver its Carbon Literacy Training (CLT) program to students and staff. Following the receipt of a prestigious award from the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) in 2023, SoBLE has taken on the role of administrative hub for the CLT working group, a collaborative initiative supported by both the ABDC and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) ANZ Chapter.

The CLT program has since been extended to numerous business schools across Australia, highlighting its growing impact. Notably, the working group has received the ABDC Network Award for two consecutive years since 2023.

SoBLE achieved another significant milestone by becoming one of the first accredited carbon literacy educators in Australia through the UK-based Carbon Literacy Project, cementing its leadership in sustainability education within the region.

With the support of 51²è¹ÝEdge, Surbana Jurong (SJ), a global urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firm with over 70 years of expertise, is creating the SJ Academy to drive learning, leadership development and digital enablement. Headquartered in Singapore, SJ has over 16,000 professionals across more than 40 countries. A key focus of the Academy is the sustainability pillar, with Edge designing scalable, engaging online learning modules on sustainability. These modules will empower SJ’s global workforce to adopt sustainable practices and embed sustainability into their projects and culture. 

Sustainability in a research ecosystem is fundamental to ensuring that scientific inquiry and innovation can continue to thrive over the long term without depleting or damaging the resources and communities it relies upon. This involves fostering practices that not only minimise environmental impact but also promote economic viability and social equity.

Our sustainable research ecosystem prioritises interdisciplinary collaboration and open sharing of knowledge to address complex global challenges like climate change. We invest in green technologies and sustainable infrastructure, encourage the reduction of waste and the efficient use of resources and support policies that ensure fair access and benefit sharing. By adopting a holistic and forward-thinking approach, our sustainable research ecosystem not only drives scientific progress but also contributes to a healthier and more equitable world for future generations.

Sustainability research highlights for 2024

• 51²è¹Ýachieved a significant milestone by being ranked in the top 300 in the QS Sustainability Ranking 2025, a leap of over 300 places from 2024
• 51²è¹Ýhosted the FrancoAustralian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) Symposium, bringing together industry leaders, researchers and policymakers from France and Australia. Key topics included artificial intelligence, energy transition, hydrogen innovation and critical minerals essential to global electrification efforts. The symposium also announced inaugural Franco-Australian grants, including projects to develop global energy grid management systems and to create safe-handling and usage training materials for hydrogen within the Indo-Pacific region.
• 51²è¹Ýsigned a strategic partnership with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), allocating funding for ten PhD positions over the next five years to focus on critical mineral research. This collaboration supports the Energy Transition Metals program at Swinburne, led by Professor Akbar Rhamdhani, which aims to address pressing global energy transition challenges. In addition, 51²è¹Ýhosted the XPRIZE Wildfire Track A Teams Summit, where international teams showcased transformative innovations in wildfire detection, management and response.
• Supported by a $3 million grant from the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Projects scheme, 51²è¹Ýcommenced a groundbreaking project to integrate dynamic wireless charging technology into roads led by Prof Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian. This initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of electric heavy vehicles by addressing infrastructure challenges associated with their widespread use.
• 51²è¹Ýlaunched the Green Steel Alliance under the leadership of Professor Geoff Brooks, targeting decarbonisation in the iron and steel production sectors. The alliance includes prestigious global partners such as McMaster University (Canada), Warwick University (UK), TU Delft (Netherlands), IIT Madras (India) and ITB (Indonesia), creating a collaborative framework for addressing one of the most carbonintensive industries.
• Swinburne’s university-wide response to supply chain decarbonisation has achieved several significant funding and project successes, benefiting industry and government partners. Led by Professors Hadi Ghaderi, Hussein Dia and Andi Nygaard, these efforts are focused on reducing emissions across the transport sector through innovative research and practical solutions.
• Swinburne’s Aerostructures Innovation Research (AIR) Hub won the prestigious Hydrogen Innovation Challenge for its Small Hydrogen Aircraft Evolution and Development (SHADE) project. The team designed and tested Australia’s first hydrogenpowered VTOL drone, recognised for its potential to transform sustainable aviation. This achievement highlights our dedication to advancing green energy solutions in aerospace.
• Our commercialisation partnerships with ventures such as Sphere For Good and Kandu Sustainability, together with our partnership with the Twynam Earth Fund, have become integral to our efforts in advancing decarbonisation-focused ventures. These initiatives reflect our commitment to driving innovation and supporting solutions that address climate change directly. By strategically aligning with ventures and partners at the forefront of sustainable development, we are not only cultivating meaningful progress in reducing carbon emissions but also positioning ourselves as key contributors to a more sustainable and resilient future.

Reducing the risk of modern slavery

51²è¹Ýis committed to addressing the potential risks of modern slavery within our supply chain by working collaboratively with suppliers and peers across the sector. As a leader in the sector’s Anti-Slavery Program, 51²è¹Ýhas implemented robust due diligence measures within our procurement processes to identify and mitigate risks of modern slavery in both new and existing supplier engagements. We adopt a balanced approach to procurement, considering a broad range of criteria, including environmental and social factors. Acknowledging the potential for labour exploitation and other adverse impacts, 51²è¹Ýavoids imposing unrealistic delivery timeframes and does not prioritise the lowest possible costs in procurement decisions.

Key tenders undergo a thorough risk assessment, which includes evaluating supplier policies and processes to ensure ethical practices. These assessments also confirm that workers are paid fair, market-rate wages. To strengthen our stance further, Swinburne’s procurement contract templates include specific clauses addressing modern slavery risks. Staff are regularly provided with training to raise awareness of these risks and to outline practical steps for prevention and response.

In 2024, 51²è¹Ýcontinued our involvement in the university pilot of the Cleaning Accountability Framework’s (CAF) new certification program. This initiative integrates CAF’s tools into the cleaning tender process and includes work to certify the Hawthorn campus. The pilot program, which spans both cleaning and security services, highlights Swinburne’s commitment to implementing transparent and ethical labour practices across key service areas. Swinburne’s Modern Slavery Statement is publicly available on our website for further information.