On Day 2 of MEGATRANS, Peter Jones, Managing Director, Prological, moderated a panel called Beyond good intentions – How to move from ambition to action in supply chain sustainability.
Panel speakers were Andrew Newman, Department of Transport and Planning, Richard Phillips, JLL, and Dr Eamonn McGinn, Deloitte.
The informative and engaging discussion was filled with talks about the question of achieving or delaying carbon emission targets, and the connection between financial and environmental sustainability.
“Turning greenfield sites into sustainable industrial facilities and achieving green-star ratings are expensive endeavours,” says Richard.
“Retrofitting warehouses and distribution centres with solar panels and other sustainable features including enviro-charging stations and wind turbines can be done if a business finds they’re feasible and doable at the time. Capital is the stick.”
Another point touched on was the decarbonisation of transport. Andrew says Australian governments (both federal and state) are setting greenhouse targets for 2040, 2045, and 2050.
“What does the economy need to look like in 2050 for this to happen?” he asks. “Unless there’s commercial profit, none of this is possible. Monetising the benefits of implementing sustainable technologies and decarbonising the industry are necessary for these goals to be achieved.”
Andrew explained the policy of triple bottom line reporting, and how businesses will need to adhere to this sooner rather than later.
“With existing industrial assets, it’s about taking out the gas,” says Richard. “Auditing reveals a facility’s carbon emissions. This is what you want to look at when trying to reduce yours.”
Richard and Andrew explored the topic of rail and intermodals in both Victoria and New South Wales.
“The government is working on intermodals in Somerton, Altona, and South Dandenong,” says Andrew.
The panel discussion finished with a Q&A facilitated by Peter, involving some pertinent questions from the audience, and comprehensive answers from the panel members.
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For more information on MEGATRANS, click here.