Taking action now for a better future
Our sustainability strategy
We’ve aligned our strategy with the UN SDGs to ensure our growth delivers lasting benefits
Tackling climate change
How we’re reducing our impact, and preparing for, and adapting to Earth’s changing climate
Our sustainability strategy
Our approach to delivering lasting benefits
Our sustainability strategy drives our sustainability activities. It includes the outcomes we want to achieve, with targets and measurements designed to keep us on track. Actions are based on four pillars:
People
Make life better
Planet
Use resources wisely
Places
Build better transport
Partnerships
Lead and unite
Sustainability is embedded into our operations. Everyone who works for us agrees to work in ways that support our sustainability strategy—as summarised in our Sustainability Policy.
Creating a sustainable future
Aligning our strategy with a critical global effort
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an international call-to-action for everyone (including governments, corporates, non-profits and individuals) to collectively contribute to a more sustainable future—by eliminating poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity by 2030.
Our strategy pillars (people, planet, places, partnerships) are aligned with the SDGs most relevant to us and our stakeholders. By ensuring our actions support the UNs’ wide-reaching goals, we also ensure our actions are contributing to a more sustainable future for everyone.
Tackling climate change
The world’s biggest challenge
We operate 21 roads across three countries and two hemispheres—including assets with concession end dates of up to 2087.
To ensure our customers can continue to enjoy quicker, safer and more efficient travel on our roads, we need to be prepared for the predicted (and emerging) substantial physical changes happening to our climate.
As the world transitions to a low-carbon economy, we also need to be ready to harness future technology and to adapt to climate, market and social expectation changes.
Our Climate Change Framework
Reducing emissions and mitigating impacts
Our climate change approach is informed by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures’ (TCFD)—11 recommendations for managing climate-related risk. Learn more about this leading international body below.
Our Climate Change Framework explains our approach to:
Transitioning to net zero
How we’re working towards our net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 target.
Energy
Energy-efficiency upgrades
Onsite renewables
Renewable energy agreements
Low-carbon supply chain
Low-carbon materials
Circular economy
Partnerships and engagement
Customer emissions
Customer emissions
Customer engagement on fuel and emissions reduction
Support ZEV uptake
Roadside regeneration
Roadside regeneration
Improve roadside vegetation and biodiversity
Green infrastructure
Delivering resilient infrastructure and operations
How we’re enhancing the resilience of our assets and operations to prepare for future conditions.
Climate risk
integration
Embed relevant climate projections into processes and systems
Training and capacity building
Asset and business adaptation
Scenario analysis
Asset-specific Climate Risk and Adaptation Management Plans
Training and capacity building
TCFD
alignment
Climate risk impact assessments
Financial systems integration
Monitoring and reporting
Training and capacity building
Governance
How we’re managing the delivery our climate change approach.
Twice-yearly updates provided to the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), the Transurban Board and subsidiary Boards on climate-related aspects
Climate Change Governance Committee provides additional oversight and guidance on business-wide implementation of the framework
Our climate change scenarios
Within our business, we use three climate scenarios—each associated with a different global temperature increase—to test possible future conditions and possible short, medium, and longer-term impacts. The scenarios align with the TCFD recommendations and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Representative Concentration pathways.
See our climate change framework
See our FY22 Climate Change Disclosure for more information on our framework and to see how our activities align with TCFD recommendations.
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system. The FSB’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TFCD) recommends what disclosures companies should make to allow investors, lenders and insurers to effectively assess climate-related risks and opportunities.
We provide disclosures in line with the TCFD’s four pillars: governance; strategy; risk management and metrics and targets.
Our GHG emission reduction targets
We’re working to achieve net zero emissions. We were the first ASX20 company to have our GHG emission reduction targets validated by the international and independent Science-Based Targets initiative. Targets adopted by companies to reduce GHG are considered science-based if they line up with what the latest climate science says is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. That is, our targets must align with the emissions reductions needed to (at least) limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim to limit warming to 1.5°C.
Our 2030 and 2050 targets are:
2030
Towards net zero
50% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
22% intensity reduction in Scope 3 (purchased goods and services) emissions
2050
Net zero emissions
Reducing (wherever possible) all Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions associated with our operations; and offsetting unavoidable residual emissions to achieve net-zero
Baseline numbers
For our 2019 baseline year, our operations generated 122,243 tCO2e Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 503,382 tCO2e Scope 3 emissions.
Emission definitions
Scope 1
Fuel emissions
Emissions from fuel used in our operations, including our own fleet and our incident response team contractor.
Scope 2
Electricity emissions
Emissions from electricity powering our roads and tunnels (such as lighting, ventilation, signage and tolling infrastructure), control centres, offices and electric vehicles.
Scope 3
Supply chain
Emissions associated with materials used in building or maintaining our roads and tunnels or from manufacturing and providing goods and services to us.
Customer emissions
Travel on our roads
Emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel in internal combustion engines. Includes greenhouse and other gases and particulates.
Our emissions-reduction approach
From the design of our roads to technology and customer education, we are committed to reducing the emissions for all of our road users. While customer emissions are not counted in our Scope 3 emissions, if we can help reduce them, we should and will. This is especially important with more than 2 million vehicles using our roads daily, generating over 1.2 million tCO2e annually.
Actions we’re taking now and in the future
Shifting our operational dependence on fossil fuels
Transitioning to more sustainable energy sources, including renewables
As at end FY22
Target 2030
Target 2050
Reducing our supply chain’s emissions intensity
Collaborating with our contractors and suppliers to develop and use more sustainable materials and processes
As at end FY22
Target 2030
Target 2050
Using innovative design and technology to improve road efficiency
Using design and technology to increase traffic flow and reduce traffic idling times
As at end FY22
Target 2050
Supporting the transition to electric vehicles (EVs)
Advocating for all road users to transition to EVs and ZEVs; and setting the example with our own fleet
As at end FY22
Target 2030
Target 2050
Customer emissions
Road travel’s role in global emissions
For most of us, driving on any road burns up petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline or diesel—and around 95% of the world’s transportation energy comes from non-renewable petroleum-based fuels (Source: US EPA). The burning of these fuels generates greenhouse gases (GHG)—the world’s biggest climate change contributor. Switching to electric vehicles powered by renewable energy is (at this time) the primary solution to reducing transport emissions.
What the numbers below show is that we all have a role to play in reducing transport emissions and helping mitigate the impacts of climate change.
of global road transport emissions come from passenger travel (cars, motorcycles and buses)
Source: Our World in Data
of new passenger cars bought in Australia in 2020 were low-emission (<160g/km) vehicles
Source: National Transport Commission
of new vehicles bought in the United States in 2020 were electric vehicles
of new passenger car registrations in Europe in 2020 were for low-emission (<160g/km) vehicles
Source: National Transport Commission
See how we’re working to reduce emissions generated through both building and operating our roads here.