FOCUS Sustainability

ESG is much more than net zero

It’s always important to remember that net zero is just one part of ESG. Another focus area of the ESG strategy is inclusion and diversity. The overwhelming evidence around the phenomenal power and performance of a workforce with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking drives this.

“We’re creating an allencompassing ESG framework for three reasons,” McCarthy said. “One is that it’s so clearly aligned to Interflow’s purpose. We’re not delivering on our purpose if we don’t do it. The second is that it just makes good business sense. Sustainability will save the business money, open new opportunities, and enhance our reputation. Finally, it just feels right.

When you work for organisations that are only about making a profit, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Enhancing the existing ESG work

“One of the greatest realisations is how much Interflow is already doing in terms of sustainability. As soon as we put a framework in place that allowed us to measure our sustainability performance, we recognised that we were doing quite well. The power then becomes about enhancing this across the business,” he said.

Success is, to a large extent, about the little things people do daily. It ranges from the crew leader who switches off the generator whenever possible, to the job scheduler who organises teams to attend local jobs, to the buyer who chooses to purchase from a supplier with a low embedded-carbon product.

Some solutions are as simple as sequencing work to ensure Interflow teams are not zig-zagging back and forth across cities to various jobs. Instead, they should be attending projects in a more logical, linear fashion. Interflow team members can further reduce emissions by taking a more straightforward path.

“We’re taking quite a methodical approach to our path to net zero,” McCarthy said.

“We don’t know exactly what it looks like yet, but we do know we’ve got to meet the ambition of our customers. And we know we want to do it in a way that doesn’t leave us running around like an under-seven soccer team, chasing the next thing. We want to do this as a co-ordinated unit.”

Interflow’s people expect nothing less

A clear ESG strategy is not negotiable for the Interflow team. McCarthy said people want to work for an organisation that aligns with their values and beliefs. They also expect honesty – which is one of Interflow’s core values.

“We’re constantly developing our ESG strategy,” he said. “But it’s also important that we’re open and honest about what we can do and where we don’t yet have the answers. The last thing we want is any form of greenwashing.

“Our people want their employer to work with purpose. Our community expects and requires our care and attention in everything we do. And as an organisation, we have powerful expectations around how we work. That’s why we’re putting so much effort into it now.”

Find out more about Interflow’s Sustainability Framework and ESG Strategy at www.interflow.com.au/ sustainability/

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