Goal 1: Reduce our Impact on the Environment

GOAL 1

Reduce our Impact on the Environment

Our climate is changing, and faster than we think. Carbon is one of the biggest culprits, and whilst necessary for life, the excess emissions of carbon gases into the atmosphere is heating the planet. The world is already 1°C hotter than it was between 1850 and 1900 (the pre-industrial era). If we don’t limit warming soon, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), predicts dire consequences, including increased flood risks, extreme heatwaves and a rising sea level affecting billions.

GOAL 1

Our Commitments

Reduce energy consumption at our processing plants by at least 40% per kilo of product produced for the life of the plan.

Use integrated pest management and silviculture systems which aim to reduce the requirement of chemical pesticides. Increase the share of treatment with beneficials, instead of traditional systems, by 20% on the prior year, by December 2022.

Finalise the commercial feasibility assessment of our ‘Biomass Pyrolysis’ project. Subject to the results of the assessment, we aim to turn at least 50% of biomass material into biochar (or a related product) by December 2026.

Limit domestic and international air travel wherever possible but when travel is required, we will ensure we support airlines that offer carbon neutral options.

Assess and measure baseline water consumption across all operational sites to develop a water optimisation strategy by 2023.

Controlled burning – we are exploring the use of traditional Aboriginal fire management which involves the lighting of ‘cool’ fires. These fires burn slowly reducing fuel loads4 and loss of ecological and biodiversity values. We aim to conclude our review by June 2022 with a report detailing action plans moving forward.

Work with The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to review our packaging use and develop a plan that will help us meet recycling targets by December 2022.

4 Kimberley Land Council, www.klc.org.au

GOAL 1

“Carbon is one of the fundamental components of every organic material on earth. Carbon is all around us, it is in our physical bodies, in our soil and in the trees we care for so it’s something that is very important not just to Quintis, but to the environment and the global community. By better understanding our carbon footprint and by furthering our research, we will be able to create a more positive future for our environment, our people and the world”.

– Precila Gonzales, Regional Research Forester

BIOCHAR FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Amid the forests of our Kununurra and Kingston Rest plantations lie 63 plots where we are trialling what could be a climate game-changer: biochar. This is a carbon-rich material created by slowly ‘baking’ our host trees and waste biomass in a pyrolysis kiln. According to recent studies, biochar could curb climate change, cutting down greenhouse emissions and increasing the carbon cycle’s latency by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. “It greatly reduces our carbon footprint,” says Regional Research Forester, Dr Precila Gonzales, in charge of the initiative. Once created, biochar is inserted into the soil effectively removing carbon dioxide that could have been emitted into the atmosphere and storing it underground where it does not contribute to global warming. One of the world’s top experts on biochar has calculated that if it was added to 10% of global cropland, 29 billion tonnes of CO2 would be sequestered5. “It’s a sort of cycle. We don’t waste the carbon – it goes back into our ecosystem,” explains Dr Gonzales. “It will also benefit our plantations by enhancing the soil structure and raising productivity.”

5 Yale Environment 360, www.e360.yale.edu

Reducing our carbon footprint is a crucial area of importance for us. Equally as important is preserving natural resources such as energy and water, both essential for healthy tree growth. There is a delicate balance involved in ensuring our trees receive the nutrients they need to thrive whilst actively trying to reduce our energy and water consumption. As for any business working with natural products, this is a challenge – yet one we are committed to overcoming through innovative solutions that strike the right balance.

PEST MANAGEMENT THROUGH ‘BENEFICIALS’

When it comes to protecting our trees from pest damage, wherever possible chemical intervention is a last resort. Quintis practises Forest Integrated Pest Management (Forest IPM) which uses a combination of cultural, biological and chemical technologies to reduce pest damage. Our first line of defence is usually of the biological kind, which includes insects. Simon Ong, Entomologist explains: “There are a lot of ‘beneficial’ insects. We have started to use biological controls, meaning we introduce other insects into our plantations to try and rectify pest issues in a natural way. We limit the amount of chemical intervention we have in the field, particularly when we identify a range of beneficial species. We don’t want to throw the plantation into chaos by trying to remove pests, but also removing our beneficial insects in the process”. Simon spends most of his time in the field, monitoring insect movements and patterns to ensure the appropriate controls are implemented. “We have to be continually vigilant” he says. Through their work, Simon and his team have documented many unknown insect species, which are now included in the CSIRO’s (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Australian National Insect Collection, an internationally recognised research collection that houses over 12 million specimens. Specimens have also been lodged with the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Australian Museum and the Western Australian Museum where Simon is an Honorary Research Associate.

PATENTED TECHNOLOGY BREAKING NEW GROUND

A breakthrough in distillation technology will reduce energy consumption by as much as 75% and turn traditional steam distillation methods on its head. Quintis' Head of Production, Johan Nortier, was determined to find a more energy efficient way of distilling Sandalwood oil and has spent the past seven years researching new techniques.

Inspiration was eventually found in an unlikely place: a continuous in-feed and out-feed system, commonly used in papermaking. In September 2021, Quintis’ patented continuous steam distillation technology was introduced. Although simple in principle, the system required extensive testing and remodelling to ensure the continued high quality of our oils. “We tested thousands of samples to ensure that, chemically, and odour-wise, it’s the same product,” says Johan. “We’re really happy with the results. We’re able to maintain product quality while reducing our energy consumption – it’s a powerful combination.”

NO WASTE

As part of the production process, it is normal for heartwood shavings and chips to be discarded. We take painstaking measures to ensure no wastage, carefully collecting these to put back into the manufacturing process with approximately 6% of processed heartwood recovered during production.

REDUCING LANDFILL

Quintis is a member of The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), a not-for-profit organisation supported by Australian industry and government to deliver a sustainable approach to packaging. We are currently working with APCO to develop a plan which will help us address our own packaging use to meet APCO's 2025 targets:

• 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging • 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted • 50% of average recycled content included in packaging • The phase out of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics packaging