The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 requires CASA to report on how its outcome and activities accord with the principles of ecologically sustainable development.

Environmental management system

CASA’s environmental management system is designed to improve our environmental performance and reduce the environmental impact of our operations.

Our environmental sustainability policy is a key element of the environmental management system. The policy formalises CASA’s commitment to environmental protection and provides a framework for achieving continuous improvement in environmental performance.

Measures taken to minimise the impact of activities on the environment

Strategies are in place to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. Objectives, targets and action plans are set out clearly, and responsibilities and timeframes have been established.

Environmental initiatives undertaken during the year included:

• conducting waste audits at CASA’s Brisbane and Canberra offices, where there have been noticeable improvements in the rates of diversion from landfill
• maintaining accreditation in the Australian Capital Territory Government’s business waste recycling program
• reducing tenant light and power energy consumption for Aviation House, Canberra, by 8 per cent, through the reprogramming of the light controls and the ongoing education of staff
• ordering hybrid vehicles in the CASA fleet as replacements for regular petrol-powered vehicles
• promoting the use of video conferencing as an alternative to air travel, and increasing video conferencing facilities through a built workplace review
• achieving 4.5 star or better base building National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) ratings for the leased office accommodation that we occupy in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney
• activating soft plastics recycling in the Canberra office.

CASA achieved a number of improvements in relation to environmental performance indicators during 2018–19 (see Table 13).

CASA was not involved in any actions likely to have a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance on Commonwealth land.

Table 13 Environmental performance summary, 2017–18 to 2018–19

Office energy use

CASA has in place an energy management plan aimed at minimising its use of energy in office buildings. When choosing and fitting out new office accommodation, we attempt to minimise our environmental footprint by including energy-efficient features and specifying energy-efficient lighting systems and fittings.

Motor vehicle fleet

CASA has a policy of selecting motor vehicles that are fit for purpose and provide the best value for money. Where operationally practical, CASA leases small, fuel-efficient vehicles.

During 2018–19, we operated a vehicle fleet consisting of 34 vehicles, of which 29 per cent had engine capacities under 1,800 cubic centimetres or were hybrid vehicles. Since 2010, the CASA fleet has reduced in size by 16 vehicles.

During 2019–20, CASA will take delivery of five new hybrid vehicles (replacing petrol-powered vehicles) and four new 4-cylinder vehicles (replacing 6-cylinder vehicles), which will increase the percentage of vehicles that are hybrid vehicles or have an engine capacity under 1800 cubic centimetres to 56 per cent of the 34-car fleet.

Waste management and resource efficiency

All of CASA’s offices provide a range of recycling opportunities. Through improved recycling signage and awareness campaigns, CASA is increasing the amount of waste diverted from landfill to recycling.

Large stationery recycling stores operate in Brisbane and Canberra, while stationery recycling is encouraged in all other offices, allowing staff to place surplus stationery in a central location for use by other teams. In Canberra, CASA has been accredited under the Australian Capital Territory Government recycling program since the program’s inception 10 years ago.

Of paper used by CASA, 98.16 per cent has a recycled content of more than 50 per cent or is 20 per cent recycled and certified carbon neutral under the National Carbon Offset Standard.