Circular economy, raw materials and waste

The demand from our customers, communities, industry and government for circular economy thinking to reduce waste continues to be a prominent issue and growth opportunity for Downer. Downer partners with customers and industry to progress circular economy outcomes and limit impacts on resources.

Waste is generated in Downer's activities, for example, during the production of its products and delivery of services. It can also be generated by entities upstream and downstream in the value chain, for example, when suppliers process materials, or when consumers use the services or discard Downer's products. Waste can have significant negative impacts on the environment and human health when inadequately managed and can extend beyond locations where waste is generated and discarded. The resources and materials contained in waste that is incinerated or landfilled are lost to future use, which contributes to resource depletion. 

In addition, Downer's approach and circular economic practices, level of efficiency and extent of recycling, reusing and reclaiming materials, products and packaging demonstrate actions to limit our impact and consumption of natural resources.

Raw materials and circular economy

The inputs used to manufacture and deliver Downer's products and services depend on non-renewable materials (such as minerals, aggregates, rubber and metals to manufacture and supply bituminous products, manufacture of rollingstock, construction and infrastructure projects, or facilities management services) or renewable materials (such as wood or water). Both types of input materials can be virgin or produced from recycled materials. 

Downer continually looks to reduce the environmental impacts of production and consumption while enabling sustainable growth through more productive use of our finite natural resources. This aim allows Downer to avoid waste through product design and increase the use of recovered materials. In addition, Downer is committed to the principles of the circular economy, including understanding products’ lifecycles to reduce the burden on the natural environment. 

Downer actively seeks to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill across our business. Downer teams across the Tansman have implemented innovative solutions that identify more responsible recycling and repurposing of personal protective equipment (PPE), achieving a balance between cost effectiveness and sustainability outcomes.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, to help us on this mission, we partnered with Upparel in 2022 – a company that is leading the way in textile recovery and recycling. Upparel take Downer’s PPE, office wear, work boots, gumboots, belts and hard hats, and repurposes them into new products. In this, textiles are washed, shredded and transformed into a nonwoven felt material and cut to size, laminated or finished with an outer fabric covering into 100 per cent recycled products, such as furniture and construction items, including the world's first 100 per cent recycled kids sofa, FlipUP. After a successful trial program in 2022 that saw 815 kilograms of waste recycled, we are now establishing a national PPE and corporate clothing collection program that covers PPE and clothing. With collection bins now installed in six of our Auckland and Tauranga sites, we’re looking forward to expanding across Aotearoa in future.

In Australia, our Group Procurement teamed up with the Rail and Transit Systems and the Utilities businesses to successfully complete trials to recycle unwanted Downer workwear otherwise destined for landfill. This involved a collection trial with Textile Recyclers Australia at a number of NSW sites. These textiles are shredded and processed to become new fibres. The by-product of this process can potentially go into the making of products such as ceramic tiles and automotive seat filling. Any new unworn garments can be recycled into yarn. This saw a total of 478 kilograms of textile waste shredded and diverted from landfill, while protecting Downer’s brand integrity in the process.

Waste

Waste is generated in Downer's activities, for example, during the production of its products and delivery of services. It can also be generated by entities upstream and downstream in the value chain, for example, when suppliers process materials that are later used or obtained, or when consumers use the services or discard Downer's products. Waste can have significant negative impacts on the environment and human health when inadequately managed and can extend beyond locations where waste is generated and discarded. The resources and materials contained in waste that is incinerated or landfilled are lost to future use, which contributes to resource depletion. 

Downer employs waste management procedures and processes that seek to prevent and reduce waste in accordance with our waste reduction hierarchy. The hierarchy, in order of most to least preferable, is to: avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover energy, treat, and dispose of waste. The highest priority, avoiding and reducing the generation of waste, aims to reduce the amount of virgin materials extracted and used. Downer reduces or avoids the generation of waste fill material where possible, and manages fill material removed from site as waste.

Downer also follows legislative requirements for regulated waste, including tracking and waste disposal. Before starting any physical work on Downer sites or projects, the sources of waste and management requirements must be included as part of the relevant management plans.