Media Release: IS Essentials to help $5-$100m projects drive better sustainability outcomes

MEDIA RELEASE: ISCouncil releases game-changing rating tool   IS Essentials to help $5-$100m projects drive better sustainability outcomes 

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) is responding to the rapidly changing sustainability landscape by releasing a new, innovative digital tool to support Australian and New Zealand infrastructure projects navigate the changes and ensure that their assets are sustainable.

IS Essentials is a game-changing extension to the ISC’s globally recognised IS Rating Scheme; a collection of third-party assured rating tools that evaluate the social, cultural, environmental and economic performance of infrastructure assets across their life cycle.

Designed specifically for small infrastructure projects valued at $5 million to $100 million, IS Essentials is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help government agencies, private asset owners and investors to measure, improve and report on social, cultural, environmental and economic performance.

ISC Acting CEO Patrick Hastings says the tool is significant in advancing the sector’s sustainability efforts, with 80 per cent of infrastructure investment across Australia occurring in projects valued at under $100 million.

“These tend to be projects that are closely tied to communities, such as energy generation, water treatment plants and road projects, which have the potential to deliver more for the communities they serve than just the basic utility of the asset,” said Mr Hastings.

“We want to support project and asset owners recognise this, help them respond and excel in their delivery, noting IS Essentials will not only enable them to start on this journey more effectively, but accelerate it.”

With legislative requirements, national and global adoption of carbon accounting standards and mounting pressure on organisations to collect, record and report their sustainability efforts, the ISC wants to ensure those delivering vital infrastructure projects have the support they need to do so efficiently and effectively.

“IS Essentials is designed to scale according to both the size of the asset and the ambition of the organisation, while also providing a road map to transform their systems and processes so that these practices become business-as-usual,” Mr Hastings said.

IS Essentials has undergone a rigorous testing process, thanks to the support of 26 pilot projects across Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Westpac New Zealand Government Innovation Fund.

Maritime Safety Queensland participated in the pilot project through its program of works to replace 30 maritime beacons in the shipping channels from Cairns to Weipa in north Queensland.

Amanda Scarpato, Director of the Maritime Program Management Office for Maritime Safety Queensland (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads), said working with IS Essentials became more than just a one-off “tick”.

“By working with IS Essentials, we challenged many of our business-as-usual decisions to deliver safer, more sustainable infrastructure,” Ms Scarpato said.

“We can now take the IS Essentials principles and apply them to other infrastructure projects.”

Mr Hastings said it is that change of mindset and practice that will accelerate not just decarbonisation of our assets but drive better outcomes for communities.

“Sustainability needs to be a business priority,” Mr Hastings said. “It’s about setting strong foundations and investing in the future, not just for the organisation itself, but the infrastructure assets and networks being delivered and for the communities we’re operating in.”

 

To learn more about IS Essentials and to register a project for an IS Essentials Rating, visit www.iscouncil.org

 

ENDS  JULY  2024

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Media Information: marketing@iscouncil.org

 

Notes to Editors

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council is Australia and New Zealand’s authority on sustainable infrastructure projects and assets. The IS Council’s purpose is to ensure that all infrastructure delivers cultural, social, environmental, and economic benefits.

 

The Council works with more than 35 federal, state, and local government departments in Australia and New Zealand. The Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Scheme is mandated by delivery agencies and asset operators across Australia and New Zealand, with more than $297 billion infrastructure projects undertaking ratings. The Council represents 240-plus individual companies, departments, and associations with a combined annual turnover of more than $50 billion.

 

For more information, contact the IS Council at info@iscouncil.org or visit www.iscouncil.org