Sustainability
Improving environmental performance
Our goals are to optimise environmental outcomes, maximise the social benefit that our operations provide, and to continually improve our sustainability.
We are determined to reduce our environmental impact, and to help our customers to reduce theirs. To do this, we are constantly investing in infrastructure to improve our services through innovative developments.
Creating smarter and more sustainable communities
In November 2023 BAI re-joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, aimed at mobilising a global movement of sustainable companies. We are committed to continue to setting ambitious targets and reporting on our sustainability journey in 2024.
In February 2024, we also committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative and are currently working on setting a near-term emissions reduction goal for submission and validation.
Our journey to net zero emissions
We are investing $20 million over five years to reduce our scope 1 and scope 2 emissions footpring. The investment aims to reach a 65% reduction of our CO₂ equivalent emissions by 2030 against a 2010 baseline and achieve net zero emissions in line with reducing global average temperature rise by 1.5˚C.
Since 2010, we have already achieved a 62.1% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 CO₂e emissions. Our ongoing investment is reducing emissions with a series of initiatives focused on the replacement of aging assets with energy-efficient options and supplementation with green energy at selected BAI owned and operated sites. Key initiatives and targets to reduce BAI’s carbon footprint include:
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) installation: a major program of work to install solar panels at BAI sites, including batteries at some of them.
- FM antenna replacement: undertaking several major streams of work to replace aging FM antennas with double aperture ones.
- FM transmitter upgrade: replacement of aging equipment with more energy efficient options.
- The optimisation of site cooling infrastructure, including the deployment of ‘free-cooling’ systems.
Learn more about our journey
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Powering networks using solar power
BAI consistently invests in initiatives that reduce energy consumption as well as the carbon released into the atmosphere. Between 2019 and 2020, four solar-powered sites were introduced in our broadcast transmission network; Yatpool, Victoria; Mawson Trig, Western Australia (WA); Minding, WA; and Brandon, Queensland.
The annual reduction in CO2e emissions from this solar investment is 698 tonnes, equivalent to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from:
- 2.7 million km driven by an average passenger vehicle
- charging 89 million smartphones
- 237 tonnes of waste sent to landfill
Read our case study to find out how we implemented this solar power initiative as part of our commitment to managing our energy use and reducing consumption.
Additional investment into solar generation installations has led to a further three sites – Cumnock in NSW, Loxton in South Australia (SA) and Moresby Range in WA being fitted with large-scale PV arrays, with additional sites in SA, Victoria, and Queensland now under construction.
Other environmental initiatives
To improve the environmental performance of our business, we participate in a number of initiatives, including Earth Hour and World Environment Day.
We aim to minimse harm to communities in which we operate, and to mitigate risk, by following guidelines outlined in our Pollution Incident Response Management Plan.
We have achieved the Australia/New Zealand Standard and ISO Standard 14001 for environmental management.
Help shape the future of connectivity
When you work at BAI Communications, you are part of a talented team driven by the pursuit of excellence and a shared purpose.
