CSIRO Sustainability Strategy 2020–2030 Approved by the CSIRO Board December 2020 Contents 1 Why develop a sustainability strategy?...............................................................................3 2 Scope and approach..................................................................................................................43 Defining material issues............................................................................................................64 Focus areas...................................................................................................................................104.1 Governance and transparency...........................................................................................................................114.2 Excellent and impactful science.........................................................................................................................124.3 Our people and capacity building.....................................................................................................................124.4 Sustainable property portfolio..........................................................................................................................134.5 Transition to a clean energy future ..................................................................................................................144.6 Responsible value chain and resource use........................................................................................................155 Governance and collaboration..............................................................................................166 Transparency and reporting..................................................................................................187 Review............................................................................................................................................198 Appendix......................................................................................................................................20 Our scientists are helping agricultural industries to sustainably feed and clothe Australians and grow our share of premium agribusiness markets. 1 Why develop a sustainability strategy? We solve the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. CSIRO’s purpose is to provide innovative scientific and technology solutions to national challenges and opportunities to benefit industry, the environment, and the community, through scientific research and capability development, services, and advice. Our key areas of research are focussed on Australia’s greatest challenges, identified as: • Food security and quality • Resilient and valuable environments • Future industries • Health and wellbeing • Sustainable energy and resources • A secure Australia and region Sustainability is therefore at the core of CSIRO’s purpose. The science and research we undertake delivers national benefit by providing solutions that protect our quality of life, our economic health and preserve our unique environment and our position in a globally competitive world. CSIRO has made good progress on reducing its operational environmental impacts through its past Environmental Sustainability Strategy and most recently, its Carbon Strategy 2020. The last five years have seen a steady reduction in gas and electricity- related emissions, currently sitting at 15% below 2000 levels. The expiry of the Carbon Strategy and advances in international best practice in sustainability have presented an opportunity to evolve our approach to 2030 and beyond, potentially harnessing exciting breakthroughs in innovation, such as hydrogen power. The development of this strategy has also provided an opportunity to identify gaps in our practices and ways that we can do things better, by understanding what is important to our staff, wider stakeholders, and our future. This will form the basis of our approach to sustainability going forward and provide a platform on which to better communicate with our stakeholders on the issues that matter. Being a resources-based economy, Australia has a great challenge to transition to zero net emissions whilst protecting the economy. CSIRO’s research focuses on ‘Sustainable energy and resources’ as one of our six national challenges in reflection of this. We believe that if a 100-year-old organisation with a significant property footprint can transform itself and lead by example, then it will catalyse other large enterprises to do the same. This sustainability strategy therefore focuses on improving CSIRO’s own performance in relation to its environmental and social impact. This includes application of CSIRO technical expertise and innovations where possible to solve internal challenges, and improving governance and transparency of sustainability actions. It also serves as a mechanism to connect with relevant existing organisational strategies that remain under the coordination of those strategy owners. Sustainability Strategy vision: To be an exemplar of sustainable culture and practice, befitting of a world class research organisation that has sustainability at its core. 2 Scope and approach Objective 4 of CSIRO’s Corporate Plan is to ‘ensure the sustainability of CSIRO through sustainable operations, cultural health, safety, and wellbeing’. CSIRO is a vast and complex organisation, with over 5,500 employees spread over 56 sites, comprising over 1,000 buildings, located both nationally and internationally. CSIRO manages one of the largest property portfolios amongst Commonwealth Government and Agencies, with a large environmental footprint. We are an Australian Government statutory authority. In addition to our own research, we look after National Facilities on behalf of the Australian government, such as the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, the National Research Collections and Marine National Facilities. We conduct world class research on behalf of the nation and nurture and develop young scientists. An organisation of this magnitude poses its own sustainability challenges. This Strategy addresses Objective 4 of the Corporate Plan (‘Ensure the sustainability of CSIRO’) and will guide strategic objectives, metrics and initiatives around CSIRO’s environmental and social impacts, providing a clear and cohesive sustainability vision across the organisation. Alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The SDGs are a set of 17 global goals, agreed by all UN Member States, which provide a ‘blueprint’ for a sustainable future. The SDGs serve as an urgent call to action, providing a common set of goals and targets for governments and businesses alike to address the world’s biggest sustainable development challenges. They also provide a ‘sustainability lens’ through which to view an organisation’s activities. Australia has adopted the SDGs and it is the responsibility of all governments, businesses, and civil society to progress the SDG targets. As Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO plays a leading role in Australia’s contribution to the SDGs, addressing many through the six key challenges that represent our key areas of research. This Sustainability Strategy is therefore a further opportunity to highlight the vast impact that CSIRO is having on advancing the SDGs and the unique role it can play in bringing together partnerships which will enhance and accelerate positive outcomes. While a final review of outcomes from the Carbon Strategy 2020 is pending, lessons from this and other past strategies were considered when developing the new sustainability strategy, including: • improving governance processes, including the need for a steering committee, along with the development of a sustainability advisory/ reference group comprising CSIRO researchers • clearly identifying a strategy sponsor at the Executive level • the benefits of using an internationally recognised methodology to identify material issues • early engagement with relevant CSIRO researchers to establish links between research opportunities and CSIRO operations. The process to develop this Strategy also included: • understanding the current and desired level of maturity around managing sustainability issues within the organisation • defining and validating the most material issues contributing to CSIRO’s sustainability performance, to ensure that resources are being directed appropriately • undertaking a gap analysis of existing strategies, actions, and reporting to understand opportunities for improvement or better collaboration • developing recommendations for actions to address gaps, which will inform the basis of this Sustainability Strategy. CSIRO is advancing the Sustainable Development Goals both within its operations and and externally. 3 Defining material issues A list of 20 topics considered material to CSIRO’s sustainability was developed through consideration of peer approaches to sustainability, engagement with internal and external stakeholders, review of internal policies and strategies, industry trends, and media analysis. The topics were tested through stakeholder workshops and a validation workshop with members of CSIRO’s Executive team. The 20 topics are shown in Figure 1. The definitions of each topic are included in the Appendix. The stakeholder engagement approach considered leading practice frameworks used by organisations to demonstrate leadership and performance in accountability, responsibility and sustainability (GRI and AA1000APS). Once the material topics had been identified and validated, a gap analysis was undertaken to identify existing strategies, actions and reporting in place to address the identified material topics. This process considered insights from interviews and a desktop analysis to determine where CSIRO could better meet the needs of its stakeholders. The gaps and opportunities for improvements identified through this process were considered when developing the new actions and initiatives set out within this Strategy. FoundationsPartnerships andengagementExcellentscienceEnvironmentaland socialimpactOur people Our people •Connected andcollaborativeways of working •Health, safety and wellbeing •An agile, future- focused workforce •Diversity, inclusion and belonging Environmentaland social impact •Resource efficiency •Risks and opportunitiesof the global climate transition •Responsiblevalue chain •Reducing our carbon footprint Excellentscience •National and internationalresearch partners •Research disseminationand application, and impact measurement •Impactful scienceand research areas •Ethical science and research Foundations •Culture, ethics, integrity and trust •Financialsustainability •Digital disruption and innovation •Data security and privacy Partnershipsandengagement •Relationship withgovernment •Collaborationwith business and industry •Communityengagement andcapacity building •Action for reconciliation Figure 1: CSIRO material sustainability topics. Materiality matrix The desktop materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement contributed to an assessment of how important each material topic is to CSIRO. During the validation workshop, CSIRO executives undertook a voting process to score the impact and timeframe to CSIRO of each issue. The validated materiality matrix is shown below. Importance to stakeholders 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 2.53.03.54.04.55.0Responsible value chainAction for reconciliationReducing our carbon footprintCommunity enagement andcapacity buildingDiversity, inclusion and belongingResource efficiencyRisks and opportunitiesof the global climate transitionNational and internationalresearch partnersCollaborationswith business and industryEthicalscience and researchData securityand privacyCulture, ethics, integrity and trustDigital disruption and innovationResearch, disseminationand application, and impact measurementImpactful scienceand research areasAn agile, future-focusedworkforceConnected andcollaborativeways of workingRelationshipwith governmentFinancialsustainabilityHealth, safety and wellbeing Impact to CSIRO Time ScaleMaterial topics Short term (feeling the impact now)Environmental and social impactExcellent science Medium term (impact will become material in the next five years) Foundations Long term (impact felt out beyond five years)Our people Partnerships and engagement CSIRO Sustainability Strategy 4 Focus areas Stakeholder engagement and the gap analysis found that many existing CSIRO initiatives are addressing the topics in Figure 1, particularly under the themes of Foundations, Excellent Science, Partnerships and Engagement, and Our people. This sustainability strategy therefore focuses predominantly on opportunities identified by the gap analysis; namely, to improve CSIRO’s own performance in relation to its environmental and social impact, including through applying CSIRO technical expertise to solve internal challenges, and improving governance and transparency of sustainability actions. Specific areas in which to focus our efforts have been identified below. Governance and transparency Increase transparency around sustainability performance through improved governance processes and systems, including regular public reporting aligned to the SDGs Excellent and impactful science Apply CSIRO’s technical expertise to solve internal challenges and respond to global priorities by creating internal and external partnerships that drive the SDGs Our people and capacity building Create a culture that supports our highly capable and diverse workforce on sustainable practices, and promote capacity building and understanding of sustainability issues through community and industry engagement Sustainable property portfolio Ensure fit-for-purpose buildings, aspiring to net zero carbon impact, that stimulate excellent science and improve staff health and wellbeing Transition to a clean energy future Improve energy demand management and efficiency to support the transition to net zero emissions Responsible value chain and resource use Understand the environmental and social impacts of purchase decisions, and embed circular economy thinking and the highest standards of responsible procurement As sustainability is broader than CSIRO’s internal environmental and social impact, this Strategy includes both existing actions and initiatives in place, under the coordination of the respective strategy owners, that are responding to each of the focus areas. It also stipulates new initiatives that will be moved forward under the Strategy. Existing actions responding to each focus area are detailed in the Appendix. New actions responding to each focus area are detailed in sections 4.1 to 4.6. Implementation of this new Strategy is designed to progress CSIRO’s level of maturity in sustainability management towards leading practice. Our progress will be reviewed regularly by undertaking a maturity assessment internally each year, with external validation every three to five years. 4.1 Governance and transparency FOCUS AREA GOVERNANCE AND TRANSPARENCY Increase transparency around sustainability performance through improved governance systems and processes, including regular public reporting aligned to the SDGs INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Establish a Sustainability Steering Committee to oversee Sustainability Strategy and reporting, and develop Terms of Reference By June 2021 Environmental Sustainability (ES) team Executive Team Develop performance measurement framework for assessing progress against the targets and measures in this Sustainability Strategy 2021 ES Develop a public Sustainability Report, referencing the SDGs 2022 ES, Strategy & Planning, all BUs Strengthen compliance with mandatory sustainability-related reporting requirements, including the Modern Slavery Act 2018 and Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) Annually All BUs Strategic Procurement (SP) Periodically (e.g. every 3 to 5 years) undertake a materiality refresh to understand if CSIRO’s material topics have changed Periodically Executive Team (ET) and Board, ES, Sustainability Steering Committee Monitor development and implementation of CSIRO’s next Reconciliation Action Plan, for inclusion in reporting Annually Office of the Chief Scientist Targets and measures Sustainability Steering Committee established Performance measurement framework developed First Sustainability Report published by 2022 Compliance with legislative reporting requirements Accountability Director – CSIRO Business and Infrastructure Services (CBIS) Related SDGs 4.2 Excellent and impactful science FOCUS AREA EXCELLENT AND IMPACTFUL SCIENCE Apply CSIRO’s technical expertise to solve internal challenges and respond to global priorities by creating internal and external partnerships that drive the SDGs. INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Establish Sustainability Advisory Group incorporating CSIRO science expertise 2021 ES All BUs Identify opportunities under CSIRO Missions program to apply science solutions to operational challenges Ongoing to 2030 Missions teams All BUs Targets and measures Synergistic opportunities identified from Missions and deployed into CSIRO operations, where feasible Sustainability Advisory Group established Accountability General Manager – Missions, Director – CBIS Related SDGs 4.3 Our people and capacity building FOCUS AREA OUR PEOPLE AND CAPACITY BUILDING Create a culture that supports our highly capable and diverse workforce on sustainable practices, and promote capacity building and understanding of sustainability issues through community and industry engagement INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Develop approach to the engagement of CSIRO staff in the implementation of the Sustainability Strategy across disciplines and Business Units, through multiple communication channels 2021 ES Build capacity of staff to understand and embed sustainability approaches within their roles, including developing training that references SDGs By 2025 ES HR All staff Targets and measures Staff engagement and communications plan developed Staff trained in sustainability and sustainability skills embedded in key roles Accountability Executive Director – People Related SDGs 4.4 Sustainable property portfolio FOCUS AREA SUSTAINABLE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO Ensure fit-for-purpose buildings, aspiring to net zero carbon impact, that stimulate excellent science and improve staff health and wellbeing INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Undertake a physical climate risk assessment over CSIRO’s properties and infrastructure (could be done in tandem with the transitional climate risk assessment in Section 4.5) 2025 CBIS ET Risk Support Property Strategy Implementation Plan to optimise CSIRO’s property portfolio, considering economic, social and environmental needs 2030 All BUs CBIS Targets and measures Property Strategy Implementation Plan reviewed and updated where applicable Sustainable Buildings Strategy developed incorporating ecologically sustainable design (ESD) principles and supported by efficient and effective data capture systems Physical climate risk assessment completed, and an action plan developed Consolidated and sustainable property portfolio in accordance with Property Strategy Performance Measures New buildings designed to maximise net zero carbon impact Accountability Director - CBIS Related SDGs 4.5 Transition to a clean energy future FOCUS AREA TRANSITION TO A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE Improve energy demand management and efficiency to support the transition to net zero emissions INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Finalise a Net Zero Emissions (NZE) pathway for CSIRO to achieve its emissions and renewable energy targets (below) with strong links to CSIRO’s Towards Net Zero Mission, where possible. 2021 ES Assess options to reduce domestic and international air travel (from 2019 baseline), and set appropriate targets 2025 Finance ET Undertake an assessment of how the transition to a low carbon economy may affect CSIRO’s operations and research areas, including risks and opportunities (could be done in tandem with the physical climate risk assessment in Section 4.4). 2025 All BUs ET Risk Continue to transition CSIRO vehicle fleet to low emissions technologies in accordance with Environmental Fleet Strategy 2030 CBIS Fleet Energy BU Targets and measures Define the organisational emissions boundary Net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 Net zero material Scope 3 emissions by 20501 100% renewable electricity supply for all CSIRO sites by 2030 Reduced air travel kilometres against 2019 baseline Percentage of low emissions fleet vehicles NZE pathway to achieve targets defined Climate risk assessments completed, and next steps defined Accountability Director – CBIS, Executive Team, Director – Finance, Mission Lead – Towards Net Zero mission Related SDGs 1 Note that this Board-approved target goes beyond the usual concept of NZE and extends past this Strategy’s 2030 end date 4.6 Responsible value chain and resource use FOCUS AREA RESPONSIBLE VALUE CHAIN AND RESOURCE USE Understand the environmental and social impacts of purchase decisions, and embed circular economy thinking and the highest standards of responsible procurement INITIATIVES TIMEFRAME STAKEHOLDERS Sustainability Strategy initiatives Undertake waste audit program to understand CSIRO’s waste streams and opportunities for reusing, reducing, and recycling waste Align with the National Waste Policy Action Plan and develop a Waste Strategy and diversion targets Pursue opportunities to improve resource recovery through application of circular economy principles. 2025 CBIS All BUs Conduct water use audits to understand CSIRO’s water use and opportunities to reduce consumption. 2025 CBIS Understand social and climate-related impacts of CSIRO’s investment portfolio 2025 COO Update Procurement Standards and procedures to strengthen environmental and social considerations 2025 SP ES Develop and implement supplier due diligence processes to ensure supply chain integrity, and respond to modern slavery legislation and broader environmental and social considerations 2025 SP ES Targets and measures Waste Strategy developed and waste reduction measures implemented Average 80% recovery rate (by weight) from all waste streams by 2030 Water Strategy developed and water efficiency initiatives identified and implemented Social and environmental impact assessment of CSIRO investment portfolio completed Supplier due diligence processes implemented Accountability Director – CBIS, Director – Finance, Chief Operating Officer Related SDGs 5 Governance and collaboration The successful achievement of the Sustainability Strategy will require input and ownership of the targets across all research and support functions of CSIRO. This Strategy provides a framework to actively integrate the principles of sustainable development into our corporate culture and business practices, as well as contribute to the advancement of national and global sustainable development through our research. In addition, the Strategy provides a mechanism through which to monitor our compliance with sustainability- related legislative and regulatory requirements. The Executive Sponsor for implementation of the Strategy is the Chief Operating Officer, with accountability for implementation assigned to the Director – CBIS. The Director – CBIS will be supported by the Sustainability function within CBIS, as well as two committees to be established, as shown below. Sustainability strategy governance arrangements SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY EXECUTIVE SPONSOR: CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Sustainability Steering Committee Purpose: Support successful delivery of the sustainability strategy and reporting through strategic direction and advice Members to include: • Chief Operating Officer • CSIRO Chief Scientist • Strategy & Planning representative • Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) and CBIS representatives Terms of reference to be developed Sustainability Advisory Group Purpose: Advise the sustainability team on aligning sustainability actions to leading practice science Members to include: • Team Leader, Urban & Industrial Transformations, Land & Water (chair) • Representatives from all BUs Terms of reference to be developed Sustainability team within CSIRO Business and Infrastructure Services Lead function for strategy implementation and reporting, including collaborating with internal and external stakeholders as required. An extensive stakeholder engagement, communications, and change management plan will be developed to support the successful integration of the Strategy within CSIRO and to external stakeholders. Given that CSIRO’s sustainability performance encompasses initiatives across the whole of CSIRO and will require cooperation and collaboration with all BUs, a supporting governance framework shall be established, as set out in Figure 2. The Steering Committee shall determine when and how often issues relating to the Strategy shall be reported to the Executive Team and Board, with issues to be reported at least once per year. Figure 2: Proposed governance and reporting structure. The governance and reporting framework will enable CSIRO to manage, review, track and report its performance under the Strategy. Chief Executive and Executive Team Review decisions on Sustainability Strategy Chief Operating Officer Executive Sponsor Sustainability Steering Committee Oversight and recommendations on strategy, direction, progress and reporting Director CBIS Implementation accountability Environmental Sustainability Implementation Lead Sustainability Advisory Group Advice on science application within Sustainability Strategy Implementation CSIRO Board Endorsement of Sustainability Strategy 6 Transparency and reporting A performance measurement framework will be developed to track progress against the targets and actions under each focus area. A summary dashboard will be presented to the Sustainability Steering Committee on a quarterly basis. Where certain actions and targets are identified as requiring Board oversight, progress will be reported to the Board via the standard Board paper process. A public Sustainability Report referencing the GRI and SDG frameworks will be developed and published by 2022 and annually thereafter. The Sustainability Report will detail progress made on the focus areas described in Section 4. The report will also reference content included in CSIRO’s Annual Report which has relevance to CSIRO’s broader sustainability material topics (e.g. People metrics, Digital programs). 7 Review In line with CSIRO’s rolling strategy approach, the Sustainability Strategy will be reviewed on a regular basis, and at least annually, to be able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances or events. The materiality assessment will be reviewed every three to five years. 8 Appendix Material topic definitions THEMES MATERIAL TOPICS AND DEFINITIONS Foundations Managing the risks and harnessing the opportunities of a digital world Having robust systems and processes to support financial and operational sustainability Culture, ethics, integrity and trust Developing and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement, good governance and ethical and moral conduct to remain Australia’s most trusted research institution Financial sustainability Developing and implementing strategies, new business models and commercialisation approaches that compliment CSIRO’s strategic objectives to achieve long-term growth and sustainability Digital disruption and innovation Continually assessing and leveraging digital innovation, to remain at the cutting edge of ways of doing research and facilitate a connected and agile workforce able to address the challenges and opportunities that arise from digital disruption Data security and privacy Protecting the privacy of our workforce, and security of scientific data, through maintaining trust and competency in IT systems and defences against cyber security breaches Excellent science Maximising the benefit of CSIRO research through solving the greatest challenges, and conducting it in innovative and ethical ways Ethical science and research Upholding strong processes, systems, safeguards, and people that support scientific integrity Impactful science and research areas Identifying and solving the greatest challenges facing Australia through innovative science and technology. Ensuring we take a future-focus to our research and engagement, including through exploring how megatrends may affect the challenges we aim to solve Research dissemination and application, and impact measurement Facilitating dissemination and application of our research among communities, business and industries, to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits of our work. Measuring and reporting on the impact of our research and using this data to continually improve National and international research partners Partnering with universities and publicly funded research organisations and maintaining stewardship of science infrastructure to boost innovation and capacity and ensure optimum research outcomes Environmental and social impact Minimising the negative environmental and social impact of CSIRO’s operations, buildings and supply chains Resource efficiency Ensuring efficient waste, water, materials and energy management to minimise the negative impact of our actions and operations on our environment. Considering and minimising the environmental footprint of our buildings and business travel Responsible value chain Minimising the upstream environmental and social risk of the goods and services we procure through updating our procurement processes and working with key suppliers Reducing our carbon footprint Minimising the carbon footprint of our assets and operations to contribute to global efforts to mitigate climate change Risks and opportunities of the global climate transition Understanding and responding to the risks and opportunities of climate change and the transition to a lower carbon economy for our business and stakeholders, including adapting our research focus to better respond THEMES MATERIAL TOPICS AND DEFINITIONS Partnerships and engagement Collaborating with partners, businesses, industry and the community to support innovation and maximise benefits of CSIRO research Relationship with government Working with, and maintaining our positive standing with government, to fulfil our function of undertaking science in the national interest, while maintaining our independence Collaboration with business and industry Collaborate closely with industry and business to enable more targeted and efficient delivery of technology and innovation, build capacity, and support Australia’s future industries and jobs. This includes making it easier to do business with CSIRO Community engagement and capacity building Engaging the community in an ongoing two- way conversation, to inform our research areas, share important research and innovation developments, and maintain awareness of and trust in the work we do Action for reconciliation Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through science, education and employment opportunities, and through pursuing innovation outcomes that create a positive impact for First Nations people Our people Attracting and supporting a skilful, agile and diverse workforce, and keeping CSIRO people safe and healthy An agile, future-focused workforce Ensuring we have highly capable individuals with the skillsets we need now and for the future and building and sharing our people’s capabilities and knowledge to support an agile workforce Connected and collaborative ways of working Supporting our geographically diverse and skilled workforce to connect, collaborate, innovate and work productively, maximising the impact we can create Health, safety and wellbeing Protecting and promoting the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, partners, infrastructure and environments in which we operate through effective safety, risk management and promoting a safety culture Diversity, inclusion and belonging Creating and embracing an environment where each individual is included and supported and can realise their full potential and implementing business practices that leverage our diversity of talent, thoughts and ideas Existing initiatives There are many existing initiatives within CSIRO that address the identified focus areas. Whilst these initiatives are not exhaustive, they serve to highlight the extensive body of work that currently underpins CSIRO’s sustainability performance. EXISTING RELEVANT INITIATIVES STAKEHOLDERS Focus area 4.1: Governance and transparency Increase transparency around sustainability performance through improved governance systems and processes, including regular public reporting aligned to the SDGs CSIRO Risk Framework, Corporate risk register, Audit and Risk Committee, ET, CSIRO Leadership Team (CLT), Board, Board Audit and Risk Committee (BARC), Australian Research Council (ARC), Major Transactions Committee (MTC), Science, Strategy, Impact and Investment Committee (SICOM) Governance Finance policy, CSIRO investment portfolio COO / Finance Managed Data Ecosystem, Privacy Policy Governance, Information Management and Technology (IMT) CSIRO Security Committee Governance, COO, IMT, CBIS Annual Reports, and rolling Corporate Plan Strategy & Planning Statement of Expectations Federal Government Statement of Intent Governance, ET Focus area 4.2: Excellent and impactful science Apply CSIRO’s technical expertise to solve internal challenges and respond to global priorities by creating internal and external partnerships that drive the SDGs. Work under Objective 1 of the Corporate Plan: “Conduct and encourage the uptake of world-class scientific research”, including Functions 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3; and under Objective 3: “Manage national research infrastructure for the nation”, including Function 3.1 All BUs Challenges and Digital Transformation Program, including Missions (in development) CDT Science Excellence Committee Governance Science and Delivery Policy Governance Core Research and Services, National Research, and Future Science Platforms All Bus, CDT CSIRO Innovation Fund, Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) Finance National Research Infrastructure: National Facilities and Collections CBIS, National Collections and Marine Infrastructure (NCMI) Partners in research, and alliance partners All BUs Impact Strategies, Impact Evaluation Guide, impact case studies Performance & Evaluation Australian National Outlook, CSIRO Global Megatrends, industry roadmaps, innovation system reports All BUs EXISTING RELEVANT INITIATIVES STAKEHOLDERS Focus area 4.3: Our people and capacity building Create a culture that supports our highly capable and diverse workforce on sustainable practices, and promote capacity building and understanding of sustainability issues through community and industry engagement Work under Objective 2 of the Corporate Plan: “Promote and develop the best talent, for the benefit of Australia”, including Function 2.1 People, Services Work under Function 4.1 of the Corporate Plan: “Ensure a vibrant, safe and positive culture in CSIRO” People, HSE People Policy, Employee Value Proposition Plan, Balance (flexible working initiative), Switch (secondment and mobility program) People Digital Academy, digital infrastructure, Managed Data Ecosystems and Missions CDT Diversity and Inclusion Policy, Disability Action Plan, Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), Pride@CSIRO, Male Champions of Change, Balance flexible working initiative D&I team (OD&C) HSE, People Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy, Reconciliation Action Plan, Indigenous Strategic Advisory Council RAP team (OD&C) Human Resources (HR) Health, Safety and Environmental Sustainability Policy HSE CSIRO Education & Outreach programs including STEM Professionals in Schools, Generation STEM, STEM X Academy and Workshops, Indigenous Girls’ STEM Academy, Sustainable Futures, Creativity in Research, Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST), Young ICT Explorers, Industry PhD program Services CSIRO Publishing Services Focus area 4.4: Sustainable property portfolio Ensure fit-for-purpose buildings, aspiring to net zero carbon impact that stimulate excellent science and improve staff health and wellbeing Work under Function 4.2 of the Corporate Plan: “Ensure CSIRO has sustainable operations, sites and infrastructure” CBIS Property Strategy Sustainable Buildings Strategy and Renewable Energy Strategy (under development) Heritage Strategy 2016-2026 CBIS Strategy ES CBIS Portfolio Management team Focus area 4.5: Transition to a clean energy future Improve energy demand management and efficiency to support the transition to net zero emissions Carbon Strategy 2020 ES, CBIS Power Purchase Agreement for eastern states (in development) ES, CBIS Sub-metering Strategy Renewable Energy Strategy (in development) ES CBIS Focus area 4.6: Responsible value chain and resource use Understand the environmental and social impacts of purchase decisions, and embed circular economy thinking and the highest standards of responsible procurement Procurement Standards SP CSIRO Indigenous Procurement Strategy Data management systems SP, HR ES Glossary of terms TERM DEFINITION AA1000APS The purpose of the AA1000APS (2008) is to provide organisations with an internationally accepted, freely available set of principles to frame and structure the way in which they understand, govern, administer, implement, evaluate and communicate their accountability. The AA1000 AccountAbility Principles provide the basis for understanding and achieving sustainability assurance. Challenges and Digital Transformation program The six challenges CSIRO is focused on through the Challenges and Digital Transformation Program are: • Food security and quality • Health and wellbeing • Resilient and valuable environments • Sustainable energy and resources • Future industries • A secure Australia and region. CSIRO’s Corporate Plan contextualises these challenges so the solutions from science focus on these priorities into the future. Circular economy A circular economy is an economic system focused on eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. In circular economies, resources are recycled, re-used, shared, repaired, refurbished to create a closed-loop system, in turn reducing raw input use and the creation of waste. Exemplar One that serves as a model or example: such as an ideal model. A person or thing serving as a typical example or appropriate model. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) The GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards) are the first and most widely adopted global standards for sustainability reporting. GRI helps businesses and governments worldwide understand and communicate their impact on critical sustainability issues such as climate change, human rights, governance and social well-being. Materiality Materiality is a concept founded in financial accounting procedures, which has been adapted and applied to nonfinancial information. In sustainability reporting, material issues are those which are important enough to influence a stakeholder’s decisions in relation to the business. Modern Slavery Act 2018 An Act to require some entities to report on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains and actions to address those risks, and for related purposes. Net zero emissions ‘Net zero’ refers to achieving an overall balance between emissions produced and emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Responsible procurement A procurement process that considers social, environmental and economic impacts to support sustainable development. Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into three groups or ‘scopes’ by the most widely used international accounting tool, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling consumed by the reporting company. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in an organisation’s value chain. Acronyms ACRONYM DEFINITION ARC Australian Research Council BARC Board Audit and Risk Committee BU Business Unit CBIS CSIRO Business and Infrastructure Services CDT Challenges and Digital Transformation Program CLT CSIRO Leadership Team COO Chief Operating Officer CREST Creativity in Research, Engineering, Science and Technology CSIRO Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organisation D&I Diversity and Inclusion EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ES Environmental Sustainability team ESD Ecologically Sustainable Design ET Executive Team FIN Finance ACRONYM DEFINITION GHG Greenhouse gas GRI Global Reporting Initiative HR Human Resources HSE Health, Safety and Environment IMT Information Management and Technology MTC Major Transactions Committee NZE Net Zero Emissions NCMI National Collections and Marine Infrastructure OD&C Organisational Development and Change PRC Procurement RAP Reconciliation Action Plan SDG Sustainable Development Goal SICOM Science, Strategy, Impact and Investment Committee SP Strategic Procurement STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics UN United Nations CSIRO’s RAFT polymerisation technology enables the production of better polymers for use in health, cosmetics, agricultural and industrial applications. As Australia’s national science agency and innovation catalyst, CSIRO is solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. CSIRO. Unlocking a better future for everyone. Contact us 1300 363 400 csiro.au/contact csiro.au For further information CBIS Sustainability sustainability@csiro.au