Sustainability

Improving our environmental performance

Our goal, wherever we operate in the world, is to minimise harm to the environment, and maximise 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.

BAI Sustainability report 2022

BAI has strengthened our commitment to build a more equitable future for present and upcoming generations by sharing environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets for the first time in our first sustainability report titled Creating our sustainable future today. In a year of accelerated growth and transformation, as an industry leader, we continue to build our vision of connecting places to create smart communities while committing to design, build, and deploy products and services in a sustainable way.       

Green fields connectivity sustainability
UN Global Compact - Wellbeing

Creating smarter and more sustainable communities of the future.

BAI has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, aimed at mobilising a global movement of sustainable companies.

Our goal across the globe is to minimise harm to the environment and maximise sustainable practices.

In developing/advancing BAI’s sustainable approach, we are determined to take responsible climate action, reduce inequalities, operate ethically and continue to innovate and provide communication infrastructure to keep communities connected.

UN Global Compact initiatives by BAI

Towards Carbon Neutral - BAI Australia‘s journey to net zero emissions by 2040

BAI Communications will invest $20 million over five years into our Towards Carbon Neutral (TCN) program. The investment aims to reach a 65% reduction of our CO₂ equivalent emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2040.

Since 2010, BAI Communications has already achieved a 55.8% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 CO₂ emissions. BAI’s TCN program will further lower emissions from FY2023 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 36 sites, and batteries at four of the sites.
  • FM antenna replacement: undertaking four 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 at three sites.

Powering communication networks using solar power

Over the past four years, BAI has invested in a number of initiatives that reduce power consumption as well as the carbon released into the atmosphere.

This year, four solar-powered sites were introduced in BAI’s broadcast transmission network; Yatpool, Victoria; Mawson, Western Australia; Minding, Western Australia; and Brandon, Queensland.

The annual reduction in CO2 emissions from our recent solar investment is 698 tonnes, equivalent to reducing:

  • Greenhouse gas emissions from 2.7km driven by an average passenger vehicle
  • CO2 emissions from charging 89 million smartphones
  • Greenhouse emissions from 237 tonnes of waste sent to landfill

Download our case study to find out how BAI implemented this solar power initiative as part of our commitment to managing our energy use and reducing consumption. 

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.

To ensure minimum harm to communities in which we operate, and mitigate risk, we follow guidelines outlined in our Pollution Incident Response Management Plan.

Our Broadcast Services division has achieved the Australia/New Zealand Standard and ISO Standard 14001 for environmental management.