We continue to seek waste recovery and recycling opportunities, within our own operations and in other industries, with a particular focus on lubricants and our Geelong Refinery.

We’ve been working with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to reduce the impact of our packaging on the environment. We fully support the APCO and report on our activities and progress each year.

Download the APCO 2021 Report

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Our Sustainability Report details the waste management practices at our refinery, which are world-class and key to our success in participating in the circular economy.

View our sustainability reports
Download our Geelong Refinery Reusing and Recycling chart

Minimising water use

Water is an essential resource and our aim is to minimise its use throughout our entire production and operations chain. We’re always looking for opportunities to improve our water management wherever operational, regulatory and business conditions allow.

Our Geelong Refinery requires large quantities of water, to produce steam that heats the crude oil and to cool fuels during the manufacturing process. One hundred percent of the water used is sent to the Northern Water Plant for recycling, saving 1.5 billion litres of drinking water each year – equal to the amount of water used by 10,000 homes.

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Land management

It is imperative that we minimise any impact on soil and groundwater quality in the event of a spill or leak from our facilities. We also work with regulators to monitor and remediate historical issues.

Our aim is ‘No Product to Ground’. To ensure no uncontrolled release of hydrocarbon products to the environment, we implement spill prevention and control measures across all of our operations. These involve operational procedures, routine surveillance, risk-based inspection programs and leak detection technology.

We have a dedicated team that manages environmental assessments and remediation, working with property owners, local communities and regulators to ensure land is suitable for our ongoing operations or future development.

Encouraging biodiversity

Biodiversity is addressed across our operations. For our major pipelines, we manage and maintain vegetation of ecological and heritage significance within our easements. We also introduce dedicated buffer zones and reclaim wetlands across our operations that provide opportunities for restoration and rehabilitation projects.

Our frog habitat restoration project at the Clyde terminal is progressing well. Ongoing surveillance of the frog population within the purpose built breeding ponds indicates early success.

Our approach to biodiversity

Reducing emissions

Manufacturing, storing, supplying and using fuels and other oil products can cause air emissions such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), greenhouse gases (GHG), sulphur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). We are committed to managing and reducing our air emissions and to meeting our regulatory requirements, and have invested significantly in our equipment and processes across all of our operations.

We monitor and report on the air quality of our facilities according to each site’s licence conditions, and annually to the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) where you will find the latest emissions data.

Download our daily air monitoring report for SO2 at the Geelong Refinery

Controlling wastewater discharge

Most of our larger facilities are located along the Australian coastline, sometimes within areas of environmental significance. Regulatory controls associated with licences and permits ensure that these facilities have the equipment and the established internal compliance systems necessary to prevent polluted water from discharging into the environment. Our facilities and our network of service stations adopt a range of water treatment systems and techniques, to ensure that storm water runoff and wastewater have minimal impact on the environment. Most of our sites have licence discharge requirements, and these are regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure that we are compliant.

Learn more about our environmental reporting

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