CHOICE is committed to making sure Australian consumers like you get a fair go, and part of that mission includes minimising our environmental impact.
We're proudly carbon neutral and have been officially accredited from 2017-2021. This means we removed as much carbon as our organisation puts into the environment.
On this page:
- Why we went carbon neutral
- Changes we made
- Offsetting our emissions
- Community recognition
- Local environmental initiatives
Why we went carbon neutral
For many decades, CHOICE has been helping Australians find energy efficient appliances that save money, and that reduce overall power use.
In 2014, we tackled the impact of our own business practices on the environment. After reviewing our internal and external energy usage, we found that most of our carbon emissions were coming from power use. Since then, we've worked to change the way we use energy.
Becoming carbon neutral meant that we:
- spent less of our member funding on electricity, gas and water;
- created less environmental pollution; and
- engaged, attracted and retained more people who align with our values.
From 2017-2021, we were Climate Active certified. Sponsored by the Australian Government, the Climate Active program provides a framework and standard that business can use to benchmark and improve energy efficiency.
Read the CHOICE Climate Active 2021 Public Disclosure Summary (PDF, 427 KB).
Read our previous Public Disclosure Statements on the Climate Active website.
Solar panels on the CHOICE rooftop have improved our energy efficiency.
Changes we made
We took a holistic look at how we could become more sustainable. Bigger carbon-reducing initiatives included:
- LEDs replaced all standard lights throughout our building
- an upgrade of our building's air conditioning plant
- solar panels installed across our roof space.
Electric vehicles (EVs) charging in the CHOICE carpark
EV charging spot
We've also made some smaller but important changes:
- recycling for plastics, paper, metal, cosmetic packaging, batteries and lights
- staff travel emissions measured using a commuter survey
- purchased and maintain a bicycle fleet for local use
- worm farms and composting programs
- more energy-efficient ICT equipment
- replaced our company car with an electric vehicle (EV)
- dedicated car park EV charging stations for staff and visitors.
Offsetting our emissions
CHOICE switched to a green energy plan in 2022, and we now offset 100% of our greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2023, we upgraded our rooftop solar system, doubling its previous capacity, and halving our average daily use of grid energy. CHOICE now exports electricity back to the grid on most days of the year.
Community recognition
In recognition of our efforts, CHOICE won the Energy Smart Award at the 2016 Inner West Business Awards (Sydney), and was highly commended for the same award in 2018.
Local environmental initiatives
Just next to our office site on Sydney's Cook River, CHOICE staff also work regularly with our local council to regenerate parkland by planting native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers.
We also organise regular local "Clean Up Marrickville" events, to stop waste from polluting parklands and being washed into our local waterways. Read more on our social impact.
