Pictured: Deputy Premier Dr Susan Close and Head of Sustainability Will Lawler.

The scale and scope of the services we deliver in South Australia through the Across Government Facilities Management Arrangement enables our team to uplift sustainability and climate action for South Australia, with over 1.2m assets across 5,000 locations. 

The teams work to go above and beyond in being sustainable in all that they do has seen them recognised by the Premier’s Climate Change Council in this year’s SA Climate Leaders Awards.

As finalists in the Business – Large Enterprise category, the team were recognised for their leadership and commitment to enhancing processes, acting as a critical catalyst for climate action across 49 state government agencies. In doing so, we are enabling the pursuit of the State’s own greenhouse gas emissions and waste reduction targets. 

“Ventia has been very deliberate in partnering closely with State agencies and their supply chains to uplift sustainability and climate action,” says AGFMA Head of Sustainability Will Lawler. 

This is making a positive and highly visible impact across the State’s community infrastructure, including 1,035 schools and more than 80 hospitals.

Pictured: AGFMA team wearing their 'Ask me about sustainability' vests.

Ventia’s corporate vision is “to be sustainable in all that we do” and it is this ethos that has driven us to embed sustainability criteria, far and above our contractual obligations.

Will says that Ventia has consciously done this as a catalyst to drive positive and visible climate outcomes for South Australia.

Accelerating change has been achieved through strong collaboration and partnership with 49 Government Agencies and 1,200 contracting South Australian-based contracting companies.

Will highlights one example that demonstrates great collaboration within the supply chain.

Ventia’s commitment to embedding sustainability criteria was a catalyst for Snyders Painting to employ the use of recycled paint trays and stirrers, replace single-use plastic drop-sheets with cotton, utilise paint-wash stations to capture and divert water used for cleaning and recycle unused paints within the AGFMA. 

“They’ve partnered with Haymes Paints which are an Australian company - reducing transport emissions,” Will notes. “Haymes Paints has invested heavily in developing and manufacturing environmentally friendly paints and has also led the market in social sustainability, establishing an Australian first – an Aboriginal owned and led paint company “Jiga Jiga” premium paints.”

Pictured: Painting supplies made from recycled materials.

The Premier’s Climate Change Council’s 2024 SA Climate Leaders Awards recognise projects or initiatives that are helping the state innovate around climate change.

Held every two years since 2016, these awards attract entries from a wide array of sectors and showcases the best the state has to offer when it comes to innovative measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change.