Westfield Australia is committed to making sustainability part of its day-to-day business practices.
Westfield is a platinum member of the Green Building Council of Australia and also reports to the Federal Government’s Energy Efficiency Opportunities program. The Group has worked closely with the Green Building Council to develop the Green Star Shopping Centre Design tool, a set of principles for evaluating the environmental impact of retail buildings.
These principles are already being applied to Westfield’s new developments in Albany, Doncaster and Sydney City. Each centre has measures to address energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling and waste management and urban design. The Group is building the retail and commercial components of the Sydney City project to specifications designed to achieve a Five Green Star rating.
A record-breaking drought has made water usage a headline issue in Australia. Westfield set water-saving targets for all its shopping centres and achieved a 13% reduction in water use from 2006–2007. In the same period, Westfield Australia reduced its overall energy consumption by 9.2% and its waste production by 8.7%, and increased its cardboard recycling by 16.7%. It also introduced an organic recycling scheme.
In March 2008, Westfield Australia was a major participant in Earth Hour. This international campaign focuses attention on global warming by encouraging major cities to turn off lights for one hour. During Earth Hour, all Westfield centres turned off their external illuminated signs and Westfield office buildings turned off all external lights. The Group encouraged all tenants to participate and worked with late-night retailers to minimise the lighting they required to continue operations.
In 2007, Westfield’s Australian management team introduced a nation-wide program to support the families of disabled children. The team consulted a cross-section of staff to identify this group as one of the most worthy of support. By focusing on a single cause across the country, the Group can direct its support strategically.
Westfield Group