ENVIRONMENT

8.1 Climate Change
8.2 Value Chain Integration
8.3 Stakeholder Engagement On Environmental Issues
8.4 Product and Resource Responsibility
8.5 Looking Ahead
8.6 Environmental Performance Indicators

PRODUCT AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY

We actively monitor our waste management practices both as part of doing business and in the corporate office environment. We continued to undertake initiatives in FY2015 to create awareness among employees and promote best practices in waste management.

Electronic waste has a significant impact on the environment. Many electronic devices contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. If not handled properly, these can poison our environment and threaten the health of individuals and communities.

E-waste contains a combination of reusable raw materials as well as toxic materials. The raw materials have value and can be reused to manufacture new products. The appropriate handling of e-waste can prevent serious environmental damage and recover valuable materials especially metals.

 

We encourage our customers and employees to reduce, reuse and recycle.

  • We offer our customers a buy-back scheme so that end-of-contract phones can be reused. In Optus, we have been proudly supporting Mobile Muster since 1998, enabling customers to recycle their old mobile phones free of charge by taking them to any Optus retail outlet. In Singapore, we have extended our mobile phone recycling programme in FY2015 to collect e-waste related to our products and services such as laptops, modems, routers and cables.G4-16
  • We are committed to responsible packaging and have responsibilities under the Australian Packaging Covenant. This year we commenced a packaging review with a multi-stakeholder group to implement a best–in-class packaging campaign. This has identified some key initial improvements in our choice of cardboard products.G4-16
  • We also reuse and recycle all our Optus IT equipment like servers and computers. We recently undertook a significant sustainable asset management disposal programme that saved significant cost. We were able to identify key pieces of equipment for reuse and achieved above 90% recycle rates on materials that would otherwise have been disposed to landfill. This successful initiative has continued as part of our day to day operations.