Corporate Social Responsibility
Citywide has a proud history of providing services and support to the communities in which we operate and where our employees live, work and play. Through our Corporate Social Responsibility Program, we are committed to providing shared value for our host communities, our customers and our business. Our approach to corporate & social responsibility is framed by four key issues of concern to our customers and their community constituents:
– Education, Training and Jobs
– Environment & Sustainability
– Homelessness, Social Justice and Well-being
– Youth Opportunities
We are proud to support and partner with community organisations that are addressing such critical social issues. As a services company, we pride ourselves on maintaining and enhancing community assets and being actively involved in local communities; engaging with them to make positive social changes.
Partnerships
Through our Community Engagement Framework, we partner with selected social enterprises, charities and not-for-profits who share our corporate values and who are strategically placed to help solve the key issues of concern to our customers. Click through to view our current partner social procurement and community organisations (opens in new window).
Employee Volunteering
At Citywide, our staff proactively contribute over and above the day job to the wellbeing of their local communities and other social concerns further afield. This support varies from community to community and is demonstrated in a variety of ways, including the provision of paid leave for staff to volunteer with a community concern.
Financial Support & Matched Funding
Citywide proudly supports selected not-for-profits, charities and social enterprises with in-kind pro bono services, products and support. We also provide financial support to several partners to support them in meeting their strategic objectives, including matching funding from individual staff fundraising efforts.
Diversity & Inclusion
Having a social licence to operate is integral to our shared value approach with the community and all our stakeholders, with the common goal of fostering greater social cohesion. This supports our commitment to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion across our company without discrimination and we actively seek to create employment opportunities for the economically disadvantaged, disabled, CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities and indigenous interests.
This policy covers all operational and administrative offices and sites of Citywide and subsidiaries such as Technigro. It also takes into account the company’s capabilities and capacity to resource (staff, financial; operational; equipment, etc.).
Responsible Sourcing
Citywide and its subsidiaries including Technigro are committed to responsible sourcing practices.
We regularly review our operations and supply chains with the aim of ensuring that we, our suppliers and third-party business partners operate without infringing human rights. We do not tolerate any form of modern slavery practices including child or forced labour. Access our Modern Slavery Statement here (click to download).
To help us achieve our aim, if you become aware of any related concerns, we encourage you to let us know by contacting us through this website (click through to Contact page).
Sustainability
Our goal is to minimise our environmental footprint and to inspire and equip our people with ‘world’s best’ sustainability standards to effectively manage the environmental aspects of our operations, whilst ensuring continuous improvement and zero harm to the environment and communities in which we work.
We use a market leading environmental data management platform to manage and monitor energy usage and costs across all of our operations. The data allows us to monitor our carbon generation and provides us with information to evaluate initiatives developed and implemented to reduce our carbon footprint.
We are also a foundation partner in the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP). Through this program - led by our parent the City of Melbourne Council - we will purchase renewable energy through a wind farm being constructed for the MREP in regional Victoria.
Winds of change as Citywide joins renewable energy coalition
Citywide has joined its parent & shareholder the City of Melbourne and other iconic Melbourne organisations to support the development of a new $200 million wind farm to be built in regional Victoria.
The Melbourne Renewable Energy Project is an Australian-first and unites 14 leading universities, cultural institutions, Councils and corporations that will source energy from the new 80 MW wind farm at Ararat.
Citywide CEO Chris Campbell said the company was pleased to partner with the company’s shareholder on such an important initiative and hoped the MREP would spur other groups of business and community organisations around Australia to follow suit.
“Within the full scope of municipal services we provide, our day-to-day work involves maintaining public parks and gardens and urban forests and street trees – vital community assets which in addition play a role in the climate change equation,” Citywide CEO Chris Campbell said.
“Along with the project partner organisations, we hope to inspire other large organisations to replicate this model and take their own step towards reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.”
The facility will be operated by Melbourne based Pacific Hydro and the power will be supplied by its retail arm, Tango Energy. The 39 wind turbine towers will be sourced from E&A, which is a steel fabrication company based at Whyalla in South Australia.
“Our group will purchase 88 GWh of energy, which is the equivalent to powering more than 17,000 households in Melbourne for a year,” City of Melbourne’s Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said.
“This will abate 96,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year. That’s as much as taking more than 22,000 cars off the road.”
The consortium members include: City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip, Moreland City Council, City of Yarra, Bank Australia, NextDC, Australia Post, NAB, RMIT, University of Melbourne, Federation Square, Zoos Victoria and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Citywide.
Currently only 17 per cent of Victoria’s electricity is derived from renewable energy. The wind farm at the agricultural community of Crowlands, 205kms from Melbourne, was first proposed in 2007 and is now being made possible thanks to the unique partnership.
(Images: Pacific Hydro)
Media Enquiries:
Simon Mossman, Group Corporate Communications
M 0427 307 216
E simon.mossman@citywide.com.au
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