ESG Statement

We commit to:

Minimising our environmental impact. We make business decisions which reduce our carbon footprint and support research that helps our members to reduce their carbon emissions and improve their overall environmental performance.

Being a socially responsible and ethical organisation. We embrace social inclusion and diversity across our BIG team, provide safe and healthy workplaces, and support the wellbeing of our workforce. We also deliver research outcomes that enhance the liveability and health of communities.

Conducting our business with integrity, transparency, and accountability. We use members’ funds responsibly, make decisions with long-term sustainability in mind, and apply high standards of governance throughout our business. We keep our data safe and our members’ information private and secure.

• Reduced carbon footprint: Our travel policy encourages employees to choose sustainable travel options whenever possible and we have a commitment to paperless events and workplaces.
• Support Environment through Research: We prioritise and promote projects that reduce harmful emissions, and improve the environmental performance of our members and industry, such as reducing spills, improving waterway health, reducing pollution, and managing water scarcity and security.
• Recognise and respect First Nations connection to Country: We seek guidance from First Nations knowledge holders in shaping and delivering our research projects that affect the environment.
• Promote a Circular Economy: We identify, champion and support research that helps the water industry contribute to and benefit from the Circular Economy.

• Reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples: We are committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We are developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) that will address material aspects of our business and consolidate and extend our actions already underway including support for research initiatives led by Indigenous researchers or focused on areas of interest to Indigenous communities.
• Diverse and Inclusive Workplace Culture: We lead and support our team to create a workplace that embraces diversity, respects cultural differences, and actively seeks to include Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people especially First Nations. Our Board and staff undertake cultural immersion and diversity and inclusion training on a regular basis to continually deepen and refresh our understanding of cultural differences and effective inclusion practices. We promote gender equality especially by hosting and supporting events which empower women in the water industry,and foster their professional development.
• Safe, Healthy and thriving Team: We go beyond a zero-harm approach guided by an active and relevant Health Safety and Wellbeing Plan that is externally audited and reviewed by our Board. Our plan addresses the needs of our BIG team, including those delivering our research activities. Beyond internal actions, our employees have access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support them to address any issues in their life that may be impacting their overall physical and mental health.

• Transparent and accountable financial stewardship: We are committed to the wise and sustainable use of members’ funds. Our performance is documented in our Annual Financial Report and audited by an independent third party.
• Independent governance: Our Board and Board committees include independent members with specialist skills.
• Open and transparent decision-making: We hold open and transparent Members’ meetings including our Annual General Meetings (AGM), and we have a clear Board nominations and election process which is entirely member-driven.
• First Nations voice: We ensure that First Nations voices contribute to all key decision-making around water research involving First Nations communities, including water security.
• Data security and member privacy:  We take our responsibility to protect our data and our member’s information and privacy very seriously. We apply strict security and privacy controls to the way we handle information ensuring it is safe and secure in accordance with all relevant legislation.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is a way to measure an organisation’s impact on society and the environment. An ESG statement outlines an organisation’s focus and commitment to areas that affect communities, stakeholders and the environment. ESG statements are becoming increasingly important as more individuals wish to invest in, work for, and give business to organisations that align with their values.

WaterRA is a profit-for-purpose organisation that, by nature, already aligns its work with a set of values. An ESG statement formalises this commitment and provides a way to measure outcomes against our values. ESG statements are a widely recognised way to formally outline an organisation’s values, similar to a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).