Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
Overview
Village Roadshow Limited (“VRL”) aims to ensure that it is operating its businesses within a responsible environmental and social framework whilst continuing to maximise long term shareholder value. Integrating these important factors into the management of business operations is increasingly recognised as a lever to ongoing success. The challenge, given the diversity of the individual businesses within the VRL portfolio, is to ensure that each business is responding appropriately to those environmental and social issues that are relevant to their operations and locations. Head office guides each business to develop policies, programs and procedures relevant to their businesses, whilst ensuring they are in keeping with the VRL Group’s overall direction and policy on these matters.
VRL recognises that it has a level of responsibility to its stakeholders, which includes staff, customers, and shareholders, and where relevant, government and local communities, to disclose how it is addressing key environmental and social issues including:
- energy usage and carbon emissions
- water usage
- waste and recycling
- charitable donations and community investment
Coverage extends to those businesses and facilities within the VRL Group over which operational control exists, and which are located in Australia. The activities and management of VRL’s environmental and social issues has been embedded in the operations of each business over the past year.
VRL will continue to be guided by leading sustainability frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative and the London Benchmarking Group methodology, to ensure it is tracking and appropriately addressing the environmental, social and governance issues discerned to be most material to VRL and its stakeholders; and keeping abreast of developments in corporate reporting and regulation in this important area.
Environmental Sustainability
VRL’s Group-wide Environmental Sustainability Policy formalises and defines its environmental commitment, and VRL’s major Divisions each have a tailored version of this policy reflecting the issues that are most relevant to their particular business whilst remaining within the spirit of the overarching VRL Group policy.
To view VRL’s Environmental Sustainability Policy click here.
Energy Usage and Carbon Emissions
VRL is obligated to report to the Australian Federal Government under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act (“NGER”). This report includes all direct fuel and energy usage, electricity usage, and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, in respect of all Australian facilities under the Group's 'Operational Control', as defined under NGER. The report is submitted to the Federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency by the ultimate controlling corporation of the VRL Group, Positive Investments Pty Ltd. Click here to view our NGERs report (Part A summary).
Beyond mandatory reporting, VRL is committed to both better monitoring and management of energy usage, with monitoring of Group-wide greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage on an ongoing basis site by site proving a useful tool towards reporting and improving on VRL's energy management.
Electricity use remains the biggest single source of carbon emissions across each of the VRL Group’s businesses, VRL's prior energy audits (completed with independent consultants) at various sites have proven valuable in assisting these businesses to understand how and where they use energy and the possibilities to improve. Work undertaken since completion of the audits includes implementation of straight forward energy efficiency projects with short pay-backs and further analysis of more complicated projects for possible implementation.
Local temperature continues to be the biggest driver of electricity usage, for example air conditioning demands in summer. This variable impacts most of the VRL businesses more than other variables such as gate attendance or admissions. As such, in terms of future relevant energy management, local temperature levels need to be considered, as does other influencing factors such as changes within the businesses including the opening and/or closing of exhibits and attractions.
Water Usage
The VRL Group is committed to the responsible management of water usage subject to local water conditions, including improving water efficiency, reducing usage of town water supplies and increasing alternative water supply and recycling of water.
The pattern of water usage within the VRL Group’s businesses varies, depending on whether it is a business attracting public customers and whether the business can control or influence its water accounts (e.g. in shopping centres). At businesses such as Theme Parks, the number of visitors is the single biggest variable affecting water usage. The Queensland Theme Parks have continued their focus on water efficiency through the initiatives associated with their Water Efficiency Management Plans (“WEMPS”). These initiatives have resulted in a very significant reduction over a number of years with significant savings being realised before the local water authorities introduced the mandatory WEMPS requirements in 2007.
The recently completed 10 mega litre dam behind Warner Bros. Movie World continued to demonstrate its water saving potential and Village Cinemas continue to trial waterless urinals. With new developments, such as the future Wet ‘n Wild Sydney, there is an excellent opportunity to incorporate best practice water efficiency technologies at the design stage.
Waste and Recycling
VRL is committed to improving waste management according to the hierarchy of waste; Avoidance, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Disposal.
VRL continues to enhance its recycling capabilities at a number of sites with the Queensland Theme Parks all having Public Place Recycling initiatives in place. At Village Cinemas, 3D glasses are now recycled - cleaned and re-used. Roadshow Films continues recycling film reels and improving recycled content in DVD packaging. At many VRL Group sites, E-waste (electronic waste such as old computers and office electrical equipment) is either repaired and re-commissioned or broken down via a recycling process with an independent contractor under a system that incorporates an ultimate zero to landfill policy.
Charitable Donations and Community Investment
The VRL Group has supported a large variety of national and local charities, community groups and causes over many years, engaging with the communities in which the VRL businesses operate. During the 2010 year VRL undertook an independent benchmarking process, through the London Benchmarking Group (“LBG”), to consistently map and measure the Group’s global charitable and community investments. Key elements of this methodology are now incorporated into this area.
2011 Divisional Activity
Theme Parks
Village Roadshow Theme Parks (‘VRTP’) continued its work to integrate and implement VRTP’s Environmental Policy across the various businesses within VRTP, lowering VRTP’s environmental footprint as well as identifying cost savings. Initiatives during the FY11 year included the ‘sub-metering’ of specific areas to better track and regulate electricity use by department, the development of a new contract approval process to ensure the most appropriate energy and water efficient equipment is purchased, and creating new ways to communicate and encourage recognition of the importance of sustainability issues at VRTP.
VRTP has well established policies and procedures to ensure that as plant or equipment reaches the end of its operational life, its replacement is planned with equipment that is, as far as possible, more energy efficient. Examples of such initiatives undertaken throughout the year include the replacement of a water chiller at Shark Bay at Sea World with a more efficient unit that is expected to use 12% less power and the on-going replacement of in-park lighting with lower power consumption equipment such as LEDs. In addition VRTP is exploring the potential to install motion detectors in the rooms at Sea World Resort and Water Park to automatically switch off the air-conditioning when the rooms are unoccupied.
Going forward, and as a matter of practice, the design criteria for all building projects at VRTP will take into account high sustainability standards. This already includes energy and water efficiency benchmarks (including water consumption rates for toilets and certified "part J" energy ratings) for all building projects. In addition, VRTP’s natural environment preservation processes already meet or exceed standards required by federal, state and council authorities.
Procedures also remain in place for the recycling of paper and cardboard, plastics, cans and glass, compact fluorescent light globes, green waste, lead acid batteries, copier toner cartridges, electronic office equipment, fluoro tubes and oil. VRTP continues to have a strong emphasis on compliance with all facets of its operations and businesses.
In the FY11 year VRTP has reported under a number of environmentally relevant pieces of legislation and has complied with regional and local requirements such as the storage of combustible and flammable liquids, large dangerous goods location, noise limits as per local council guidelines, trade waste and the safe disposal of discharged pyrotechnic canisters.
VRTP continues to operate under the guidelines of the Queensland Water Commission’s WEMPS programme and is constantly looking for methods of reducing water usage.
During the year VRTP started the registration process with the Queensland Smart Energy Savings Program (‘QSMESP’) and commenced undertake a relevant energy audits of parts of VRTP’s businesses. VRTP will utilise the results of these energy audits to formulate an Energy Savings Plan as required under the QSESP (Clean Energy Act 2008). An external audit of backwash wastewater was also completed and VRTP continues with its design of a suitable treatment system whilst operating under an authorised Transitional Environment Program.
As part of VRTP’s long standing culture the businesses undergo a series of self initiated and routine audits at all park properties pertaining to ride safety, water safety, health and safety, food sanitation, animal husbandry, and numerous other matters, with any issues pertaining to the safety of VRTP’s customers or employees addressed immediately.
Cinema Exhibition
Village Cinemas Australia (‘VCA’) continues its commitment to responsible environmental management and the reduction of its environmental footprint. VCA has been working with its suppliers to explore and implement sustainable alternatives including a range of cleaning products which avoid bleaches, acids and harsh chemicals. In addition during the year VCA introduced processes for the cleaning and reuse of 3D glasses (avoiding the manufacture of approximately 2.4 tonnes of new 3D glasses and the effective ‘exporting’ of that carbon pollution) which has also proved cost-effective.
VCA has also engaged further independent advice to augment existing reporting with daily electricity consumption information enabling VCA to better manage its energy consumption and expenditure. VCA looks forward to further industry developments in lighting technology which will enable effective and cost-competitive refurbishment of cinema electrical light fittings.
In addition VCA’s landlords are beginning to broaden their recycling strategies within shopping centres allowing VCA to explore suitable approaches to Public Place Recycling. Waterless urinal trials continued during the year as well as other water saving activities being undertaken (such as more efficient tap fittings in public toilet areas).
In addition VRL’s joint venture cinema circuit in Singapore has received praise during the year with the Golden Village Yishun site being awarded the Green Mark Gold Award in May 2011.
At VCA all cinema patron and employee safety matters are immediately addressed and VCA's ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction includes regular and routine audits of all facets of the business.
VCA continues its long-standing community engagement programme including its ingoing support of charitable causes, such as the Peter Mac Cancer Research Foundation, and was again an enthusiastic supporter of the Earth Hour campaign in FY11.
Film Distribution
Roadshow Films continues to operate within a responsible environmental and social framework, driving for increased efficiencies and sustainability results. The integration of environmental sustainability into business operations continues to deliver improvements to Roadshow’s carbon footprint, the cultural shift in employee behaviour playing a large part in delivering these results.
Over the FY11 year Roadshow sites have achieved year on year declines in electricity usage with this reduction driven by changes to lighting (bulbs), reconfigurations of out-of-hours timers and changes in circuit boards to isolate areas that don’t require constant lighting. Behavioural change has also driven results by monitoring and measuring power usage of individual IT usage, encouraging staff to switch-off PCs at the end of the day / week.
Roadshow again participated in the Earth Hour campaign this year and will be a sponsor of the campaign again next year. The campaign took on a new dimension this year with the message being to ‘go beyond the hour’. Roadshow Entertainment supported with prizing, talent for the Earth Hour event in Sydney and also working with Earth Hour to compile the promotional reel which took Earth Hour to the world.
Roadshow is also committed to improving its waste and recycling, and during the year has been able to introduce print reduction initiatives and plastic waste reduction (plastic water bottles). Both initiatives have proven to be cost effective as well as being key drivers for behavioural change in support of sustainability.
For FY12 Roadshow is committed to ongoing change and improvement and anticipates being able to achieve further positive results and initiatives to drive sustainability improvements in the division.
To view our 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability initiatives please click here.
To view our 2009 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability initiatives please click here.
