Where we have come from: The Environmental Secretariat
As its first major step in addressing the environment challenge, News Limited established its Environmental Secretariat on May 21, 1990. Its core function was then, as it is today, to help advance recycling. At that time there were no reliable statistics available on newspaper recycling in Australia, and the first task to hand was to develop accurate data to allow decisions to be made on how to advance newspaper recycling.
We supply governments, industry, the conservation movement and the public with accurate newspaper recycling statistics and collate other information which might be useful in advancing recycling and environmental issues.
The next task embarked on by the Environmental Secretariat was to put in place an Environment Management System for the company. A national environmental audit program is the core element of this system. We use our in-house audit team together with reputable Environmental Consultants which act as independent referees, to produce detailed audit reports on our facilities.
Today: The Environment and Climate Change Department
In 2007 the name of the Environmental Secretariat was changed to the “Environment and Climate Change Department” to reflect the importance of addressing the climate change issue.
As an extension to our environmental program, News Limited recently launched One Degree – an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across our business and raise awareness of climate change among our staff and the broader community. In broadening our reach to include carbon, the Environmental Secretariat evolved, becoming the Environment and Climate Change Department.
News Limited, as part of News Corporation, will be carbon neutral in 2010; that is, we will no longer be a company that contributes to global warming. Everything from the electricity used to power our presses, the fuel in our cars, the carbon impacts of air travel, the heating and cooling of our buildings and the way we handle our waste and recycling is being reviewed. And we are looking at how we can do it better - how we can be more efficient, and how we may use renewable energy to meet our target.