Investing in the future: property website group powers towards climate targets

Leading property website operator REA Group is renovating its rooftop to reduce the company’s environmental impact – putting solar panels on the company's Melbourne head office. News Corp has around 60% ownership of the company, and this initiative is aligned with our sustainability goals.

And new energy-efficient LED lighting will also be installed at the Richmond site, helping to slash energy consumption.

The ‘home maintenance’ should see the company’s carbon footprint from electricity slashed by up to 40 per cent.

The multinational digital advertising group, which runs realestate.com.au and realcommercial.com.au as well as flatmates.com.au, says this will help it achieve its climate targets including to reduce operational emissions by 42 per cent by 2030.

The REA Group’s most recent sustainability report shows its current carbon footprint was 6331 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – about the same as 352 average Australian households.

Emissions are offset, with the company currently certified carbon neutral by Climate Active.

Other initiatives identified in its 2021 sustainability report to reduce the size of its carbon footprint include transitioning to more energy efficient products in the office, slashing business flights, and offering discounts for employees to catch public transport or ride their bikes.

Victoria has witnessed a surge in solar panel installations in the past decade, as government-backed subsidies and improvements in technology increased incentives for households.

More than half a million homes – or one in five across the state – now have small-scale photovoltaic systems, or solar PV systems.