2024 Sustainability Report
Data Tables
Data tables on this page are referenced throughout this report website.
Priority Area
Climate Leadership
Greenhouse gas emissions by category 2024
| Category | Direct scope 1 emissions (tCO₂-e) | Indirect scope 2 emissions (tCO₂-e) | Indirect scope 3 emissions (tCO₂-e) | 2024 total emissions (tCO₂-e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stationary energy (gaseous fuels) | 13,662 | 1,061 | 14,723 | |
| Refrigerants | 1,531 | 1,531 | ||
| Transport (land and sea) | 344 | 5,564 | 5,909 | |
| Stationary energy (LPG) | 30 | 10 | 40 | |
| Electricity (Market-Based) | 29,098 | 3,592 | 32,690 | |
| Professional services | 69,377 | 69,377 | ||
| Construction materials and services | 20,601 | 20,601 | ||
| Transport (air travel) | 22,092 | 22,092 | ||
| ICT services and equipment | 20,458 | 20,458 | ||
| Products | 11,820 | 11,820 | ||
| Food | 6,203 | 6,203 | ||
| Office equipment and supplies | 3,893 | 3,893 | ||
| Accommodation and facilities | 2,412 | 2,412 | ||
| Working from home | 2,582 | 2,582 | ||
| Waste | 2,265 | 2,265 | ||
| Cleaning and chemicals | 930 | 930 | ||
| Water | 1,068 | 1,068 | ||
| Postage, courier and freight | 1,138 | 1,138 | ||
| Machinery and vehicles | 448 | 448 | ||
| Horticulture and agriculture | 58 | 58 | ||
| Gross total emissions | 15,567 | 29,098 | 175,574 | 220,239 |
| Carbon offsets for electricity | -32,690 | |||
| Carbon offsets for flights | -22,092 | |||
| Net total emissions | 165,457 | |||
| Carbon offsets for fleet emissions (GreenFleet: not Climate Active compliant, CY24) | 392 | |||
| Electricity (Location-Based) | 102,165 | |||
Greenhouse gas emissions by scope
| Description | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | 15,197 | 14,743 | 17,530 | 13,111 | 16,442 | 16,852 | 16,665 | 15,567 |
| Scope 2 | 118,517 | 119,113 | 114,987 | 89,990 | 74,948 | 34,444 | 31,414 | 29,098 |
| Scope 3 | 66,336 | 74,118 | 79,257 | 37,770 | 30,900 | 168,192 | 193,049 | 175,574 |
| Gross total | 200,050 | 207,975 | 211,774 | 140,871 | 122,290 | 219,488 | 241,128 | 220,239 |
| Carbon offsets | - | -15,748 | -1,710 | -3,136 | -84,778 | -54,584 | -68,852 | -54,783 |
| Net Total | 200,050 | 192,227 | 210,064 | 137,735 | 37,512 | 164,904 | 172,276 | 165,457 |
Greenhouse gas emissions by FTE, EFTSL, and Gross floor area
| Description | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net emissions /m2 GFA | 0.22 | 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.13 | 0.03 | 0.16 | 0.17 | 0.16 |
| Net emissions /FTE | 23.43 | 21.40 | 22.39 | 14.99 | 3.97 | 16.81 | 16.39 | 14.96 |
| Net emissions /EFTSL | 3.98 | 3.64 | 3.84 | 2.64 | 0.69 | 3.13 | 3.19 | 2.86 |
| Net emissions /(FTE + EFTSL) | 3.40 | 3.11 | 3.28 | 2.25 | 0.59 | 2.64 | 2.67 | 2.40 |
| Gross emissions /m2 GFA | 0.22 | 0.23 | 0.22 | 0.14 | 0.10 | 0.21 | 0.23 | 0.21 |
| Gross emissions /FTE | 23.43 | 23.15 | 22.58 | 15.33 | 12.94 | 22.38 | 23.13 | 19.91 |
| Gross emissions /EFTSL | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4.51 | 3.80 |
| Gross emissions /(FTE + EFTSL) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3.77 | 3.19 |
Energy consumption by source
| Category | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total on-campus solar (GJ) | 2,620 | 8,599 | 9,563 | 9,382 | 11,279 | 11,585 | 12,380 | 13,664 |
Total grid electricity (GJ) | 395,057 | 400,754 | 431,905 | 346,104 | 373,154 | 402,181 | 410,458 | 417,411 |
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (GJ) | 2,700 | 2778.8 | 2,524 | 514 | 1,787 | 1,967 | 2,511 | 480 |
Natural gas (GJ) | 273,260 | 274,135 | 290,667 | 230,615 | 277,466 | 290,679 | 275,754 | 265,130 |
Energy intensity (GJ/m2 GFA) | 0.759 | 0.758 | 0.778 | 0.572 | 0.567 | 0.688 | 0.676 | 0.672 |
Total electricity usage
| Description | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total on-campus solar (MWh) | 728 | 2,389 | 2,656 | 2,606 | 3,133 | 3,218 | 3,439 | 3,795 |
| Total grid (incl. affiliates) | 109,738 | 111,321 | 119,973 | 96,140 | 103,654 | 111,717 | 114,016 | 115,947 |
Purchased carbon offsets and allocation 2024
| Credit Type | Certification Standard | Project Name | Project ID | Methodology | Location | Project summary | Vintage | Offsetting electricity emissions (tCO2-e) | Offsetting air travel emissions (tCO2-e) | Offsetting fleet emissions (tCO2-e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABU + VCU | Eco Australia | Linshe Waste Water Treatment Biogas Power/Myamyn Conservation Project | n/a | Waste Management & Reforestation | Victoria & China | Eco Australia stapled carbon credit product of Australian forest conservation units and Chinese hydropower units | 2021 | 6,507 | ||
| ACCU | Australian Clean Energy Regulator | Jawoyn Fire 2 (Indigenous) | ERF102021 | Savanna Burning | Northern Territory | This project involves strategic and planned burning of savanna areas in the high rainfall zone during the early dry season to reduce the risk of late dry season wild fires. | 2021-2022 | 4,997 | ||
| ACCU | Australian Clean Energy Regulator | MRL LFG Abatement Project | EOP100096 | Waste Management | Victoria | This project installs a new landfill gas collection system to capture and combust gas generated at the landfill from legacy and non-legacy waste. | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| VER | Gold Standard | Clean Cooking Program in Rural India | GS12302 | Energy Efficiency | India | This project builds clean, efficient stoves that slow down the combustion of wood, significantly improving indoor air quality and reducing health risks. | 2022 | 4,000 | ||
| VCS | Verra | Sustainable swine biogas recovery | VCS3005 | Waste Management | China | This project aims to tackle spiralling methane emissions by installing a digester to capture biogas released from the raw manure of over 125,000 pigs annually that was previously left to decay in open lagoons at a farm in Henan Province central China. The biogas is then combusted to generate steam in a biogas fuelled boiler at the farm. | 2023 | 7,500 | ||
| VCU | Verra | Bundled Wind Power Project by Mytrah Group | 1728 | Renewable Energy Generation | India | The purpose of the project activity is to generate electrical energy using renewable energy source (wind) and selling the generated electrical energy to the respective state utility. The project activity generates electricity using wind potential and converts it into kinetic energy using Wind turbines, which drives the alternators to generate energy. The generated electricity is exported to the regional grid system which is under the purview of the Indian grid of India. | 2022 | 8,000 | ||
| VCS | Australian Clean Energy Regulator | ReNew Solar | VCS1851 | Renewable Energy Generation | India | This project generates a clean form of electricity through renewable solar energy sources. The project activity involves an installation of solar power plants for a total capacity of 927 MW across Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana states of India. The solar projects have been developed by the SPVs of ReNew Power Limited and the power generated will be sold to the grid that is dominated by coal-fired power generation. | 2023 | 5,584 | ||
| ACCU | Australian Clean Energy Regulator | Harkness Station | ERF101400 | Savanna Burning | Queensland | This project involves the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season to reduce the risk of late dry season wild fires. | 2024 | 13,000 | ||
| ACCU | Australian Clean Energy Regulator | Kendall River Station | EOP100968 | Savanna Burning | Queensland | This project involves strategic and planned burning of savanna areas in the high rainfall zone during the early dry season to reduce the risk of late dry season wild fires. | 2023 | 95 | ||
| Greenfleet FY 2023/24 | 392 | |||||||||
| TOTAL | 32,691 | 22,092 | 392 |
Priority Area
Community of sustainability practitioners and learners
UoM staff commuting patterns, 2019-2024
| Item/Service | CY2019 Activity (km) | CY2022 Activity (km) | CY2023 (km) | CY2024 (km) | Change on Previous Year Activity (2023-24) (km) | % Change on Previous Year Activity (2023-24) | CY2019 Emissions (tCO₂-e) | CY2022 Full Scope Emissions (tCO₂-e) | CY2023 emissions (tCO2-e) | CY2024 emissions (tCO2-e) | Change of previous year emissions (2023-24) (tCO2-e) | % change in emissions (2023-24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel : Medium Car | 3,422,543 | 2,232,683 | -1,189,860 | -35% | 712 | 467 | -245 | -34% | ||||
| Hybrid: Medium Car | 1,155,910 | 1,232,877 | 76,967 | 7% | 159 | 179 | -20 | 13% | ||||
| Petrol: Medium Car | 18,049,248 | 10,252,907 | -7,796,342 | -43% | 4,109 | 2,326 | -1,784 | -43% | ||||
| Car | 3,047,118 | 14,720,255 | 22,627,701 | 13,718,467 | -8,909,234 | -39% | 318 | 3,135 | 4,980 | 2,971 | -2,009 | -40% |
| Motorcycle/Scooter | 404,022 | 279,587 | 661,769 | 750,906 | 89,136 | 13% | 36 | 41 | 95 | 108 | 13 | 13% |
| Taxi/Rideshare | - | 139,263 | - | 39,459 | 39,459 | 100% | - | 22 | - | 7 | 7 | 100% |
| Train | 22,280,387 | 9,356,416 | 19,114,056 | 17,207,221 | -1,906,835 | -10% | 446 | 416 | 849 | 765 | -85 | -10% |
| Tram | 3,700,385 | 1,667,784 | 4,824,065 | 2,287,334 | -2,536,731 | -53% | 444 | 60 | 174 | 83 | -92 | -53% |
| Bus | 1,866,660 | 592,377 | 2,035,597 | 1,490,678 | -544,918 | -27% | 224 | 75 | 259 | 201 | -58 | -22% |
| Ferry | 791 | 38,425 | 729 | 16,816 | 16,087 | 2207% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.4 | 0 | 2207% |
| Cycle | 4,202,454 | 2,726,351 | 6,419,454 | 3,907,551 | -2,511,903 | -39% | - | - | - | - | - | 0% |
| Walk/Run | 1,922,800 | 1,447,568 | 3,006,386 | 1,537,182 | -1,469,204 | -49% | - | - | - | - | - | 0% |
| Battery electric vehicle (BEV): Medium car | - | - | 884,789 | 1,167,760 | 282,971 | 32% | - | - | 57 | 66 | 9 | 16% |
Priority Area
Discovery
Percentage of SDG-related research outputs in the top 10% of citations (field weighted)
| SDGs | Scholarly outputs (2021 - 2024) | Publications in top 10% most cited worldwide (Field-weighted) |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 1 - No Poverty | 396 | 16% |
| SDG 2 - Zero Hunger | 763 | 21% |
| SDG 3 - Good health and well-being | 16,291 | 20% |
| SDG 4 - Quality Education | 1,171 | 17% |
| SDG 5 - Gender equality | 1,292 | 18% |
| SDG 6 - Clean water and sanitation | 699 | 15% |
| SDG 7 - Affordable and clean energy | 1,181 | 21% |
| SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth | 952 | 23% |
| SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure | 1,215 | 24% |
| SDG 10 - Reduced inequality | 1,549 | 20% |
| SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities | 1,480 | 18% |
| SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production | 735 | 24% |
| SDG 13 - Climate action | 1,477 | 26% |
| SDG 14 - Life below water | 412 | 19% |
| SDG 15 - Life on land | 1,052 | 17% |
| SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions | 1,646 | 18% |
Source: SciVal. SDG mapping based on Elsevier 2023 method. Elsevier does not map SDG 17.
Number of patent, policy and news/social media mentions for research outputs mapped to SDGs
| SDGs | No. of research outputs mentioned in Patents | Policy-related mentions | News and social media mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDG 1 - No Poverty | 0 | 4 | 40 |
| SDG 2 - Zero Hunger | 9 | 150 | 2,631 |
| SDG 3 - Good health and well-being | 561 | 1,136 | 95,592 |
| SDG 4 - Quality Education | 2 | 66 | 4,172 |
| SDG 5 - Gender equality | 0 | 48 | 1,756 |
| SDG 6 - Clean water and sanitation | 2 | 25 | 221 |
| SDG 7 - Affordable and clean energy | 31 | 18 | 1,356 |
| SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth | 2 | 21 | 1,472 |
| SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure | 2 | 2 | 19 |
| SDG 10 - Reduced inequality | 0 | 33 | 959 |
| SDG 11 - Sustainable cities and communities | 1 | 49 | 951 |
| SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production | 4 | 10 | 396 |
| SDG 13 - Climate action | 39 | 217 | 15,599 |
| SDG 14 - Life below water | 1 | 12 | 3,468 |
| SDG 15 - Life on land | 6 | 72 | 6,069 |
| SDG 16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions | 0 | 56 | 2,576 |
| SDG 17 - Partnerships | 4 | 18 |
Source: Altmetric Explorer. SDG mapping based on SpringerNature/Digital Science method.
Priority Area
Healthy ecosystems
Biodiversity Baseline Data Project
| Parkville | Southbank | Burnley | Werribee | Creswick | Dookie | Shepparton | Fishermans Bend | ||||||||||
| Baseline | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | Value | Year | |
| Metric 1B | Plantable Area (%) | 16 | 2019 | 12 | 2024 | 63 | 2024 | 68 | 2024 | 76 | 2024 | 98 | 2024 | 40 | 2021 | 7 | 2017 |
| Metric 2A | Number of Areas of Ecological or Environmental Significance | 70 | 2020 | 12 | 2020 | 24 | 2020 | 10 | 2020 | 15 | 2020 | 7 | 2020 | 4 | 2020 | 1 | 2024 |
| Metric 3A | Number of Plant Species | 2,177* | 2024 | 138* | 2024 | 1,644* | 2024 | 209* | 2024 | 114* | 2024 | 316* | 2024 | 314* | 2024 | 20 | 2024 |
| Metric 4A | Number of Trees | 2,668* | 2004 | 129 | 2016 | 904* | 2016 | 1,551* | 2016 | 1,903* | 2016 | 2,868* | 2016 | 238 | 2010 | 46 | 2019 |
| Metric 5A | Number of Tree Species | 300* | 2004 | 40 | 2016 | 298* | 2016 | 132* | 2016 | 212* | 2016 | 202* | 2016 | 45 | 2010 | 23 | 2019 |
| Metric 6B | Canopy Cover (%) | 20 | 2018 | 14 | 2018 | 31 | 2019 | 17 | 2018 | 45 | 2010 | 12 | 2010 | 14 | 2018 | 1.45 | 2008 |
| Metric 7A | Number of Fauna Species | 663 | 2020 | 430 | 2020 | 170 | 2020 | 26 | 2020 | 130 | 2020 | 288 | 2020 | 206 | 2020 | 372 | 2024 |
| Metric 7B | Number of Fungi Species | 27 | 2020 | 29 | 2020 | 13 | 2020 | 0 | 2020 | 10 | 2020 | 1 | 2020 | 3 | 2020 | 85 | 2024 |
*Values are not definitive. They are the most accurate estimate based on the available data collected or found. Values will be finalised once data processing is complete during current state comparative analyses in 2025.
Priority Area
Healthy water cycles
Total water use 2017-2024
| Description | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal potable water usage (ML) | 447.343 | 468.081 | 485 | 478 | 445 | 317 | 263 | 373 | 356 | 439* |
| Municipal recycled water usage (ML) | 17.0 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 6.1 | 9.3 | 11.6 | 5.7 | |||
| Municipal water usage intensity (ML/m2GFA) | 0.533 | 0.530 | 0.545 | 0.526 | 0.469 | 0.309 | 0.225 | 0.363 | 0.347 | TBC |
| Sustainability Plan 2030 target: Total water consumption by 2025 (ML) | 407 | 407 |
*Note: As of publication, approximately 5 per cent of water bills for 2024 are outstanding due to delays with external billing systems
Priority Area
Just and circular economy
Total waste to landfill and recycling 2017-2024
| Description | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste to landfill (excl. demolition and construction waste) (Tonnes) | 1589 | 1699 | 1929 | 804 | 906 | 781 | 1484 | 1379 |
| Total waste recycled (Tonnes) | 1030 | 842 | 916 | 593 | 574 | 617 | 801 | 762 |
| Waste to landfill intensity (kg per person) | 26.3 | 27.5 | 29.2 | 13.1 | 12.9 | 11.8 | 22.6 | 18.5 |
| Sustainability Plan 2017-2020 waste to landfill intensity target (kg per person) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | ||||
| Sustainability Plan 2030 target: waste to landfill intensity by 2025 (kg per person) | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Priority Area
Responsible investments
Estimated carbon emissions and carbon intensity of the University’s listed Equity investments
Equities investments for year ended 30 June 2024 | UoM financed carbon emissions | Benchmark financed carbon emissions | UoM Weighted Carbon intensity | Benchmark Weighted Carbon intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Measurement units | tCO2-e | tCO2-e | tCO2-e / US$m invested | tCO2-e / US$m invested |
Australian Equities | 82,052 | 76,031 | 72 | 67 |
International Equities | 29,867 | 42,578 | 26 | 37 |
Total (Australian and International Equities) | 111,919 | 118,609 | 49 | 51 |
Notes
- The emissions data is limited to what is reported by the underlying companies and what is estimated by JANA’s data providers (Sustainalytics and FactSet) and covers Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions only.
- The benchmark for the listed Australian Equities asset class is the S&P/ASX 300 Index and the MSCI All Country World Index for the listed International Equities asset class. The benchmark for total equities is a blend of the Australian and International Equities benchmark, based on the University’s invested weights of the two asset classes. The benchmark financed emissions figures assume an investment equivalent $ amount in the index.
- Carbon emissions are in metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e).
UoM Top 20 holdings by value as of 30 June 2024
| No. | Stock Name | Sector | % of total listed equities (based on $ invested) |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | BHP Group Limited | Materials | 3.7 |
2 | CSL Limited | Health Care | 3.4 |
3 | Microsoft Corporation | Information Technology | 2.3 |
4 | National Australia Bank Limited | Financials | 1.8 |
5 | Commonwealth Bank of Australia | Financials | 1.8 |
6 | Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited | Financials | 1.5 |
7 | Macquarie Group Limited | Financials | 1.4 |
8 | Santos Limited | Energy | 1.2 |
9 | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | Health Care | 1.2 |
10 | Amazon.com, Inc. | Consumer Discretionary | 1.2 |
11 | Novo Nordisk | Health Care | 1.1 |
12 | Alphabet Inc | Communication Services | 1.1 |
13 | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing | Information Technology | 1.1 |
14 | Incitec Pivot Limited | Materials | 1.0 |
15 | ASML Holding NV | Information Technology | 1.0 |
16 | QBE Insurance Group Ltd | Financials | 1.0 |
17 | Goodman Group | Real Estate | 0.9 |
18 | Visa Inc. | Financials | 0.9 |
19 | Orica Limited | Materials | 0.9 |
20 | Westpac Banking Corporation | Financials | 0.9 |
Top 20 | 29.4 | ||
Listed equity investment sector exposures and estimated carbon emissions
| Sector | % of total listed equities ($ invested) | Estimated UoM carbon exposure (tCO₂e) |
|---|---|---|
Financials | 20.9 | 494 |
Materials | 13.5 | 64,215 |
Information Technology | 13.1 | 2,012 |
Healthcare | 12.2 | 907 |
Consumer Discretionary | 9.3 | 1,232 |
Industrials | 9.3 | 6,894 |
Consumer Staples | 5.4 | 2,523 |
Communication Services | 5.0 | 588 |
Energy | 4.2 | 14,496 |
Real Estate | 3.1 | 617 |
Utilities | 1.1 | 17,940 |
Our sustainability strategy
At the University of Melbourne, our efforts in sustainability are guided by Sustainability Plan 2030 - a roadmap for sustainable delivery of our institutional strategy Advancing Melbourne.
Read more about how we are advancing sustainability at the University:
