Infrastructure Sustainability Council releases game-changing rating tool

The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) is responding to the rapidly changing sustainability landscape by releasing a new, innovative digital tool to support Australian and New Zealand infrastructure projects navigate the changes and ensure that their assets are sustainable.

IS Essentials is a game-changing extension to the ISC’s globally recognised IS Rating Scheme, whichh is a collection of third-party assured rating tools that evaluate the social, cultural, environmental and economic performance of infrastructure assets across their life cycle. 

Designed specifically for small infrastructure projects valued at $5 million to $100 million, IS Essentials is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help government agencies, private asset owners and investors to measure, improve and report on social, cultural, environmental and economic performance.

ISC Acting CEO Patrick Hastings says the tool is significant in advancing the sector’s sustainability efforts, with 80 per cent of infrastructure investment across Australia occurring in projects valued at under $100 million.

“These tend to be projects that are closely tied to communities, such as energy generation, water treatment plants and road projects, which have the potential to deliver more for the communities they serve than just the basic utility of the asset,” said Mr Hastings.

“We want to support project and asset owners recognise this, help them respond and excel in their delivery, noting IS Essentials will not only enable them to start on this journey more effectively, but accelerate it.”

With legislative requirements, national and global adoption of carbon accounting standards and mounting pressure on organisations to collect, record and report their sustainability efforts, the ISC wants to ensure those delivering vital infrastructure projects have the support they need to do so efficiently and effectively.

“IS Essentials is designed to scale according to both the size of the asset and the ambition of the organisation, while also providing a road map to transform their systems and processes so that these practices become business-as-usual,” Mr Hastings said.

IS Essentials has undergone a rigorous testing process, thanks to the support of 26 pilot projects across Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Westpac New Zealand Government Innovation Fund.

Maritime Safety Queensland participated in the pilot project through its program of works to replace 30 maritime beacons in the shipping channels from Cairns to Weipa in north Queensland.

Amanda Scarpato, Director of the Maritime Program Management Office for Maritime Safety Queensland (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads), said working with IS Essentials became more than just a one-off “tick”.

“By working with IS Essentials, we challenged many of our business-as-usual decisions to deliver safer, more sustainable infrastructure,” Ms Scarpato said. “We can now take the IS Essentials principles and apply them to other infrastructure projects.”

Mr Hastings said it is that change of mindset and practice that will accelerate not just decarbonisation of our assets but drive better outcomes for communities.

“Sustainability needs to be a business priority,” Mr Hastings said. “It’s about setting strong foundations and investing in the future, not just for the organisation itself, but the infrastructure assets and networks being delivered and for the communities we’re operating in.”