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At ACU, we’re committed to social justice, human dignity and the common good – and our sustainability as a university is integral.
In 2020 ACU developed a sustainability framework built upon two transformative prescriptions for a better world: Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our framework encompasses care for the environment, the fight against poverty and hunger, education for all and the promotion of equality, peace and justice.
Driving Global Change: SACRU Contribution to a Sustainable Future (PDF, 2.8MB)
Download ACU SDG Report 2023 (PDF, 4.9MB)
Download 2023 ACU Sustainability Report (PDF, 307KB)
Download 2022 ACU Sustainability Report (PDF, 7.5MB)
Download 2021 ACU Sustainability Report (PDF, 3MB)
Download 2020 ACU Sustainability Report (PDF, 7.1MB)
Here are some of the steps we are taking to ensure our current and future sustainability.
Most of ACU’s carbon emissions have come from its use of electricity and gas, its air travel, and its disposal of waste to landfill. We are implementing a plan to eliminate, minimise or offset those emissions.
Sources of Carbon Emissions
ACU’s 2023 ACU Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows that emissions from electricity, gas and transport continue to decline, the majority of ACU’s total carbon footprint now lies within its supply chain. In 2023, nearly 80 percent of ACU’s carbon emissions were generated through the purchase of goods and services, capital works, construction materials, waste, travel and other indirect activities. The remainder of ACU’s greenhouse emissions came from activities it controls directly, such as the gas it burns to heat spaces, escaped refrigerants from its air conditioning systems, and grid electricity.
This pattern highlights the University’s emissions-reduction challenge: the task has shifted from tasks such as energy efficiency and waste reduction to transforming procurement and supply-chain practices.
To achieve ACU’s target of a 90 percent emissions cut by 2040 requires close engagement with suppliers, low-carbon procurement policies, embodied-carbon assessment in capital projects, and data transparency from vendors. Over the next decade, ACU must focus on decarbonising the supply chain.
Carbon Emissions Target
Australian Catholic University is committed to carbon neutrality by 2040. It will reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 60% by 2030 compared to a 2020 baseline and reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 95% by 2040, and offset the remaining emissions from 2040.
Renewable Electricity
ACU’s Australian campuses have been powered by 100% renewable electricity since 1 July 2021. This electricity is supplied by wind and solar farms throughout Australia and has eliminated about 85 per cent (or more than 15,000 tonnes) of ACU’s annual carbon footprint.
ACU also operates two solar systems with a combined size of 120 kilowatts. These are installed at its Ballarat and Melbourne campuses.
Energy efficiency
We strive to constantly increase our energy efficiency, which we measure by how much energy is used per square meter of the floor space of campus buildings. Using this measure, ACU is Australia's most energy efficient university.
In 2024, it used around 0.33 gigajoules of energy per unit of floor area, which is almost twice as energy efficient as the Australian university sector as a whole (Source: The Annual Survey of the Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association 2024).
Business travel
ACU’s 2024 business travel emissions remained well below pre-pandemic levels, with air travel generating 2,650 tonnes of CO2, less than half the university’s 2018–2019 average of around 6,000 tonnes.
Air travel accounts for over 95% of ACU’s travel-related emissions, with hotel stays and the use of hire cars and taxis contributing the remainder. The major, ongoing reductions in ACU’s travel emissions is due to ACU staff choosing virtual and hybrid engagement across teaching, research and administration.
Air travel emissions nonetheless remain one of ACU’s most significant sources of carbon emissions. Lower carbon travel and increased digital collaboration will be necessary for ACU to achieve its 2040 goal to eliminate more than 90 percent of its total emissions.
ACU Carbon and Energy Management Plan 2023 - 2025 (PDF, 419KB)
ACU has commitment to environmentally sustainable design (ESD) has ensured that every major new building project since 2011 has integrated the principles of efficiency, health and stewardship of resources in alignment with ACU’s mission to care for creation.
The Mercy Building (2018) in Brisbane set an ACU benchmark for integrated energy management, enabling campus-wide reductions of 265 megawatt hours MWh and 210 tonnes of CO₂ emissions through its advanced HVAC system. Water-efficient fixtures and recycled materials complement this performance. At Canberra’s Veritas Building (2019), a combination of high-performance windows, very high indoor air quality, and a 140 kilolitres rainwater-reuse system underpin the building’s 5-Star Green Star rating, delivering an 84% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional buildings.
Ballarat’s St Brigid’s Building (2017) and Melbourne’s Daniel Mannix Building (2011) extend this leadership. St Brigid’s, Ballarat’s first 5-Star Green Star building, employs solar generation, xeriscape landscaping and a high-recycled-content structure. The Daniel Mannix Building’s 6-Star Green Star rating reflects world-leading performance, achieved through Active-Mass Cooling, underfloor air distribution and 90% recycling of construction waste.
Brisbane’s John Paul II Building (2016) features automated ventilation, zoned lighting and high daylight access, while the refurbishment of Melbourne’s Raheen Library re-used existing fittings, installed LEDs and CO₂ monitoring, and adopted low-emission finishes.
Meanwhile, the 5-Star Green Star Mother Teresa Building (2023) at ACU’s Melbourne Campus sets a new benchmark for energy-efficient and sustainable design. It uses advanced air-conditioning and lighting systems, efficient glazing, and smart controls to cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40 per cent compared with a standard building. Solar panels on the roof supply clean electricity, while energy-saving lifts and escalators further reduce power demand. The design also ensures excellent indoor comfort, with healthy air quality and consistent temperatures all year round.
Common to all projects are efficient water systems, sustainable materials, indoor environmental quality, and active transport facilities such as bike storage and showers. Together these projects demonstrate that ACU’s building portfolio meets the highest standards of environmental performance, resource conservation and occupant wellbeing, embodying the University’s commitment to the care of our common home.
ACU aims to minimise the amount of waste that it sends to landfill. This requires ACU to reduce and to recycle as much of its waste as possible.
Waste reduction: Since 2012, ACU has reduced the amount of waste it generates by 60 per cent. In 2012, ACU generated 1,170 tonnes of rubbish; in 2024, it generated just 465 tonnes, or about 18 kilograms per student, less than half the amount of waste generated per student in the Australian university sector as a whole.
Recycling: ACU's recycling rate is consistently between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of its total waste generation. ACU recycles paper, cardboard, plastic, electronic waste, garden waste and food waste.
Plastic waste: ACU has a special focus on reducing plastic waste because plastic waste has a heavy impact on our rivers and oceans.
Organic waste: In 2022 ACU introduced food waste collection into its campuses to complement its garden waste recycling. ACU’s food waste is composted and returned to gardens and farms to support healthier soils and ACU’s garden waste is mulched and then re-used on gardens. In 2024, ACU diverted nearly 50 tonnes of garden and food waste from landfill.
ACU’s plan to manage its waste is detailed in its Waste Management Strategy 2023 – 2025 (PDF, 247KB)
ACU designs and manages its facilities to minimise potable water use through smart systems, efficient fixtures, and sustainable landscapes.
ACU’s campuses collectively record one of the lowest rates of water consumption per student in the Australian university sector, demonstrating sector-leading water efficiency. The campuses have a combined 600,000 litres of water storage capacity, which the university uses to capture and reuse stormwater for toilet flushing and irrigation, reducing reliance on mains supply.
Sustainable landscape design is another key feature of ACU’s water strategy. At the Ballarat Campus, a xeriscaped garden showcases drought-tolerant plantings that thrive with minimal watering. In Melbourne, the Fitzroy Campus features an 1,800-square-metre urban park that replaced a former multilevel concrete car park. The park integrates Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) elements such as rain gardens, permeable surfaces, and native vegetation, to naturally filter stormwater and support local biodiversity.
Through these initiatives, ACU demonstrates how thoughtful planning, recycled water use, and resilient landscape design can work together to conserve water, enhance urban ecosystems, and build climate-adapted campuses that reflect environmental stewardship and the values of sustainable design.
At Australian Catholic University, we believe every person deserves to live and work in freedom and dignity. That’s why we’re committed to preventing and ultimately eliminating the impact of modern slavery in our operations, partnerships, and supply chains.
Our Modern Slavery Action Plan turns this commitment into action. Through it, we’re working with more than 30 Catholic organisations across Australia as part of the Australian Catholic Anti-Slavery Network (ACAN). Together, we’re identifying areas of risk, meeting national reporting standards, and providing training to help staff make ethical, informed choices in their daily work.
The Eradicating Modern Slavery Working Group, made up of staff from every Faculty and Directorate, ensures our efforts are practical and coordinated. From procurement and contracts to teaching, research, and student engagement, the group helps embed awareness and accountability into everything we do.
We’re also using the power of education and research to understand the causes of modern slavery and find lasting solutions. Law students contribute thousands of pro bono hours through Domus 8.7, Australia’s Catholic anti-slavery initiative, helping strengthen transparency and justice in Australian supply chains. Across disciplines, our academics are exploring how ethical production, migration, and labour practices can create fairer global systems.
Our commitment is also expressed in meaningful symbols. ACU’s Blacktown Campus proudly bears the name of St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of Sudan and of all victims of slavery and human trafficking. Through governance, partnerships, learning, and community action, ACU is helping build a world free from exploitation.
You can read more about our work and explore the latest ACU Modern Slavery Statement online
Our researchers work hand-in-hand with communities, service providers and policymakers to find practical solutions to some of society’s most complex challenges.
Much of our community-focused research takes place through the Stakeholder Engaged Scholarship Unit (SESU). Here, ACU researchers collaborate directly with community organisations to design projects that respond to real needs. For example, evaluations of programs like St Mary’s House of Welcome and the HOPE Program have shed light on how holistic, person-centred support can help people experiencing poverty, homelessness or mental illness build stability and hope. These projects speak powerfully to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), while embodying the Catholic call to uphold the dignity of each person.
Health and wellbeing are also central to ACU’s research for sustainability. Recently, ACU has partnered with community organisations to shape culturally safe and trauma-aware programs such as Gunawirra’s Young Aboriginal Mothers’ Program. This work strengthens family relationships, connects mothers and children to culture, and supports healing, advancing SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and the value of compassion.
Education plays a vital role too. Through projects like Settle Well, which supports refugee and asylum-seeker students in regional schools, ACU researchers are helping young people find belonging and confidence in new communities. That’s SDG 4 (Quality Education) in action, grounded in the Catholic understanding of education as a pathway to human flourishing.
ACU’s research also confronts difficult social realities, including gender-based violence. The Keeping People Safe study, undertaken with Caritas Australia and other Catholic agencies, explored how faith-based organisations can respond with greater understanding, prevention and care. It highlights the role of Catholic values such as respect for human dignity and the common good in advancing SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
Across these and many other studies, ACU’s researchers are united by a shared commitment to justice and human rights. From work in child protection and family support to the study of peacebuilding and ethical leadership, our research strengthens communities and helps to create fairer systems as part of our contribution to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).
What makes ACU’s approach distinctive is partnership. ACU works with organisations such as CatholicCare, Caritas and other community leaders in collaborative endeavours that embody SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and the Catholic principle of solidarity.
Through ACU’s distinctive Core Curriculum, every student, no matter their degree, explores the ethical, social and spiritual dimensions of human life and considers how their choices shape the wellbeing of others and the planet.
The Core encourages reflection on what it means to live well and to build communities grounded in justice, respect and hope. These themes naturally align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the values of Catholic Social Teaching, especially the call to uphold human dignity, pursue the common good and care for creation.
Students begin by exploring ethics, meaning and human flourishing. In units such as Being Human and Ethics and the Good Life, they reflect on moral responsibility and what constitutes a good society. Units of study such as Making Sense: Practical Reasoning for Life and Career links ethical reflection to vocation, asking how work and purpose can serve others and strengthen communities.
The Core also situates faith and history within the broader struggle for justice. In People Matter: Catholic Social Thought and Revolutionary Values: Christianity in History, students explore how compassion and equality have inspired social reform and continue to inform the pursuit of fairness and human rights around the world.
Environmental awareness is another vital strand. In Ecology and Justice and The Origins of Science and Contemporary Challenges, students examine the moral and scientific dimensions of climate change, innovation and sustainability, echoing Pope Francis’s call in Laudato Si’ to care for our common home. Sacred Land: Indigenous Spiritualities and Catholic Thought deepens understanding of culture, ecology and reconciliation through dialogue with First Nations perspectives.
Together, these experiences show students that sustainability is not only about the environment but about living ethically in relationship with others and with creation. The Core Curriculum provides the moral compass of an ACU education, forming graduates who are thoughtful, compassionate and ready to help build a world that is fair, peaceful and sustainable for all.
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