Conference Day Two - Thursday, 5 September

08:30
Welcome coffee
08:50
Opening remarks from the Chair

Margie Thomson
Chief Executive Officer
Cement Industry Federation

09:00
Ministerial address: Supporting and encouraging local industry and onshore manufacturing as they transition to low or no carbon emissions

Hon Tim Ayres
Assistant Minister for Trade; Assistant Minister for Manufacturing
Australian Senate

Sourcing reliable low carbon energy
09:15
Securing energy for the National Electricity Market’s largest connected load
  • Contracting what could be Australia’s largest renewable energy power purchase agreement
  • Tomago Aluminium’s approach to procuring electricity in a transitioning market

Andrew Newman
CFO and Company Secretary
Tomago Aluminium

09:45
Providing a decarbonisation pathway through Renewable Gas
  • Scaling up production to have a meaningful impact on the carbon profile of industrial users
  • Spurring the development of a Renewable Gas sector through supportive policy
  • Encouraging cross-sector partnership to stimulate a Renewable Gas market

Suzie Jakobovits
General Manager Renewable Gas
Jemena

10:15
How do you reduce emissions from the state's largest domestic cement manufacturing facility?
  • How Boral is leveraging technologies which can decarbonise cement making processes
  • The practical realities of implementing net zero technology – what does ‘success’ look like?
  • Securing reliable low-carbon energy for energy intensive processes
  • Reducing embodied carbon by partially replacing Portland cement with lower carbon cementitious materials

Ali Nezhad
Head of Sustainability and Innovation
Boral

10:45
Morning tea
Policy to foster net zero and protect onshore manufacturing and industry
11:15
Addressing embodied carbon in imports and exports
  • Establishing a level playing field on carbon for industrial products in Australian and global markets
  • Assessing (and actioning) Australia’s options in the Carbon Leakage Review: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)? Financial support? Product standards? Treaties?
  • How will the EU CBAM impact Australian exporters in 2026 (and UK in 2027, or the proposed USA Clean Competition Act (CCA)?

Tennant Reed
Director – Climate Change and Energy
Australian Industry Group (Ai Group)

11:45
How will Australia’s carbon market influence decarbonisation?
  • What role does Australia’s carbon price and climate policy framework play in setting decarbonisation expectations?
  • How will the design of policy inform industrial decarbonisation pathways?
  • What role will external abatement play, e.g. via the use of carbon offsets?
  • Not all carbon offsets are created equal. What do large companies need to consider?
  • What is Australia’s current carbon price?
  • What will drive Australia’s carbon price over the next 5-10 years?

Anton Firth
Director, Research
RepuTex Energy

12:05
PANEL DISCUSSION: How will recent energy policy impact heavy industry and manufacturers?
  • How will the Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) and withdrawal of Renewable Energy Target change energy supply?
  • What are the opportunities of ‘Future Made in Australia Act’ to empower growth on net zero manufacturing and industry?
  • What policy would form the basis of an enduring framework that can adapt over time including the infrastructure and clean energy to power new growth?
  • How will the Net Zero Economy Agency protect Australian industry and manufacturing as the costs of decarbonisation bite into profits and viability?

Moderator:

Emma Aisbett
Associate Professor, School of Law and Associate Director (Research) Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific Grand Challenge
Australian National University (ANU)

Panellists:

Tennant Reed
Director – Climate Change and Energy
Australian Industry Group (Ai Group)

Beth Mitchell
Head of Engagement
Beyond Zero Emissions

Tats Kato
Head of Project Origination (ESG, Decarbonisation & Energy Transition)
Sojitz Corporation

12:45
Lunch
Building credibility and recognition of meaningful carbon reductions
13:35
Meeting climate commitments without carbon offsets

Interface will focus its efforts on direct carbon reduction and carbon storage innovation projects to meet its ambitious environmental sustainability goals that include:

  • Achieving 2030 targets validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to halve absolute Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, to halve absolute Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services, and to reduce business travel and employee commuting emissions by 30%, all from a 2019 baseline year
  • Reimagining product development and manufacturing to drive carbon reduction and storage
  • Reducing the carbon footprint of products through manufacturing and raw material innovations and increasing product recycled and bio-based content
  • Identifying and driving commercial adoption of circular models across all product categories
  • Inspiring industry to join in, making a bigger impact through collective action focused on absolute carbon reduction

Aidan Mullan
Sustainability Manager
Interface Australia & New Zealand

14:05
PANEL DISCUSSION: How should industries and manufacturing address carbon standards and certifications to increase credibility and accountability?
  • How do we avoid the ‘electrical equipment working out front (charged by a diesel generator around the back)’ scenarios?
  • How can recognised definitions and standards be implemented so consumers and advocacy groups can be sure that claims are rigorous, verifiable and trustworthy?
  • Who should be setting carbon emission frameworks – international bodies, Australian regulators, or industry associations?

Moderator:

Michael Kilgariff
Chief Executive Officer
Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Australia (CCAA)

Panellists:

Kulbir Dhanda
Research and Development
GoodPlastics

Aidan Mullan
Sustainability Manager
Interface Australia & New Zealand

Andrew Newman
CFO and Company Secretary
Tomago Aluminium

Emma Aisbett
Associate Professor, School of Law and Associate Director (Research) Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific Grand Challenge
Australian National University (ANU)

Cyril Giraud
Head of Sustainability
Holcim Australia

Bringing the whole business and procurement chain on the net zero journey
14:45
Developing new decarbonisation technology across all aspects of a heavy industry business
  • Addressing the magnitude of emissions from cement manufacture including alternate fuels, mineral addition optimisation and carbon capture leading to green methanol production
  • How low carbon concrete mixes can be produced today which are fully compliant with Codes & Standards
  • A Carbon Road Map - as seen by Cement Australia

Olivia Alexis
Technical Product Specialist
Cement Australia

15:15
Afternoon tea
15:45
Prioritising the steps in a net zero strategy to bring the whole organisation on the journey
  • Creating a culture of sharing information on ‘wins’ so they can be duplicated
  • Ensuring solid governance around sustainability that is not linked to the specifics of individuals sites (eg renewable electricity is readily available in Australia, much harder to source in Japan)
  • Committing to funding projects CAPEX projects that may have very long timelines to a justifiable ROI

Damon Tweedie
Head of Sustainability
EnergyAustralia

16:15
PANEL DISCUSSION: How do you get buy-in for whole of business transformation from internal and external stakeholders?
  • What are effective tools and channels for educating internal and external stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the importance and feasibility of the transition (building carbon literacy)?
  • How do you build trust and credibility with both internal and external stakeholders during a business transformation?
  • What are the best ways to demonstrate tangible progress towards achieving net zero goals?

Moderator: 

Eric Kimmel
Program Manager, New Low Carbon Industrial Foundations
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (NSW DCCEEW)

Panellists:

Justin Merrell
Group Sustainability Director
Lion Co

Amanda Robertson
Head of Sustainability (Oceania)
Nestlé Oceania

Chau Le
General Manager, E-Mobility
Origin Zero

16:50
Closing remarks from the Chair
17:00
End of day two and close of Industrial Net Zero 2024