Glossary
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Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) |
ACCC is an independent Commonwealth statutory authority. The ACCC's role is to promote competition and fair trade in the marketplace to benefit consumers, business and the community. |
Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) |
The covenant is a three-way commitment between Australian employers, the Australian government and Indigenous people aimed at securing 50,000 sustainable jobs for Indigenous Australians. |
Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) | The AFGC is the national body representing the nation's food and grocery products manufacturers. The role of the council is to help shape a business environment that encourages the food and grocery products industry to grow and remain profitable. The council provides these manufacturers with a platform from which they can voice their views on a range of issues. |
Australian Food and Grocery Council Allergen Bureau |
This is an industry initiative to improve allergen management within food manufacturing and ensure that allergen statements made on products are clear and concise for the consumer. |
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) |
The AIHW is a national agency set up to provide information on Australia's health and welfare, through statistics and data development that inform discussion and decisions on policy and services. It works closely with all state and federal health, housing and community services agencies in collecting, analysing and disseminating data. |
Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) |
ANRA is a membership-based organisation that was established in 2006 to represent the interests of large national retailers across Australia. The founding board members of ANRA include Coles Group, Woolworths, Bunnings, David Jones and Best and Less. |
Biodegradable | Biodegradable plastic bags are often made from farmed products such as cornstarch, which, in the right conditions, will break down into elements like carbon dioxide, water and methane. Biodegradable bags are generally best suited to composting and not suited for recycling. To meet international standards, bags need to compost within 12 weeks and biodegrade completely within six months. Standards Australia has developed Australian Standards for biodegradable plastics, AS 4736- 2006. |
Carbon dioxide (CO2) | The greenhouse gas whose concentration is being most affected directly by human activities. CO2 also serves as the reference to compare all other greenhouse gases (see carbon dioxide equivalent). The major source of CO2 emissions is fossil fuel combustion. CO2 emissions are also a product of forest clearing, biomass burning, and non-energy production processes such as cement production. |
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) | A standard measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential (GWP). For example, one tonne of methane emissions is equivalent to 24.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon footprint A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide equivalent. It is a useful tool for individuals, nations and organisations to conceptualise their personal or organisational impact in contributing to global warming. |
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) |
The Australian Government's proposed emissions trading scheme is a cap and trade system, in which total emissions would be limited or 'capped'. Permits are allocated or auctioned up to the set cap, and a market allows those participants emitting less than their quota to sell their excess permits to emitters needing to buy extra to meet their cap. |
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Climate change | The term 'climate change' is sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but because the Earth's climate is never static, the term is more properly used to imply a significant change from one climatic condition to another. In some cases, 'climate change' has been used synonymously with the term 'global warming'. Scientists however tend to use the term in the wider sense to include natural changes in climate. |
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Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) | CNG or compressed natural gas is the compressed form of the gas commonly used in homes throughout Australia for domestic cooking and heating appliances. It consists mainly of methane (80%Ð95%), a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas. The distinctive smell associated with natural gas is in fact an additive which enables quick detection of leaking gas. |
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CSIRO | CSIRO, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, is Australia's national science and research agency. |
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EarthPower | EarthPower is a regional food waste to energy facility in Sydney, Australia. EarthPower accepts source segregated food wastes from the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors and converts them to green energy and nutrient rich fertilisers using state of the art technology. |
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EBIT | Earnings before Interest and Tax Ð total earnings before provisions are deducted. This measures a company's performance and is often used in preference to net profit as it excludes the effects of borrowings and tax benefits and adjustments. Ecological footprint A resource accounting tool that can measure how much land and water area a person or a specific group Ð for example, an event, a business, a city or a country Ð requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste. The footprint is measured in global hectares (gha). The average Victorian needs 8.1 global hectares of land to sustain his or her lifestyle. If everyone on the planet lived like Victorians, we would need more than four Earths to support us. |
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EEO Act | The Energy Efficiency Opportunities Act 2006 (Australia) took effect on 1 July 2006 (with an amendment in March 2007). It aims to improve the identification, assessment and reporting of energy efficiency opportunities by large energy using businesses. |
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Environmental Code of Practice for Packaging (ECOPP) |
ECOPP is designed to provide companies with guidelines to help evaluate the environmental impact of new and existing packaging. |
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Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) |
EPHC was formed following changes to natural resource and environment related Ministerial Councils agreed by the Council of Australian Governments in June 2001. EPHC was created by amalgamating the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC), the environment protection components of the Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC), and Heritage Ministers' Meetings. The natural resource management components of ANZECC were transferred to the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. |
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Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) | The ETI is an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations that works in partnership to improve the lives of workers across the globe who make or grow consumer goods. |
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Fair Trade | Fair trade is an organised social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. |
Foodbank | Foodbank is a not-for-profit, non-denominational organisation that sources and distributes food and grocery industry donations to welfare agencies that feed the hungry. Foodbank is Australia's largest hunger relief organisation. A national organisation, with Distribution Centres in five states, Food bank is endorsed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council as the food industry's preferred means of disposal of surplus product. |
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) |
FSANZ is the statutory agency that develops food standards. |
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) | FSC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests. |
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Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 | This Act covers all fuel types including all gasoline, diesel and LPG. Refiners are required to manufacture fuel to comply with this Act, and all fuel is tested prior to release against the requirements under it. |
Genetically modified (GM) foods | GM foods are created using biotechnology to change their genetic material. |
GL | Gigalitres or billion litres. |
Global Social Compliance Program (GSCP) | The GSCP is a multi-stakeholder program aimed at delivering a shared, consistent approach for continuously improving working and environmental conditions across all categories and sectors. |
Global warming | Global warming refers to an increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth. Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases. Scientists generally agree that the Earth's surface has warmed by about one degree Fahrenheit in the past 140 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently concluded that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases are causing an increase in the Earth's surface temperature and that increased concentrations of sulphate aerosols have led to relative cooling in some regions, generally over and downwind of heavily industrialised areas. |
Global warming potential (GWP) | The index used to translate the level of emissions of various gases into a common measure in order to compare the relative radiative forcing of different gases without directly calculating the changes in atmospheric concentrations. GWPs are calculated as the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emissions of one kilogram of a greenhouse gas to that from emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide over a period of time (usually 100 years). |
Greenhouse gases | Gases that absorb infra-red radiation in the atmosphere. The six greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol are: carbon dioxide, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). |
Green power | Green power is renewable energy sourced from the sun, the wind, water and waste that is purchased by an energy company on behalf of consumers. |
HDPE | High density polyethylene or HDPE is a type of plastic used to make consumer packaging such as milk bottles, shampoo and detergent bottles. Plastic supermarket carry bags are typically made from HDPE film. The HDPE plastics identification code is 2. |
International Labour Organisation (ILO) | The ILO is a UN agency that advances opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue in handling work-related issues. |
kt | A kilotonne is equal to one million kilograms. |
KWh/m2 | Kilowatt hours per square meter. KWh is a unit of measurement for electricity use. | Kyoto Protocol | An international agreement, reached in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, which extends the commitments of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In particular it sets targets for future emissions in developed countries. |
Light emitting diode (LED) | A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light. LEDs last considerably longer than incandescent or fluorescent lighting but are more expensive. LEDs don't typically burn out like traditional lighting, but rather gradually decrease in light output. |
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) | Liquefied natural gas. Natural gas (NG) is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly methane (CH4), and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. NG is consumed in the residential, commercial, industrial, and utility markets. |
Lost Time Injury | An LTI is defined as an injury or illness that resulted in an employee being unable to work a full scheduled shift (other than the shift on which the injury occurred) |
Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) | Number of lost time injuries per million hours worked. |
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) | MSC is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes responsible fishing practices. Its role is to recognise, via a certification program, well-managed fisheries and to harness consumer preference for seafood products bearing the MSC label of approval. MSC has developed an environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. It uses a product label to reward environmentally responsible fishery management and practices, allowing consumers concerned about over fishing and its environmental and social consequences to choose seafood products that have been independently assessed against the MSC Standard. |
ML | Megalitres or million litres. |
Mt | A million tonnes or megatonnes equates to one billion kilograms. |
MWh | Megawatt hours is a unit of measurement for electricity use, referring to the amount of electricity need to supply power to 1,000 homes for one hour. |
National Packaging Covenant (NPC) | NPC is a voluntary initiative by Commonwealth Government and industry to reduce the effects of packaging on the environment. It is designed to minimise the environmental impacts arising from the disposal of used packaging, conserve resources through better design and production processes and facilitate the re-use and recycling of used packaging materials. |
National Packaging Covenant Council | The NPCC was formed to oversee the implementation of the National Packaging Covenant. The council is made up of State, Local and Commonwealth Government and industry and community representatives. The council meets quarterly to discuss packaging issues, covenant communication, procedures, reports and data collection as well as what each individual sector has been doing to support the Covenants objectives. |
New Zealand Packaging Accord | The New Zealand Packaging Accord is a voluntary initiative to cut down on wasteful packaging. Those signing it Ð the packaging and packaged goods industry, local and central government and the recycling operators Ð are voluntarily committing to doing what they can to reduce the proportion of packaging in our total waste stream. |
NGER Act 2007 | National greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (Australia) took effect on 1 July 2008. NGER establishes a national framework for Australian corporations to report greenhouse gas emissions, reductions, removals and offsets, and energy consumption and production |
Occupational disease | A disease arising from the work situation or activity (eg, stress or regular exposure to harmful chemicals), or from a work-related injury. |
Oxodegradable | Type of plastic used to make plastic carry bags. The oxodegradable plastic bag breaks down primarily through the reaction of a chemical additive to oxygen, light or heat. Best suited to landfill disposal, they are also likely to survive long enough to present a threat to animals if littered. It may take time for them to break down and, even when they do, it is into smaller pieces that may pose a threat to animals who mistake the pieces for food. |
Produce and Grocery Industry Code of Conduct | This voluntary code aims to promote fair trading practices and build better business relationships. At the same time it provides access to a dispute resolution procedure for individuals and groups. |
Product Stewardship Australia (PSA) | Product Stewardship Australia Limited (PSA) is a not-for-profit, industry-led organisation working on permanent solutions to recover and recycle consumer electronics in an environmentally sound manner. PSA is membership based and is developing national solutions for end-of-life (or obsolete) electronic and electrical products on behalf of its members. Dick Smith is a member of PSA. |
Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Council | The PEFC Council is an independent, non-profit organization that promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. |
Scope 1 emissions | Direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources owned or controlled by the company, such as combustion facilities (eg. boilers, furnaces, turbines, heaters, incinerators, engines, flares, etc.), combustion of fuels in company-owned or company-controlled transportation (e.g. cars, buses, planes, ships, barges, trains, etc.), and physical or chemical processes (eg. in cement manufacturing, catalytic cracking in petrochemical processing, aluminium smelting, etc.). |
Scope 2 emissions | Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, heat, cooling or steam. Purchased electricity is defined as electricity that is purchased or otherwise brought into the organisational boundary of the entity. |
Scope 3 emissions | Other indirect greenhouse gas emissions that are a consequence of a company's activities, but that arise from sources that are owned or controlled by others. Scope 3, like Scope 2, is a category of indirect emissions. However Scope 2 covers emissions that a company indirectly causes to be emitted through importation Ð and usually purchase Ð of electricity, heat, cooling and steam. By contrast, Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions from sources that are not owned or controlled by a company, but that occur as a result of its activities. Examples include emissions as a result of the extraction, manufacture and production of materials it has purchased, the transportation of purchased fuels or goods, the use of products and services it has sold, and business travel and employee commuting in vehicles not owned or controlled by the company. |
Serious Diseases | Occupational or non-occupational related impairment of health with serious consequences for employees, their families, and communities, such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes, RSI and stress. |
T5 fluorescent light | T5 fluorescent lights have the highest light output of any fluorescent lamp. In most environments they offer energy savings of nearly 30% compared to other fluorescent lamps. |
United Nation Global Compact (UNGC) | UNGC is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. For more information go to www.unglobalcompact.org |