Ronald McDonald House Charities Western Australia’s continued focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) has been strengthened with the support of Emerge Associates.
RMHC WA, which provides an essential service to the WA community by providing supported accommodation and services for regional families with sick children undergoing treatment in Perth, first approached Emerge Associates in late 2021 to develop a Sustainability Action Plan to reduce their footprint and the related impact on children’s future.
Emerge committed to provide its services on a pro-bono basis to support the charity. “We felt that the opportunity to support a charity of this nature is well aligned with Emerge’s values and our commitment to both social and environmental sustainability. As a result, a long-term partnership arrangement was born,” Emerge Principal Sustainability Consultant Caroline Minton said.
Since early 2022, Emerge’s Sustainability Team has provided technical expertise to RMHC WA and its team in establishing and implementing a framework for sustainability management and continuous improvement, and a Sustainability Action Plan was developed in 2022.
“Their continued guidance and support has allowed us to make some significant steps toward a sustainable future,” Josh Rowdon, RMHC WA Accommodation Services Manager, said.
Environmental sustainability was central to the design and build of RMH at QEII, with the building receiving a Silver LEED rating upon its completion.
“With the assistance of Emerge and the CFBA, RMHC WA has been able to quantify the impact of those design and utility decisions with the building using around 70 tonnes less CO2 yearly than an Australian hotel of commensurate size,” he said.
The RMH at QEII facility now recycles 99 per cent of its waste – inclusive of general and organic waste. General waste is now diverted to Kwinana Energy Recovery and 2500kg of organic waste now diverted to composting annually. The facility has reduced its total cleaning chemical waste by two-thirds, in excess of 250 litres annually, and has implemented biodegradable containers, significantly reducing plastics waste.
“Emerge Associates is proud to have been able to support RMHC WA to prioritise and implement its sustainability goals, especially its target of reducing its carbon emissions, to help the children of today as well as the future,” Emerge Managing Director – Environment Jason Hick said.
“Emerge’s sustainability consultants have been able to bring specialist sustainability expertise to the partnership to combine with the passion and inside knowledge of RMHC WA’s Sustainability Champions, to achieve tangible sustainability outcomes that neither party could achieve in isolation.”
Throughout 2022-2023, RMHC WA engaged with a range of services to further bolster and improve its sustainability of services, transitioning to suppliers whose ESG goals aligned with its own. This included all chemical, stock and waste products.
“These partnerships have allowed us to continue delivering the best possible service to our families whilst taking a continuous improvement model approach to our environmental impact,” Mr Rowdon said.
“This has not only allowed us to reduce the impact of our footprint on the environment but has led us to introducing products and services that further safeguard our families through their quality and efficacy, and further support organisations whose ESG and DEI commitments aligned with our own.”
Emerge expanded its support in 2023, undertaking a baseline carbon assessment of RMHC WA’s RMH at QEII facility and is now undertaking another carbon assessment for RMHC WA, this time expanding the scope to include the three Family Retreats in Bunbury, Busselton, and Mandurah, in addition to the RMH at QEII.
Since its endorsement by the Board, the committee has overseen the implementation of priority items, with regular committee meeting attendance, support and advice from Emerge’s sustainability consultants.
"These have included the adoption of an improved waste management system, water auditing, upgrades to end-of trip facilities, and opportunities for guests to use loan bikes and scooters instead of taxis, at the RMH at QEII facility,” Emerge Senior Sustainability Consultant Laura Telders-Lameris explained.
Emerge plans to further expand its pro-bono support to RMHC WA in 2025 through engaging its staff in volunteering opportunities to provide further opportunities for other team members at Emerge to support and engage with the charity, including assistance with meal preparation for the families staying across their three supported accommodation facilities.
