Our history
Sustainability Victoria (SV) was established in 2005 to address long-term climate change for the Victorian Government. But you may not know that our story began as far back as the nineties, or you may not be familiar with some of the amazing work so many people across Victoria have been a part of. This timeline of our history will help you understand who SV are, and what SV does.
The Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria is established by the Victorian Government to provide information and advice on the efficient use of energy, and the benefits to all sectors of the community.
Detox Your Home, a free and convenient service for householders to safely dispose of unwanted toxic chemicals launches. The program is still going strong in 2024 and beyond, with around 40 pop-up events hosted around Victoria each year in partnership with local councils.
EcoRecycle Victoria is established by the Victorian Government with responsibility for the strategic planning for waste management recycling, resource recovery and the sustainable use of resources.
The first Premier’s Sustainability Awards are held in 2002. The awards recognise and celebrate Victorians who are leading the way to a sustainable future, supported and endorsed by the Premier of Victoria, and Minister for the Environment.
The Sustainability Fund is established by the Victorian Government and is funded by the Landfill levy. The fund supports government initiatives in recycling and climate change programs.
Sustainability Victoria is established under the Sustainability Victoria Act 2005, merging The Sustainable Energy Authority and EcoRecycle Victoria. Sustainability Victoria is a statutory agency of the Victorian Government with the responsibility of addressing long-term climate change.
FirstRate5, a software tool accredited by the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS), launches. This tool allows builders and designers to generate energy ratings for homes, calculating heating and cooling requirements and remains Australia’s number 1 energy ratings tool in 2024.
Black Balloons public awareness campaign launches. Each balloon featured in the on-screen campaign was the equivalent of 50g of greenhouse gas.
The ‘Change the Globe’ campaign is delivered, which puts 500k low-energy globes into homes. This climate change initiative replaced traditional globes with low-energy globes for free.
ResourceSmart Schools (RSS) launches and quickly becomes an award-winning sustainability program. By 2024, RSS would go on to assist more than 1,500 Victorian schools to embed sustainability in everything they do.
As part of the Right Advice at the Right Place program, more than 300 electrical and home maker stores added energy ratings to appliances. This later changed into the Smarter Choice program.
By 2010, more than 13k appliance and solar rebates are delivered to low-income households to install energy-efficient appliances and solar. The Solar Homes program continues to this day, managed by Solar Victoria.
Australia’s first community owned wind park opens in Hepburn, Victoria, generating enough clean energy for more than 2,000 homes in the region and still operates today.
The Victorian Government commits $20m to recycling and organics infrastructure through the Conserve, Invest and Save policy. This is the start of a program of grant investment that we broker and facilitate to the present day.
The breakthrough draft of the Statewide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan – a 30-year roadmap to improve Victoria’s waste and recycling infrastructure – is released. This framework delivers annual programs right up to the present day.
The Get it Right on Bin Night campaign launches to increase household recycling rates in metro Melbourne. This marks the beginning of 10 years of behaviour change campaigns with local councils and the community.
We join the leadership of Tyre Stewardship Australia, a product stewardship council which oversees the recovery and disposal of used tyres. This period also sees us take a product stewardship role in television recovery.
Our draft State-Wide Waste and Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan is officially endorsed and launched by the state government. This new 30-year plan ensures that longer-term planning for waste and recycling infrastructure is delivered in the same way as other essential infrastructure and is seen as a major landmark.
The Paris Agreement (2015) accelerates the Victorian Government’s policy and action on Climate Change and elevates our leadership role. Victoria is one of the first jurisdictions in the world to legislate a net-zero carbon emissions target.
The Markets Acceleration program launches with the goal of developing new uses for recycled materials. This program has funded innovative new products such as recycled railway sleepers and soft plastic/glass asphalt – materials that will ultimately be used in Victoria’s Big Build.
Community Power Hubs are established in Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley. These hubs bring communities together to develop locally owned and shared renewable energy projects. By 2021, there will be hubs in each region, completing 42 community clean energy projects.
The Healthy Homes program launches. This is a successful 3-year study on the health benefits of improved warmth and energy efficiency to 1,000 homes. The results announced in 2022 showed that for every $1 saved in energy, more than $10 was saved in health.
We launch Know Your Recycling — a powerful communications campaign to educate and inform Victorian households on how to recycle correctly, making it easier to understand. This campaign runs through to 2021.
The Victorian Government launches Recycling Victoria — A New Economy, a 10-year $300m action plan for waste and recycling. For us, this leads to the development of SV2030: A Decade of Action in 2022, the most ambitious delivery plan in our history.
The Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre launches, which supports businesses to innovate in waste reduction, and stopping waste before it starts. This includes a dedicated website providing a hub for events, insights, seed funding and innovation.
The Circular Economy Modernisation Fund launches to support a critical overhaul of Victoria’s recycling infrastructure. We broker investments in the private sector in soft plastic recovery sites, PET plastic recycling plants and paper recovery plants.
7-Star Homes program launches and increases capability for energy-efficient homes. This 7-star standard becomes mandatory from 2024, with this program commended at the 2023 National Energy Efficiency Awards.
The first stage of Victoria’s Single Use Plastic Ban comes into effect. We play an important role testing the feasibility and engaging with the hospitality sector. Our Small Acts Big Impacts campaign helps Victorians prepare for the new four bin waste and recycling streams.
The recovery of organic materials and reduction in food waste reaches critical mass in Victoria after a 10-year transitional period led by us. This includes the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, the phased rollout of a food organics and garden organics (FOGO) bin across the state, investment in composting infrastructure,.
