State of Sustainability Report 2023

Living sustainably and reducing waste is important to Victorians. But more work is needed to shift from a ‘throw-away' or linear economy to a circular economy.

Sustainable behaviours – like taking reusable bags to the shops, minimising food waste by shopping with a list or eating leftovers at least once a week – are strong.

Victorians are also engaging in circular economy behaviour like buying or selling goods online or from op shops. But they are less likely to use repair services, or to lease or hire items rather than acquiring them new.

Creating services that make waste avoidance possible, like repair cafes, exchange libraries, leasing and buy-back schemes is important. We need to build consumer confidence in these services as the ‘new normal’ and support 'buying to last' consumption patterns.

It is important too that more Victorians understand the meaning of a ‘circular economy’ and the various ways they can increase sustainable living by incorporating ‘circular’ principles into their consumption behaviours.

Currently three-quarters of Victorians don’t understand the term ‘circular economy’, and almost half said they had never heard of it.

Read about how Victorians are taking part in the circular economy – without knowing what it is.

Victorians recognise that climate change impacts health, wellbeing, and quality of life. Although health impacts have already been felt by many (51%), there are significant gaps in awareness of the type of health conditions that will become more common as climate change impacts increase. For instance, 50% are not aware that the risk of getting heat stress or heatstroke is likely to increase as summer temperatures get more extreme.

This lack of awareness will likely flow on to lack of preparedness and protective behaviours being taken, and overall will reduce our climate resilience.

Read about how climate change is already affecting our health.

State of Sustainability 2023 comes 15 years after Sustainability Victoria first benchmarked the attitudes of Victorians in the 2008 Greenlight Report.

In that time, the conversation on sustainability has evolved. We’ve seen the emergence of new ideas, technologies and innovations shaping what a sustainable future looks like for Victoria – from electric vehicles to ‘circular economy’.

We are also increasingly concerned about climate change.

In 2023, more Victorians than ever before are aware of the impact that climate change has on the environment and their health and wellbeing. 26% now believe climate change is one of the top three issues of importance.

Read about what Victorians think about climate change and how the conversation on sustainability is changing.

Most Victorian households are not built to withstand the changes in seasonal temperatures, with our research indicating half have poor to extremely poor thermal quality. In the last 5 years, 40% of homeowners say they have made adjustments to improve thermal performance and energy efficiency in their home. Despite these changes, there is still significant room for thermal improvement in Victorian homes.

Given the poor thermal quality of housing, significant proportions of Victorians reported uncomfortable conditions during winter, with 39% citing it was too cold and 44% citing it was too hot in summer.

One in 5 had to leave their home because it was too hot or cold to stay.

Boosting the capacity for these homes to maintain a comfortable temperature without the need for excessive heating or cooling is crucial if we are to reduce carbon emissions.

We also heavily rely on gas to power our homes, with 88% using at least one gas appliance. But while moving away from fossil fuels is seen as important by Victorians, their willingness to completely electrify their homes at present is low.

No two Victorians are the same. The research tells us that a range of factors influence both our attitude to sustainability and our capacity to live sustainably – from where we live, to home ownership, family status and age group.

A key area for improvement is addressing the significant differences in thermal quality in the homes of renters and people in social housing when compared to homeowners, and ensuring that all Victorians can improve the quality of their homes and use cleaner energy to power them.

Recognising the unique needs of Victorians across all demographics is key to ensuring that no Victorian is left behind in adapting to our changing climate. Only through locally relevant, accessible and affordable solutions can we become a more sustainable state.