MORE THAN JUST
PLAYING OUR PART

DISCOVER

Our commitment to sustainability is driven by our desire to do more than just play our part

As leaders in retail construction, we feel a strong responsibility to support the growth of conscientious developments. That’s why we strive to make a genuine, positive impact in everything we do through connection, communication, and a commitment to continual improvement. 

We’ve joined the worldwide movement to improve our planet, identifying 9 UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) to focus on. It’s never been more important to have a broader perspective of our world – from both a human and environmental perspective. The repercussions of the global pandemic paired with ongoing consequences of climate change have drastically altered the social, economic and environmental landscape we live in. And it’s up to all of us to adapt.

Issues around economic stability, social complexity and environmental urgency are interwoven. By responding actively and critically to these issues together with our staff, clients and the industry, we can develop solutions for a better today – and tomorrow.

Read our Sustainability Action Plan here

Environment

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlights the urgency of today’s environmental issues. It confirms we are in a climate emergency, with human activity the unequivocal cause. And the built environment is a key contributor to the increase in greenhouse gases contributing to the rise in temperatures globally. 

As part of our ongoing efforts to operate more sustainably, we’ve broken our strategy into three categories:

Look within first

It starts with getting our house in order by focusing on our internal processes and practises. First is measuring and reviewing our current emissions and limiting our waste production both in offices and on our sites. We’re upskilling our entire team about how we can integrate sustainable practices throughout our organisation and build a culture more in touch with our environment and it’s needs.

A great example is the principles behind a circular economy – reduce, reuse, recycle. Our 2023-2025 company wide initiative has all our projects focussed on all three aspects and we are measuring the impact to track progress.

Support our clients

Our construction solutions team focuses on helping our clients hit their own sustainability targets. This starts at the beginning, with our Pre-Construction team offering realistic, quantified sustainable design options during design development phases. The greatest impact occurs when we capture the opportunities and design them in upfront.

Mainbrace built the first 6-Star Green Star shopping centre. We’re proud of our record in achieving Green Star and NABERS environmental ratings on dozens of projects, including Woolworths Prestons Shopping Centre, Bunnings Leppington and the Home Co Development at Rouse Hill, NSW. 

However, our outlook extends beyond ratings. We’ll work alongside our clients to find feasible sustainable options, including building dematerialisation and careful material choice. 

Given the uncertainty and cost of acquiring materials in current conditions, our emphasis on limiting material consumption will have dual benefits in affordability and sustainability. Our collaborative processes will see subcontractors and suppliers working together to make sustainable options viable. Together, we will make a bigger impact.

Influence industry

Innovation encourages fresh thinking, with the goal of developing ideas that benefit the industry. We look to partner and collaborate with professionals who align with our vision. Our teams embrace change and seek out opportunities every day. 

We hold bi-annual workshops in each of our offices seeking new pitches and ideas focused on innovation, change and sustainability. We search for viable ideas we can bring to life. 

Two examples include:

Recyclable Hoardings – with options for internal hoardings that can be reused and are totally recyclable. 

Skip the Bin – a practical application of the circular economy in which surplus on-site material can be made available to local businesses instead of sent straight to landfill.

Our 2025 environmental targets:

BUILDING A
RESPONSIBLE
WORKPLACE

Social

Our social sustainability framework is focused on the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health & Wellbeing, Quality Education and Gender Equality.

Through collaborative approaches and building on our strategy of ‘Enriched Lives & Meaningful Careers’, we’re creating environments where everyone can build success.

Good health & wellbeing

There is more to life than work. To truly thrive, we must help all our people balance and integrate work with their personal life. As a result, we balance health, wellbeing and flexible work practices. Our holistic initiatives in these areas are created to apply to everyone, no matter what stage of life they’re in.

Quality education

We want our staff to love what they do. We aim to create meaningful careers for everyone, providing professional pathways that are accessible and clear. We help align careers to personal goals and provide a range of learning and development opportunities to support growth and progression.

As we empower everyone to drive their career, we regularly celebrate progress and contributions along the way so our people feel valued and recognised.  

Gender equality

We not only embrace diversity – we prioritise it through a focus on equity, inclusion and belonging.

We’ve set ambitious targets, especially for attracting females to the construction industry, and developed initiatives to help achieve them. We know our people – and our clients – are enriched by the positive contributions diversity brings to our workplace.

We have a bold gender diversity target which aims to ensure women make up at least 30% of our workforce by 2030. Given only around 12% of construction industry employees are women, our 30% by ‘30 target is more than twice the current industry average and is particularly ambitious in a traditionally male-dominated industry context.

Community

Mainbrace is committed to having a genuine impact in our local communities by focusing on the issues closest to us where we can make a meaningful difference.

MbRACE is our community program designed to encourage teamwork, camaraderie and good corporate citizenship. It’s our way of bringing people together to EMBRACE our collective passion, talent and generosity to make an impact on our communities. 

We help community groups raise awareness of social issues that matter most to them – and we always look for new ways to do something different, original and fun to cut through with important messages. 

Since 1989, we’re proud to have donated over $500K to charities through clients, suppliers, industry and our staff.

LEADING
BY EXAMPLE

Governance

Being a good corporate entity matters to us. Doing what’s right for all our stakeholders is another crucial piece of creating an environment where everyone can build success.

Mainbrace’s corporate governance practices are designed to focus on responsible stewardship, integrity, accountability and effective risk management on behalf of all shareholders. 

Safety

The safety of people working for and with us is paramount. We take our responsibility to keep everyone safe seriously and work hard to minimise any impact during construction.

With over 30 years of practical site experience, our HSEQ team provides workplace health and safety support and guidance to our teams, subcontractors and clients. 

Our Workplace Health and Safety systems are certified to ISO 45001:2018 and are independently audited and certified every year.

Advisory Board

The Board takes ultimate responsibility for all corporate governance matters, including upholding established ethical standards, and is accountable to the shareholders for overall business performance. The Board includes both internal and external members. 

Modern slavery

We acknowledge the potential for any of the eight types of serious exploitation defined in the Modern Slavery Act to occur in our operations and extended supply chains. We understand and accept our continuing obligation to assess and address these risks.

Read our Modern Slavery Report here.

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