At Civic Australia, we are committed to establishing, implementing, and maintaining policies and procedures that support and protect the environment and our communities.
Protecting Our Environment
We are committed to contributing to a better tomorrow.
As a furniture manufacturer, we have a high commitment to the environment to ensure sustainability today and for future generations. To achieve this, we’ve woven environmentally friendly initiatives into all of our projects, striving to apply the ‘green’ approach to every procedure to reduce the cost to the environment.
Civic Australia is certified to the ISO 14001:2015 International Standard Environmental Management System which guarantees our commitment to establishing, implementing and maintaining policies and procedures from consultation to completion.
But it’s not just about us. At Civic Australia, we work closely on our supply chain to ensure we work with like-minded suppliers who care about the environment.
What we Recycle
- Foam off-cuts: These are then turned into carpet underlay, reducing landfill waste.
- Printer Toner: Last year, we recycled a total of 8.14kg toner cartridges, saving water and energy, recovering resources and reducing greenhouse gases by diverting waste from land fill.
- All wood chips and shavings: These are recycled for use in poultry farms across Australia. Once mixed with manure, these wood chips are then further recycled and used in market gardens.
- All fabric off cuts and end rolls: These are given to TAFE Colleges for apprentice upholsterers to practice their trade.
We are also committed to using cleaner energy, running about 80% of our warehousing and manufacturing facility on solar power. Fun fact! Last year, our solar panels produced 114MWh of energy. That’s enough to make 2277201 pieces of toast!
Protecting Our World
We believe in earning our customer’s trust by acting responsibly and doing the right thing for our people, our customers, our communities and the world at large – and we expect the same from our suppliers.
Civic Australia is committed to upholding human rights, not only with respect to our own employees, but also for workers in our supply chain.
We understand that the decisions we make in our business impact the lives of others. This is why we have put in place a supply chain process to holistically consider risk associated with bribery and corruption, modern slavery, illegal logging, environmental considerations, workplace health and safety and cyber security.
We work with all of our suppliers to assess whether they meet our standards, with many of our suppliers putting in place processes for managing their own risks and open to working with us to meet our minimum standards. When risks or concerns are identified, we engage with the supplier, seeking constructive dialogue and remediation of non-compliance with our standards in relation to labour practices, environmental, health and safety and bribery and corruption risks as part of sustainability risks.
Protecting our Communities
Civic Australia is committed to helping the larger community in any way possible and have put in place a number of systems and initiatives to ensure this, including:
Indigenous Support: We employ several Indigenous staff and encourage any involvement with the community and culture. This year we supported Naidoc week internally, reinforcing our respect and commitment to the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the land.
Giving back to Charity: We feel it’s essential to give back to the community and often engage in activities to help other organisations. As a team, this also brings us closer together as we unite to support a cause that everyone feels passionate about.
The Civic Australia team have been supporting the Cancer Council Australia every year since 2013, with Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea a much-loved annual event.
We’re passionate about supporting the Rapid Relief Team, allowing them to continue helping and supporting communities across the globe in times of need.
Young Workers: We believe it’s only fair that young people get a chance to fulfill their dreams and gain workplace experience before entering the workforce. This is why we give HSC students a chance to upskill and become qualified in their subject related industry
Supporting our Staff: Regular training is offered to staff both at a company and personal level, allowing them to upskill and increase qualifications in their field.
Creating Local Jobs: We design and craft the vast majority of our furniture at our factory in Sydney, creating local jobs and providing employment for more than 70* families across Australia. This supports both the economy and our local community (*from 2020).
In addition to this, Civic Australia has a no-tolerance policy for racism and discrimination of any race or culture.
Protecting Our Employees
Our employees are more than just workers and their health and safety is at the forefront of everything we do – from endorsing and providing PPE to educating staff on health and safety practices, we’re always working to ensure our staff are safe.
Health and safety at Civic Australia is paramount to the products useability & your satisfaction. We pride ourselves in sourcing & manufacturing quality products & parts in accordance with ISO 45001:2018 to adhere to industry standards.
Civic Australia has established a Health and Safety Management System complying with the requirements of the ISO 45001:2018 Standard for Work Health and Safety. We have also been assessed by Qual-Safe Management Systems as having the capability to comply with relevant Work Health and Safety legislation as applicable to our operations. The scope of the Management System covers the design, supply and installation of furniture and associated products to the Education market.
