The built environment: Emissions and waste
The built environment generates 40% of annual global CO2 emissions.[1]
Construction creates an estimated third of the world’s overall waste.[2]
Approaches to sustainable building:
Net Zero
Utilising passive design, energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy systems to create buildings wherein their total energy production minus their total energy use equals zero.
Passive house
A set of highly-engineered energy efficiency and design standards that use environmental factors such as passive solar to keep energy use as low as possible.
Living buildings
Regenerative buildings that connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community, so that they are self-sufficient and remain within the resource limits of their site. (living-future.org)
Applying sustainable thinking to filtered water systems
Australians spend about $580 buying 504 litres of bottled water per person.
It takes a greater amount of water to make a bottle of water than it does to fill it.
80% of plastic waste ends up in landfills or in the natural environment.
Identifying sustainable water solutions is an essential requirement to reduce the environmental footprint of buildings and create long-term value for customers.
Why Billi?
With its state-of-the-art water filtration systems, Billi sets new standards in environmental sensitivity, helping businesses minimise their carbon footprint. Billi provides a sustainable alternative for drinking water, reducing demand for single-use plastic bottled water.
Product innovations
Billi Eco, Quadra and Quadra Plus products are certified Gold Level under Global GreenTag standards.
Billi’s patented technology recovers and reuses energy to preheat the boiling water, thereby saving energy.
Billi delivers unique power consumption advantages, including thermodynamic heat-exchange technology, high-performance polyethylene insulation, and stand-by modes to conserve power.
Company initiatives
Billi offers borosilicate (glass) water bottles to avoid disposable solutions or single-use plastic bottles.
Billi has also reduced the amount of plastics in their packaging, preferring to use only recycled materials where possible. Additionally, printing requirement has been reduced by using QR codes for brochures and guides.
Operations
Billi’s total commitment to sustainability extends across its entire operation. Take, for example, Billi’s manufacturing plant in Thomastown. Solar covers 38% of the factory’s total consumption. With its approximately 600 solar panels and six 20kW inverters, the factory generated 166MWh of energy in 2022, 94MWh of which was used onsite and 72MWh fed back to the grid.
References:
[1] https://architecture2030.org/why-the-building-sector/
[2] https://ec.europa.eu/environment/topics/waste-and-recycling/construction-and-demolition-waste_en
