Sustainability
Our impact
At CAR Group, we understand that managing our environmental and social impact is not just a responsibility but a strategic imperative. We also recognise the positive social and environmental effects that come from closely managing and maintaining high levels of governance in our supply chains.
Material topics
– Climate management
– Supply chain engagement
The following section outlines our approach to addressing these material topics at CAR Group. For a detailed review of our performance in these areas over the past year, please refer to our latest Sustainability Report and Databook.
Climate management
Climate management is an important consideration in future proofing our business model. CAR Group continues to integrate climate change considerations into its governance, strategy and risk management processes in line with the recently retired Task Force on Climate‑related Financial Disclosures framework (TCFD), which we commenced reporting against in 2023. Our Climate Disclosures Report, available within our Annual Report, details our most material climate‑related risks and opportunities and accompanies our Sustainability Report and Sustainability Databook.
Climate risk assessment and scenario analysis increases our businesses resilience as it affords us the opportunity to understand and mitigate risks, determine our opportunities for competitive advantage and make informed strategic, financial and operational business decisions based on the outcomes. This means that we are well positioned to maintain and grow investment in CAR Group, adapt to the changing regulatory environment, and meet the expectations of our shareholders and the wider business community.
While our carbon footprint may be viewed as relatively small compared to many other companies, we recognise and acknowledge that our marketplace businesses facilitate the buying and selling of vehicles which are significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. We remain committed to integrating climate action into our operations, being accountable for our impact and transparent about our environmental performance, and implementing positive change in this space.
We are focused on deepening our understanding of our climate‑related risks and opportunities and realising the benefits that this offers us, including building long‑term business resilience and supporting us to continue to attract investment in CAR Group. This continues to be a priority for us as we prepare to align to the new mandatory climate reporting requirements under the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS).
As a business that has consistently expanded its operations, particularly through acquisitions, it is challenging to forecast how our emissions will change as this growth occurs and as our GHG operational boundary expands. We have therefore decided not to put a net zero target in place.
We have always lived by the mantra of ‘doing what we say and saying what we do’ and feel it would be disingenuous to put a well-intentioned pledge in place with an aspirational date. Our preference is to commit to decarbonising our business operations and being transparent about our progress in our annual reporting suite.
We remain on a climate management journey and as we mature in this space, we will continue to feed our learnings back into our business strategy to ensure we are set up for future success.
Supply chain engagement
We take principled and proactive approach to managing social and ethical risks in our supply chain. All supply chains carry the potential for social harm, including risks related to human rights, labour practices, and modern slavery.
Our approach is grounded in transparency, accountability, and alignment with our values. Our governance framework includes oversight by the Board and Risk Management Committee, with operational support from a Modern Slavery Working Group. This ensures that supply chain risks are actively managed and integrated into broader risk and compliance processes.
Our commitment to operating a socially and environmentally responsible business is underpinned by CAR Group’s Code of Conduct and Human Rights Policy. These commitments flow through to our suppliers and our supply chain engagement processes, which help us ensure we are doing business with suppliers that share our values, and whose conduct aligns with ours. Our success in remaining a leader in the long term lies in our operating model, which embeds sustainable business practices across our operations and supply chain.
By maintaining high standards and embedding responsible business practices across the supplier lifecycle, we aim to
– act consistently with our commitment to act in an ethical and sustainable manner, and in a manner that promotes human rights;
– meet the expectations of our customers, employees, the community and other stakeholders; and
– manage legal and reputational risks that may arise from supply chain issues.
CAR Group complies with the Australian Modern Slavery Act (2018) and our most recent Modern Slavery Statement can be found here.
