Sustainable Transformation

Can a government be legally required to protect young Australians from climate change? That question sat at the centre of a landmark Federal Court case, and it's one campaigner Anjali Sharma has been trying to answer since she was 14 years old. Anjali was the lead litigant in the case that first tested whether Australia's environment minister owes a legal duty of care to future generations. She wo...

Most people's idea of sustainable packaging starts and stops at the recycling bin. That's the visible layer. Underneath it sits a fragmented system of state-based schemes, contested regulation, and on-pack claims that don't always hold up. Kiarne is joined by Pippa Corry, founder and director of philo & co, a sustainable packaging consultancy working with brands Australia. Pippa spent more tha...

Most of us can tell you exactly what goes in the recycling bin, but very few of us could tell you what's actually inside our superannuation. And according to Estelle Parker, co-CEO of the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), that gap matters more than almost anything else we do for the planet. RIAA is the industry body that certifies which super funds and investment products can...

Open the cupboard under your kitchen sink. Chances are you'll find a dozen or more cleaning products, each with a slightly different job and nearly every one carrying a warning about the chemicals inside. Koh co-founder Adam Lindsay didn't set out to build a brand people would talk about. He set out to solve a problem in his own cleaning cupboard, and ended up building one of Australia's most trus...

“I think it's probably the least bad system that we could have implemented.” James Tilbury isn't talking about Parliament. He's talking about mandatory climate reporting, the wave of legally required disclosures now landing from some of Australia's biggest companies. Kiarne Treacy sits down with James, climate risk advisor to some of the country's largest businesses, to find out why he...

“fast fashion is a topic that absolutely eats away at me. So I've got lots I want to get off my chest and lots I want to learn.” Kiarne Treacy's had enough of fast fashion, and today she’s starting with your last online order. She puts it to Danielle Kent, General Manager of Transformation at Seamless, Australia's national product stewardship scheme for fashion. Australians send...

"The most selfless person I have ever met in business." That's how Kiarne describes Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, after sitting down with him for this episode. Dilhan runs one of the world's best-known tea brands in the world, and by his own admission, he could triple Dilmah's profits tomorrow. Kiarne sits down with him to find out what it actually costs to run a business on...

Sustainability has shifted from a “nice to have” to a core business risk conversation. In this episode, Daniel Harper, Director of Cool Planet, unpacks what nearly 20 years of working in climate strategy has taught him about how businesses really move. From the early “wild west” days of carbon offsets to mandatory climate disclosure, supply chain pressure and the pivot from...

What’s hot right now? Traceability. Transparency. Tinned tuna (seriously). Kiarne sits down with Phoebe Dowling , Director of Global Food Sustainability at Simplot . The powerhouse behind brands like John West , Bird’s Eye and Edgell to unpack what sits behind certification, fishing methods and the labels we rely on at the supermarket. Overfishing is a global challenge. A third of glob...

What does it really take to make circular economy systems work at scale — beyond the theory and good intentions? In this episode of The Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Stephen Richards, Founder and Managing Director of Big Bag Recovery, to unpack the hard, practical work behind building circular infrastructure in Australia. Stephen shares how Big Bag Recovery...

What does credible environmental giving look like when it’s built into the way a business operates, year after year? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy is joined by Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, to unpack how the 1% model works in practice — and why accountability, choice and long-term commitment sit at the centre of its impact. Kate exp...

What started as one person refusing to look away has become one of Australia’s most enduring community movements. Kiarne Treacy sits down with Pip Kiernan, Chair of Clean Up Australia, to reflect on the legacy of a movement that has mobilised 23 million Australians over 35 years… and why the work is far from done. Pip shares the origin story behind Clean Up Australia, sparked when her...

What does meaningful sustainability look like when you operate in every community across Australia? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Richard Pittard, Chief Sustainability Officer at Australia Post, to unpack what real transformation looks like inside one of the country’s largest and most complex organisations. With more than 25 years in...

Most of us grew up being told cutting down trees is bad. But what if the story is far more complex and in Australia’s case, completely misunderstood? In this episode, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Matt De Jongh, Sustainability Manager at Responsible Wood, Director at Forestry Australia, and a registered forestry professional with more than 25 years in the sector. Matt unpacks what sustainable...

What happens when a 120-year-old company bakes in sustainability for the next hundred years? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Steve Plarre, CEO and Director of Plarre Foods, home to the Aussie icon Ferguson Plarre’s Bakehouses. With a history dating back to 1901, the business has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, two pandemi...

What if travel could restore the places we visit instead of harming them? In this episode of The Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Sara King, General Manager of Purpose at Intrepid Travel, one of the world’s largest B Corp travel companies and a global leader in responsible tourism.  Sara shares what “responsible travel” actually looks like on...

What if the smartest technologies could also be the most human? In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Ravi Kumar Mandalika, Utilities Industry Leader for IBM, to explore how digital innovation is reshaping energy, resilience and the way businesses plan for the future. With three decades of experience helping global energy and utilities organisation...

What if your mobile plan could help the planet breathe a little easier? In this episode of The Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Rebecca Darley, Chief Marketing Officer at TPG Telecom, home to brands like Vodafone, TPG and felix mobile — Australia’s first carbon-neutral telco powered by 100% renewable energy. felix mobile plants a tree for every month you...

What if fixing the planet isn’t about one big breakthrough, but ten thousand small changes? In this episode of The Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Mick Liubinskas, Co-Founder of Climate Salad, a community accelerating the growth of Australia’s climate tech ecosystem. Mick shares how Climate Salad’s over 800 climate tech companies are building solu...

In this episode, Kiarne Treacy welcomes John Ferraro , the CEO of Paintback , an independent product stewardship scheme (made up of the five biggest paint companies in Australia) dedicated to collecting and repurposing unwanted paint and packaging.   And the best part of it all? Paintback isn’t gatekeeping this tech – they are opening their doors to other countries interested in i...

Former petrochemical engineer turned sustainability strategist, Sonya Samson , has seen both sides of the climate challenge and knows how to turn lofty commitments into tangible results.   In this episode, she joined Kiarne to unpack the dual priorities of decarbonisation and climate adaptation, why delaying action will cost more, and the “no regrets” moves every business can make...

In this episode, Kiarne is joined by Ross Sardi, CEO of First Focus , to unpack the real and growing environmental footprint of tech. From the energy costs of AI to the unseen emissions hiding in the cloud, Ross gets honest about the industry’s challenges, and what can actually be done right now.   The pair discuss the complexity of global supply chains. The lifecycle of devices. The wa...

Carbon reporting isn’t just about compliance, it could unlock a huge business opportunity if you get it right.    In this episode, Kiarne Treacy chats with Tai Lennon , Managing Director of Climate Zero , to unpack what actually goes into your carbon footprint, and why most businesses are underestimating it.   From data blind spots and boundary setting to who actually owns emi...

Carbon visibility, sustainable aviation fuel, and the rise of accountants as unlikely ESG heroes. In this episode, Kiarne sits down with Dr. Tamara Somers , General Manager of Sustainability and Impact at Xero , for a conversation about what it takes to lead real change in big business. Tamara is not your average ESG leader. She’s a strategist, finance nerd, and climate realist who has worke...

Sustainability isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. It’s a strategic must-have for 2025 and beyond. In this episode, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Sydney Straver , Founder of award-winning ESG advisory firm &BLOOM Sustainability & ESG , to unpack what really matters in sustainability right now. From the rise of materiality assessments (and the difference between double and s...