Environment
- Publication no: AP-R734-25
- ISBN: 978-1-922994-72-1
- Published: 2 July 2025
- PDF (free) Download
This report supports the transition towards more sustainable infrastructure development by recommending changes within Austroads’ mandate – particularly to its technical specifications and test methods. These recommendations are based on an evaluation of current practices, incorporation of industry feedback, and insights from experts.
Supporting sustainable outcomes in infrastructure is a complex challenge that requires a holistic approach throughout the project lifecycle. Austroads plays a vital role in fostering sustainable outcomes by establishing standards and promoting best practices through its specifications and test methods.
Despite increasing awareness and policy commitments to sustainability targets, current practices often fall short of meeting evolving demands. This report identifies specific opportunities for improvement and addresses barriers that hinder progress.
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- 1. Introduction and Context
- 1.1 Purpose
- 1.2 Project scope
- 1.3 Structure of this report
- 1.4 Jurisdictional context
- 2. Methodology
- 2.1 Project approach
- 2.1.1 Literature review
- 2.1.2 Stakeholder feedback survey
- 2.1.3 Stakeholder feedback workshop
- 2.1.4 Develop long list of opportunities and identify barriers to overcome
- 2.1.5 Opportunity evaluation
- 2.1.6 Develop and test recommendations
- 2.1 Project approach
- 3. Current State of Play
- 3.1 Sustainability challenges in the transport sector
- 3.2 The Austroads Technical Specifications are just one source of guidance for practitioners
- 3.3 Industry is not consistently incentivised to drive sustainability outcomes across Australia and New Zealand
- 3.4 Barriers hindering the evolution of current practice
- 3.5 Opportunity for improvement across the infrastructure lifecycle
- 3.5.1 Embodied carbon emissions
- 3.5.2 User carbon emissions
- 3.5.3 Operational carbon emissions
- 3.5.4 Climate resilience
- 3.5.5 Circular economy
- 3.6 Materials and their relevance to Austroads specifications
- 4. Opportunities and Barriers to Enhance Sustainability Outcomes
- 4.1 Barriers
- 4.2 Opportunity areas
- 4.3 Reduce embodied carbon of materials
- 4.3.1 Concrete
- 4.3.2 Asphalt
- 4.3.3 Barriers to reducing embodied carbon of materials
- 4.4 Increase recycled content of materials
- 4.4.1 Barriers to increasing recycled content in materials
- 4.5 Increase the useful life of assets
- 4.5.1 Barriers to increasing the useful life of assets
- 4.6 Increase the uptake of products with sustainability credentials
- 4.6.1 Barriers to increasing the uptake of products with sustainable credentials
- 4.7 Enable material innovation
- 4.7.1 Barriers to enabling material innovation
- 4.8 Leverage jurisdictional best practice and publish sustainability guidance
- 4.8.1 Barriers to leveraging jurisdictional best practice knowledge and research
- 4.9 Provide greater consistency for climate change projections and methodologies
- 4.9.1 Barriers to providing greater consistency for climate change projections and methodologies across jurisdictions
- 5. Recommended Actions
- 5.1 Actions for Austroads to enable the use of reduced embodied carbon materials
- 5.2 Actions for Austroads to increase recycled content of materials
- 5.3 Actions for Austroads to increase the useful life of assets
- 5.4 Actions for Austroads to enable the increase the uptake of products with sustainability credentials
- 5.5 Actions for Austroads to enable material innovation
- 5.6 Actions for Austroads to leverage jurisdictional best practice and publish sustainability guidance
- 5.7 Actions for Austroads to provide greater consistency for climate change projections and methodologies
- 5.8 Review cycles
- 6. References
- Appendix A Survey Questions and Key Findings
- Appendix B Subject Matter Experts and Stakeholders Engaged
- Appendix C Longlist of Austroads Projects
Austroads has released the Environment and Sustainability Initiatives Stocktake 2025–2027: Year 1, continuing and building on earlier work to provide deeper insight into how transport agencies across Australia and New Zealand are embedding sustainability practices across their operations and strategic frameworks.