Project Enlighten

Project Enlighten is an industrial energy efficiency project developed by Woolworths Group Limited. Unlike land-based carbon projects attached to a single property, this initiative is an aggregated multi-site project distributed across numerous Woolworths retail stores and facilities throughout the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia. Because the project operates within the built environment of existing commercial infrastructure, it does not sit within a specific regional land use zone like grazing or forestry, nor is it bound by specific soil types or local rainfall patterns.

Registered in August 2015, Project Enlighten utilizes the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Industrial Electricity and Fuel Efficiency) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits emissions reductions achieved by improving the energy efficiency of industrial or commercial equipment. Specifically, this project focuses on the avoidance of emissions through upgrades to lighting, heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) systems, as well as the installation of variable speed drives and refrigeration improvements. By reducing electricity and fuel consumption against a historical baseline, the project generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

A notable aspect of this project is its integration into Woolworths' broader corporate sustainability strategy. The project was partially supported by Woolworths' issuance of green bonds, the first of its kind for a supermarket globally, which financed assets including LED upgrades and HVAC optimization. The project held a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102280) with the Australian Government, which was successfully completed in August 2023, delivering over 230,000 tonnes of abatement.