Corporate Environmental Licence - a world first

Goulburn Valley Water was issued the world's first corporate licence in October 2007.  Prior to amalgamation, GVW held 26 individual EPA licences, totaling 226 pages of licence requirements. The  new corporate licence format is an eight-page document that saves the business an estimated  $50,000 a year in administration costs alone. 

The Corporate Licence concept has delivered the following benefits:

• Consolidated multiple licences into a single document
• Streamlined existing reporting structures into a single annual performance statement
• Created opportunities for the  business to invest in projects that maximize  environmental and economic returns

The licence consists of two sections:

Part I – Sustainability Commitment

Goulburn Valley Water and EPA have made a public commitment to work in partnership to increase the sustainability and resource efficiency of the organisations business activities.  This joint commitment assists GVW in pursuing its four goals contained in its Sustainability Improvement Plan. 

Goal 1 - Ensure ongoing organization relevance and effectiveness

Goal 2 - Ongoing improvement in business efficiency

Goal 3 - Minimize the environmental footprint

Goal 4 - Delivering integrated community benefits

This section sets out immediate actions to reduce the Corporation’s global and local environmental impacts.

Part 2 – Performance Statement Conditions

This section contains legally enforceable environmental conditions that apply to GVW’s business activities.  The Corporation must ensure that discharges from its business operations comply with the Environment Protection Act 1970.

Goulburn Valley Water has made its Corporate Licence, Annual Performance Statement and Fact Licensing Fact Sheet available in Adobe PDF format. 

Corporate Licence

EPA Annual Performance Statement

Corporate Licensing Fact Sheet

For more information about Corporate Licensing please visit www.epa.vic.gov.au