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Decarbonisation in Action: Key Insights for Business Leaders

Origin Insight Report

Introduction

The business case for decarbonisation has never been stronger, yet many businesses still struggle with transforming their sustainability strategies into tangible action. As organisations across industries grapple with this transformation, three critical hurdles dominate: justifying investments financially, overcoming implementation barriers and integrating new technologies effectively. 

This was the strategic context that drove discussions during the recent executive roundtable hosted by Origin Zero, supported by Connect Media. Following the theme of Decarbonisation in Action, the roundtable convened industry leaders to address the gap between decarbonisation ambition and action. Discussions centered on overcoming three persistent hurdles: financial justification, implementation barriers, and seamless technology integration. Conversations were led by Liam McWhirter, General Manager, Strategic & Enterprise Partners, Origin Zero, with exclusive insights from Peter O’Connell, Co-founder & Managing Director, Climatech Zero, Chau Le, General Manager, Origin Zero and Bill Truscott, Group Manager, Customer Solution Development & Emerging Technology, Origin Zero. 

This article reflects a snapshot into the afternoon’s discussions.

Building the Business Case for Decarbonisation: From Cost to Competitive Advantage

Many businesses understand the importance of decarbonisation but struggle with justifying investment. While the transition’s complexity can feel overwhelming, proven models now deliver both environmental impact and strong returns. As Peter O’Connell, Co-founder of Climatech Zero, emphasised during the roundtable: “ROI payback of three years or under is critical in today’s capital-constrained environment.” This financial benchmark reflects today’s practical reality: decarbonisation has evolved from a cost burden to profit driver for those who leverage the right solutions.

Leaders must identify the clear financial value and measurable business outcomes of their decarbonisation initiatives if they are to secure executive buy-in. As Chau Le, General Manager, Origin Zero shared during the roundtable, “Start with the low-hanging fruit. Start with trials where falling costs, incentives and operational savings already deliver strong ROI.” By piloting smaller-scale projects, leaders can derisk investment and ultimately guide organisational buy-in. Waiting for the perfect conditions however to trial larger-scale initiatives can prolong success and cause businesses to fall behind on long-term transition goals.  

By prioritising quick wins and identifying clear business value in initiatives, companies can truly transform their decarbonisation ambitions into tangible actions profitably. 

Breaking the Execution Barrier

The transition from sustainability planning to execution reveals a critical gap for leaders: decarbonisation stalls where strategy meets real-world constraints. As Bill Truscott, Group Manager, Customer Solution Development & Emerging Technology at Origin Zero, highlighted during the roundtable, “Storage is the linchpin in our renewable energy transition. How we store power will determine how fast we can decarbonise for the future.” This storage imperative mirrors a wider truth: execution requires both tech and business model innovation. As leaders continue to grapple with this principle, three approaches are proving particularly effective: 

Implementation Strategies: Leading businesses are starting with targeted pilot projects before committing to large-scale rollouts. This staged approach allows businesses to validate technologies, build internal confidence, and refine operations while minimising upfront investment – turning theoretical strategies into proven solutions. 

Innovative Financing Structures: New commercial models are transforming how businesses fund their transitions. The shift from capital expenditures to operational expense models – including performance-based contracts and managed services – helps organisations preserve liquidity while accelerating decarbonisation timelines. 

Revenue Transformation: Leading businesses are moving beyond compliance-driven sustainability to unlock new value streams. From monetising energy storage through grid services to creating customer offerings around clean energy, these opportunities are turning decarbonisation into a source of competitive advantage. 

Together, each of these approaches are transforming decarbonisation from economic burden to business opportunity, all while overcoming the execution bottleneck. 

Seamless Integration: Balancing Innovation & Operations

Successful technology integration requires operational-first thinking. As Chau Le highlighted during the roundtable, “It’s not just about installing solutions, it’s about engineering them to work seamlessly within existing workflows.” This philosophy translates into three guiding approaches that leading businesses are adopting: 

Future-Proof Infrastructure: Strategic design now builds tomorrow’s energy needs into today’s facilities – whether through EV-ready electrical systems or modular conduits that enable phased upgrades. This forward-looking approach prevents costly retrofits while maintaining operational continuity.

Smarter Load Management: Intelligent systems are unlocking hidden capacity within existing infrastructure. Dynamic load optimisation tools balance energy demands in real-time, deferring expensive grid upgrades while accommodating new decarbonisation technologies.

The Modular Advantage: Scalable solutions allow organisations to start small and grow capability alongside operational confidence. This graduated adoption path derisks implementation while proving value at each stage.

The sweet spot for businesses is where decarbonisation feels less like a disruptive project and more like a performance upgrade. By combining adaptive technical solutions with business-centric strategy, companies can deliver both sustainability and operational value without disruptive overhauls. 

The Road Ahead: Scalable Decarbonisation

Three capabilities will separate decarbonisation leaders from the laggards. By reframing sustainability investments as value generators through clear performance metrics and ROI, leaders can unlock the necessary buy-in needed for scaling projects. Through strategic implementation that builds operational confidence, leaders can derisking capital commitments and drive organisational buy-in. With intelligent integration that aligns technology solutions with core business workflows, leaders can generate increased business value and environmental impact without disruption. 

As James Macgill, Origin Zero’s Executive General Manager, highlighted during the Sustainability Leaders Summit 2025: “We already have 90% of the technology and solutions we need – the challenge is no longer about invention, but execution. We need to reframe sustainability from being an economic burden to recognising it as a genuine business opportunity.” The technology solutions are available, the differentiator now lies in execution capability. Organisations that embrace this action-oriented mindset will discover that decarbonisation isn’t just an environmental necessity, but one of today’s most potent drivers of operational efficiency and competitive advantage. The time for planning has passed; the time for implementation is now. 

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Arti Oza

As Connect Media’s sole Designer, Arti is responsible for the creative visual direction and design of our entire suite of multimedia commercial and promotional material. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Design in Animation from the University of Technology Sydney. Arti’s artistic skill extends beyond her diverse corporate portfolio, and she has been known to draw incredibly realistic and stylised portraits of people.

Rachel Dreyfus

As Production and Operations Coordinator, Rachel has direct oversight over our event production portfolio and is responsible for securing our executive keynote speakers and panellists for our major events. She has a diverse administrative background in hospitality and database management, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) from the National Art School, as well as a Masters of Management from ICMS.

Outside of the office, you will find Rachel teaching ceramics to kids and strategically surf-lifesaving outside of the water.

Mitch Cohen

As Content Manager, Mitch is responsible for setting the strategic-agenda for our entire suite of industry and bespoke events, as well as the design, execution and editorial oversight of B2B content marketing services for our clients.

LACHLAN WATTS

Lachlan is a Partnerships Executive at Connect Media, where he manages strategic partnerships for our range of industry-leading business events. With a background in association membership, marketing, and communications, he has a keen ability to connect organisations with the right audiences to drive engagement and commercial success.
His experience spans sponsorship sales, account management, and marketing strategy, with a strong focus on interpreting data and insights to enhance visibility. Beyond his professional work, Lachlan is passionate about volunteering and in his free time tutors young students in rudimental drumming, a field in which he holds several Australian titles. 

Lisa Eam

As Client Event Manager, Lisa is responsible for the seamless, back-end management of our event operations. She also charges the management of client, speaker and sponsor needs across both our event and bespoke roundtable offerings. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management in Events and Leisure from the University of Technology Sydney and has an extensive background in venue management and hospitality.

She currently holds the office title of ‘In-House Expert’ when it comes to the Sydney culinary scene, and is often the envy of all our office lunches.

Jessica Ewing-Flynn

As Commercial Director, Jessica is responsible for developing commercial partnerships across our entire suite of industry-leading events. Her extensive experience in the events sector spans both operational and client-facing roles, covering large-scale events through to bespoke engagements. She holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of South Australia, and a Bachelor in Event Management from the International College of Management Sydney.

Jessica hails from the Northern Beaches, where she is renowned as an extremely average runner, and a slightly better swimmer.

Malin Haug

As Event Manager, Malin is responsible for the seamless back-end management of our event operations. She also leads the management of client, speaker, and sponsor needs across our events and bespoke roundtable offerings. Malin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Event Management from the University of Technology Sydney and brings extensive experience from the event space and customer service to her role.

Malin is an eager hobby sewist and creates her own clothes. Whether it’s a carefully crafted blouse or a tailored vest, chances are she’s sporting one of her designs whilst on-site

Jane Forbes

As Marketing Director, Jane plays a pivotal role in realising our long-term marketing agenda. Before assuming her current role, Jane served as Connect Media’s Data Manager for over two years. Jane holds an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management, and has over a decade’s dedicated senior experience in the events space. Jane enjoys escaping the hustle and bustle of the city to spend quality time at the beach with her young family.

Bridee Arrighi

As Operations Director, Bridee has operational oversight of our entire event portfolio, including stakeholder relations and end-to-end event management. Bridee graduated from Macleay College with a Bachelor of Business specialising in Event Management, and has over five years’ dedicated experience in the events space.

Bridee has a passion for the outdoors, and was quick to commandeer the best window seat in our office.

Dominic Patterson

Since founding the company in 2009, Dominic has fostered a culture of innovation and creativity, producing world-class conferences and pioneering advancements within the industry.

A media entrepreneur with over 20 years’ experience in B2B communications and events, Dominic has led Connect Media to be twice recognised as a BRW Fast Starter, a BRW Fast 100 Company, and a SmartCompanySmart50.

A keen sportsman and a supporter of the performing arts, Dominic maintains an active interest in public policy and has hosted a radio show with several listeners.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in Management (Economics) from the University of Westminster in London, certificates from AFTRS, NIDA and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.