Corporate sustainability

Sustainably-minded,
making conscious choices

We live and breathe the Credit Union ethos to help support our customers and communities, including caring for the places we call home by addressing the environmental, social and economic challenges that exist today.

We recognise the need to act and are committed to making a positive impact for a more sustainable future that benefits generations to come. We want to encourage others to do the same, influence change and share our learnings. As part of our larger business strategy, our sustainability approach is holistic and grounded by the belief that every step in the right direction adds up.

For us it’s about learning, collaborating with experts, setting the right pace and having a plan that balances little wins with big picture goals.

Our Pillars for Sustainable Growth

Engaging All People

Through collaboration and open communication we strive to partner for environmental and social good, influencing change and embedding a culture of sustainability that extends beyond our team.

Engaging All People

Reducing Our Impact

Adapting our operations to reduce carbon emissions and constantly looking at ways to improve processes and procedures to ensure we are acting responsibly and playing our part to manage our impact on the environment.

Reducing Our Impact

Sustainable Solutions

We seek to continue providing sustainable solutions, such as our recyclable Visa Debit Cards and online options for bank statements, allowing our customers to make conscious choices.

Sustainable Solutions

Acting With Integrity

Acting as a responsible business goes beyond our role in finance. We act with integrity and seek to engage in ethical practices, aligning with people who have the same values towards sustainability.

Acting With Integrity

Our Corporate and
Social Responsibility Commitment

Our Social Responsibility statement guides how we create and maintain value for our customers, team, community, and environment.

We believe banking should be a force for good – grounded in fairness, care, and long-term impact. That’s why we support local initiatives, reduce our environmental footprint, foster an inclusive workplace, and prioritise ethical practices in everything we do.

Our goal is to make meaningful decisions that benefit people and the planet – now and into the future.

  • 1Our Commitment to Customers

    Our Commitment to Customers

    At SCCU we are all about supporting you through all your financial life stages, and our business vision to providing responsive and relevant banking  reflects our commitment to our customers and community.

    We seek to understand their current and future needs to assist in improving financial well-being, request feedback and strive to offer exceptional service at every touch point. We are genuine in our approach to ensure our customers are valued and truly matter.

  • 2Our Commitment to Our Team Members

    Our Commitment to Our Team Members

    We’re committed to providing a supportive, safe and respectful work environment where learning and development opportunities are embraced.

    Our employment conditions and benefits are designed to attract good people, build our experience and knowledge base and provide opportunities for our team to develop their skills and careers. We commit to maintaining high standards in the areas of equal employment opportunities, diversity, employee satisfaction, recruitment and retention, training, health and wellbeing strategies and remuneration.

    Our goal to be an employer of choice in the place we all call home.

  • 3Our Commitment to Our Community

    Our Commitment to Our Community

    We’re committed to the people, place and spirit that form our community. We understand that communities comes in all sizes and work hard to support everyday people and grass roots groups, through to regional causes and national programs.

    We seek to form true partnerships and use our network to connect others for the betterment of all. As a local business, we are a reflection of those around us, helping support the place we call home with monetary and in-kind support that makes a difference.

  • 4Our Commitment to Sustainability

    Our Commitment to Sustainability

    We’re committed to making a positive impact for a more sustainable future and demonstrate what it means to care about people and place, through actions that reflect our mutual ethos. We seek to continuously grow our knowledge, inspire others and share our progress in addressing the environmental, social and economic challenges that are most material to our people, customers and communities.

  • 5Our Commitment to Corporate Governance

    Our Commitment to Corporate Governance

    We’re committed to maintaining a transparent and accountable approach to corporate governance across all areas of our organisation. This is supported through robust governance frameworks in the areas of Risk, Compliance and Finance. We are dedicated to conducting business in strict compliance with applicable laws and with the highest standards of personal and corporate integrity. These standards are defined in the Customer Owned Banking Code of Practice.

    In an era where data security is at the forefront of people’s minds we proactively ensure we manage people’s data appropriately including conducting regular, rigorous security and penetration testing.

    Constitution 2021

  • 6Corporate Responsibility & Policy

    Corporate Responsibility & Policy

    As we continue to grow our knowledge and start new projects, we understand the need to formalise practices, policies and our corporate statements to better reflect the behaviours and actions that we expect of ourselves, and those we choose to work with.

    Formalising our approach by:

    Updating our corporate statements listed above, including our Commitment to Sustainability.

    Providing policies that address:
    • Hardship
    • Vulnerable Customers
    • Flexible Working
    Offering opportunities for our people to be involved through:
    • Volunteering & community involvement
    • Specific sustainability projects with Community Partners

     

Our Sustainability Journey So Far

Our vision to become a more sustainable business and help contribute to this movement hasn’t just happened overnight. In fact we’ve been intertwining changes within our day to day practices and approach to community for a while now. Here’s a few projects that we’re incredibly proud to bring under a more structured, transparent and consistent approach.

A reusable blue cup placed beside a cardboard box, showcasing the SCCU branding

It’s cool to care

Catching up over a cuppa’ or picking one up on the way to work has never looked so good. After looking at how many disposable cups we were using, we decided to give everyone in the SCCU team a very cool reusable cup from Joco.

 

100% recyclable debit cards

Our new Visa Debit cards made from recycled materials are here. An initiative designed to avoid plastic waste, reduce carbon emissions, and help our customers embark in our sustainability journey with us.

The recycled PVC card is made from waste derived from PVC toys, medical and electric plastic, making it also 100% recyclable after usage.

You can learn more about our Visa Debit Cards here.

#WelcomeHome

To inspire a better tomorrow, we’ve redesigned our gift boxes for new home owners to include eco-friendly products that we hope become everyday ‘go-to’s. We’ve also introduced Australian made seeded cards to say thank you and when planted, grow Snowy River daisies.

It’s just our way of saying #welcomehome while caring for the home we all share.

Join our SCCU community along with thousands of customers who love our easy to understand banking services and caring customer approach.

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It can seem like an impossible task to change society’s direction. Being sustainable isn’t always about the headline act or the big efforts. Individually, little changes that stick, that make a difference in our lives and those around us will add up to a sustained, continued, positive change. We can help save our planet and our kids’ future one small action at a time. We just have to roll the sleeves up and get stuck in where we can.
Steve, SCCU Eco-Warrior & FSCM
Winning the $1,500 award from Southern Cross Credit Union’s Community Goals program will be a massive help to our organisation. This money will go directly into feeding and caring for the animals that we have rescued and are in our care. We currently have 14 sea turtles, one seabird and one sea snake in our care. With this kind of support we can give the best possible care to these animals so they can be released back into the wild.
Kelsey Banister, Australian Seabird Rescue Assistant to the General Manager
Not everyone is going to be an environmentalist, but it is important to always think about our own earthly fingerprints.   Even something as small as picking up rubbish left on the sidewalk, the people of SCCU understand that it’s the little things that make the earth a happier, more sustainable place.
Teaghan, SCCU Eco-Warrior & Lending Support Specialist
Through their Community Grants program, Southern Cross Credit Union have demonstrated their commitment to environmental sustainability  in our region in a number of ways. As well as funding projects to recycle plastic waste and remediate contaminated soil, they have supported Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital to provide expert veterinary care to native animals. Many of our patients are sea turtles, and  SCCU’s $10,000 grant will be used in partnership with Australian Seabird Rescue to secure a much-needed Sea Turtle Recovery Dry Docking System, assisting with their rehabilitation before being released back into their ocean home. We’re so very grateful to SCCU for their support and applaud their commitment to conservation and sustainability projects.  
Dr Stephen Van Mil - Founder and CEO, Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital
Southern Cross Credit Unit is an outstanding example of a business that is all about doing right by the communities that it operates in. By supporting local organisations such as ours (Positive Change for Marine Life), they are helping to address major issues around sustainability and environmental management. As is true to character for a locally focused, community-oriented business, they not only support us financially, but by actively attending and getting involved in community events. We are proud to have SCCU as a long term partner for our projects and campaigns, as we strive to foster greater community custodianship of the incredible environments we call home.
Dane Marx - Positive Change For Marine Life
"Access to having the same uniform really helped us to create a team environment where all women feel they belong. Quality footwear is also really important not only for safety but also for physical comfort as the work does require spending a lot of time on your feet.  The support from SCCU has made all the difference and we’re so grateful”
Sam Birmingham - Operations Manager for the Linen SHIFT