Orora Glass Plant Gawler

Orora Glass Plant Gawler is a other facility operated by Orora Limited in SA. Like all covered facilities, industrial operations generate significant emissions. Under Australia's Safeguard Mechanism, Orora Glass Plant Gawler must keep its annual emissions below a stepping-down baseline — or purchase carbon credits to cover any overage.

In 2023–24, Orora Glass Plant Gawler reported emissions of 190 kt against a baseline obligation of 186 kt — an overage of 4 kt. The facility covered the 4 kt overage by purchasing 3,698 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) — credits generated by carbon abatement projects elsewhere in Australia such as soil carbon farming, avoided land clearing, and landfill gas capture.

Purchasing credits is legal and intended by the Safeguard Mechanism's design — the policy deliberately allows facilities to choose between cutting on-site emissions or funding abatement elsewhere in the economy. Whether credit purchases represent genuine long-term decarbonisation depends on whether the facility's absolute emissions are trending down over time. The chart above shows the trajectory since reporting began. This question applies to all covered facilities under the Safeguard Mechanism, not Orora Glass Plant Gawler specifically.

Across the other sector, 8 of 8 covered facilities reported emissions above their baseline in 2023–24. The table below compares Orora Glass Plant Gawler with other other facilities covered by the Safeguard Mechanism.