What does a 30-year career at Visy  ‘growing up’ under the leadership of the Pratt family do to a person? 

In this episode, Kiarne sits down with Gus Carfi, the Executive Chairman at Polar Enviro to find out. Gus shares anecdotes of working for Visy and Richard Pratt, growing into the role of COO and how that has shaped not only his business but also his vision for the future. 

Polar Enviro has a bold and ambitious mission centred around safety and sustainability and in this thought-provoking chat, Kiarne gets to the bottom of what that really means. How does ‘photoluminescence’ (aka glow-in-the-dark) light the path *pardon the pun* for a revolutionary technology that could change the world? What do road surfaces and exit signs have to do with sustainability? Well, like us.. You might be surprised! 

Join us as we learn how a chance conversation between Gus and his now business partner, changed the trajectory of Gus’s career and led him to dedicate himself to innovating in new and, somewhat unexpected industries.  

After this, you’ll never look at exit signs, road surfaces or pathway lighting the same again. If you’re a sustainability enthusiast, interested in safety or just a tech nerd who loves learning about innovations that shape the future, you won’t want to miss this chat. 

Key Discussion Points:

• Client and Employee Focus: Prioritising the needs of clients and employees, learned from experiences at Visy. Gus also learnt more about environmental and social sustainability through his years at Visy.

• The drive to making environmental impact: Creating Polar Enviro to minimise waste and utilise energy systems effectively.

• Disruption as a Norm: Embracing disruption as a fundamental aspect in innovative products.

• Challenges of Change: Overcoming fear of disruption and motivating leadership to embrace sustainability.

• The Exit Sign Technology: New exit signs that are energy-efficient, reliable, and reduce carbon emissions significantly.

• Microlighting Technology: Development of baby LEDs that enhance exit sign functionality and extend lifespan.

• Using sustainable materials and reducing emissions: Lower environmental significance with only 5% of the impact created by the old exit sign technology.

• OmniGrip Direct and Road Safety: Utilising recycled glass for safer road surfacing and line markings, allowing for more accessibility at nighttime.

• Future Applications of Photoluminescent Technology: Potential uses in emergency clothing and coatings, aiming to replace traditional lighting.

• Testing and Verification: Importance of rigorous testing and third-party verification for new technologies in ensuring reliability of their products.

MENTIONS:

• Polar Enviro - the parent company of Smarterlite, OmniGrip Direct and Vivacity

• Richard Pratt - late Chairman of Visy Industries

• Smarterlife - Chief Technology Officer Zoran Ovuka

• Photoluminescent Technology - Smarterlite’s Environmental Technology

• Environmental Exit Signs

• Microlighting Technologies

• Vivacity - Chief Executive Officer - Gary Commane

• CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

• Impacts of the old Exit Signs (Video)

LINKS:

Learn more about SustainabilityTracker.com 

Learn more about The Sustainable Transformation Podcast

Learn more about Polar Enviro on Linkedin and Instagram.

Follow The Sustainable Choice Group on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok

Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind-the-scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial

CREDITS:

Host: Kiarne Treacy

Guest: Gus Carfi

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.

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