Process
Our Operations
Rheem Australia has an active long-term sustainability program aimed at improving the environmental performance of all our business activities. The program focuses on:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
- Reducing energy and water consumption: and
- Reducing the amount of waste generated in the manufacturing process.
Since the 2010's, we have undertaken a number of programs to achieve these goals, including:
- The installation of lower energy consuming LED lights throughout our factories
- The installation at our Rydalmere factory of a multi-million-dollar high efficiency gas oven, reducing our gas consumption by 40%
- The implementation of automatic timer controls and variable speed drive controls on manufacturing equipment
- The installation of a photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal array on our Rydalmere factory roof to capture solar energy to for use in our manufacturing process.
Rheem Australia is also focused on reducing our water usage. Improvements that have been implemented include the introduction of rainwater harvesting systems and the recycling of discharge water from water heater testing processes. In the early years of the program our water saving initiatives reduced water use at our Sydney headquarters by 5.8 megalitres, a reduction of 29% of our average usage. These strong results have been maintained and we’ve reduced water use by 75% over the past 10 years.
In 2019 Rheem’s global parent announced a new environmental target for our facilities - that we achieve zero waste to landfill in our global manufacturing operations by 2025, meaning we divert 90% of all non-hazardous wastes from landfill.
We are proud to report that all ANZ manufacturing sites achieved our Global Zero Waste To Landfill target. This milestone reflects the strong commitment and collaboration of our office teams, shopfloor personnel, and organisational leadership. Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to sustaining this performance and further enhancing our waste‑diversion outcomes.
For the latest summary of Rheem Global’s accomplishments, goals, and initiatives, visit the Rheem Global Sustainability page.
Our Packaging
The APCO Packaging Sustainability Framework aims to provide a consistent and transparent framework for assessing and tracking packaging sustainability.
All products manufactured by Rheem and sold in the Australian market are packaged without expanded plastics since November 2025. We continue to work with our suppliers to improve the sustainability of the product packaging they provide to us and this has already resulted in successful changes to several packaging formats.
For products that are fragile and require a high level of protection, current packaging remains in place and is presently exempt from government regulation; however, we remain committed to ongoing collaboration with suppliers to further enhance packaging design as technology and alternatives evolve.
Internally, we maintain robust procedures and design guidelines to ensure that sustainability considerations are embedded throughout the product design process
Click here to see the APCO 2023 Annual Report & Action Plan for Rheem Australia Pty Ltd
Our Local Environments
Rheem Australia is committed to protecting the local environments in which we operate. In line with this commitment, Rheem Australia’s operations incorporate a range of pollution control and emission monitoring systems. Furthermore, we actively contribute to the preservation of our immediate environment through our participation in a bush regeneration program in collaboration with Greater Sydney Landcare.
Our main Australian manufacturing facility is located adjacent to the Parramatta River in western Sydney and operates in strict accordance with an Environment Protection Licence. The site maintains a comprehensive Pollution Incident Response Management Plan and undertakes regular monitoring of emissions to ensure responsible and compliant operations.
The Pollution Incident Response Management Plan and results of emissions monitoring can be accessed via the links below.
Pollution Incident Response Management Plan
Emission Monitoring Results
Updated: April 2026
