Nothing’s locked in just yet… but we’re thrilled to share that Queensland Computers has been named a finalist in the 2024 techpartner.news Impact Awards, recognised in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) category for our recent work with Lenovo Australia & New Zealand and the Queensland Department of Education.

The official winners will be announced this month (August) at the awards night on the Gold Coast, and yes a few of us will be there to soak it all in (and maybe cross our fingers under the table).

So what got us here?

It started with a state-wide rollout and a question we kept coming back to:
How do we make a technology project not just smarter, but cleaner too?

This isn’t your standard tech rollout. Sure, we delivered over 17,000 Lenovo laptops to teachers across Queensland. But what made this project different was a bold step we took behind the scenes, choosing to offset the full carbon footprint of every single device.

That includes emissions from manufacturing, shipping, and the years of use still to come. In total, we’ve offset an estimated 8,500 tonnes of CO₂.

It’s the kind of move that hasn’t really been done before at this scale in public education. In fact, the Department is now looking at potentially making carbon offsetting part of future technology arrangements, which is pretty huge.

“The Department’s partnership with Queensland Computers is a big step forward for achieving several important outcomes, leading towards a decarbonisation of the economy, and increased job creation and social outcomes.”
– Karen, Queensland Department of Education

These aren’t vague promises, they’re internationally verified by trusted organisations like the Gold Standard®, the UN Clean Development Mechanism, and the Climate Action Reserve. The impact goes beyond emissions reduction, these projects also support clean energy access, improve local infrastructure, and create lasting jobs.

Being recognised in a national awards program is a big moment for a regional business like ours, but this project has always been about more than awards.

We’ve:

• Delivered high-performance tech to teachers across the state
• Taken real climate responsibility through carbon offsetting
• Helped pave the way for more sustainable procurement across government
• Supported local job creation through ongoing device maintenance
• Continued investing in young professionals with hands-on experience and training

As Geoff Augutis, our Director, put it:

“This project was about doing the right thing, for our schools, our environment, and our state’s future. We’re proud to show that regional businesses can lead the way in sustainability and innovation.”

We also want to acknowledge the role of our partners, Lenovo and Ingram Micro Australia. Both organisations share a deep commitment to ESG leadership.

Ingram Micro, for example, is working towards zero emissions, zero waste, and zero safety incidents by 2030 through their ‘10 to Zero’ initiative. From operating solar-powered logistics hubs to diverting hundreds of tonnes of waste from landfill (even housing their own beehives at their Eastern Creek facility) they’re walking the walk.

We’ll be watching closely (and maybe nervously) as the winners are announced later this month, but regardless of the outcome, this recognition confirms something we’ve always believed:

Regional businesses can make a national impact. And when we work together with the right partners, the right mindset, and a clear purpose, we can do a lot of good.

Stay tuned.