Supporting Partnerships in PNG: From Coffee Growing to Sewage Treatment

At the core of sustainable development is an often-unsung hero right at the end of the list: UNSDG 17 Partnerships For The Goals.

Partnerships for the goals are about fostering relationships that enhance cooperation, build capacity, promote investment, and facilitate the use of appropriate environmentally sound technologies.

A series of recent Hydroflux workshops in Papua New Guinea was a clear illustration of our long-term commitment to achieve sustainable outcomes for our customers and local communities. This visit is the latest in a long-standing heritage of projects and discussions spanning decades of activity in Papua New Guinea and across the Pacific.

In the first instance, Sorrell Handforth, one of our sustainability leads was hosting a forum with LEAN Consulting COO Robyn Robinson that brought together a number of leading coffee sector stakeholders, research institutes and government departments to guide the development of PNG’s Climate-Smart Coffee Policy Framework. An important part of this workshop involved defining interventions to tackle existing challenges and establishing institutional arrangements and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders to collaborate in effectively implementing policy measures.  

Tapping into SDG 6 and the water sector, James Thomas, a process engineer, two members from our in-country service partners, Fimali Ltd, and Paul Cobbin CEO of Hydroflux Pacific, met with clients to deliver lunch and learn sessions to a number of water sector clients in the nation’s capital of Port Moresby.

For the water sector meetings, it was a series of dynamic discussions that focused around addressing the concerns and needs of client’s asset networks. The visits involved site inspections such as the Joyce Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant inspecting the site’s Inlet Works that includes HUBER Screening and Grit Removal technology, followed by presentations on how Hydroflux can provide technology and solutions that address plant reliability, renewable energy and water reuse.  

In the words of Hydroflux Pacific CEO Paul Cobbin, “the water sector sessions were about working with their design teams and presenting solutions to real current problems and needs. Infrastructure meetings are about collaboration between organisations and asking the question, ’what are your top five issues?’ then offering solutions based on the appropriate technologies to solve the problem.”

Whether the case is addressing SDG 8 related action through work and economic growth in agricultural or facilitating SDG 9 innovation and infrastructure development by providing technology solutions, the objective should always be true sustainability. True sustainability can only be forged through long term commitment such as the recent Papua New Guinea in-country collaboration.

About the Hydroflux Group

The Hydroflux Group aims to deliver the highest level of engineering and scientific know-how to the emerging issues of sustainability, climate adaptation and environmental protection with a specific focus on water and wastewater.

As part of its vision and mission, Hydroflux has always taken its climate responsibility seriously. In 2022, Hydroflux became Australia’s first water treatment and technology company to achieve Climate Active carbon neutral certification for its organisation and products. It knows that partnering with customers and clients is the most significant impact it can have in its journey. The Group employs over 100 staff and operates throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, with office locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, Suva and Portsmouth.